The Dragon's Feast

The classical music abruptly stopped, and even the performers froze as they gawked at Aria. Rhysann rose to his feet and placed the goblet down, his eyes never leaving her form. Aria glanced around for a moment, observing their astonished faces before her gaze settled on Rhysann.

Constance stepped aside as he moved towards Aria and reached for her hand, but she swiftly rebuffed him, eliciting shocked murmurs from the onlookers. It was then that Rhysann noticed how upset she was.

"Well..." Raiken approached them, goblet in hand.

"Would you look at that? Our mighty king has finally gotten himself a human slave!" he announced, turning to everyone with his hands raised, and they all cheered.

Aria burned with fury, seeing that Rhysann was doing nothing to stop them from calling her a slave. She was convinced that this was his plan all along.

"Congratulations, cousin," Raiken remarked with a wide grin, turning his attention back to them. His gaze lingered on Aria, and she could see the lust simmering in his eyes. "You're so damn lucky. She's a rare prize!"

Rhysann clenched his fists tightly, his jaw tightening in restrained anger.

"I never imagined you would take this step, Rhysann," Nessie spoke as she gracefully rose to her feet, a smirk curving her lips.

Aria's gaze shifted to her. The moment their eyes met, Nessie flashed an intimidating grin, but Aria was unmoved by her menacing presence and it irked Nessie a bit. She had expected the human girl to avert her eyes in discomfort, but no such reaction happened.

Nessie scrutinized her appearance for a brief moment, noting the piece of cloth tied around her right arm.

"Why is that piece of cloth tied around your arm, little slave?" she muttered, approaching the duo.

"I burned her by accident," Rhysann spoke up almost immediately. He tried to lie smoothly, but Nessie was a bit suspicious.

"Oh, that must've felt good. I like to burn my slave too sometimes..." she purred with a mischievous grin, and Aria could barely contain her fury at that point.

Rhysann led Aria to the table and as he pulled a seat for her, Nessie intercepted them almost immediately.

"Ah, did you forget the rules, your highness?" she uttered with a devious smirk, her eyes meeting Rhysann's. "Slaves do not sit with us at the table. They kneel."

Aria's eyes briefly widened. It was then that she noticed the figures kneeling beside the nobles at their seats. Iron collars with chains were encircled around their necks, tugged on by their masters as though they were dogs.

Rhysann turned to face Aria, and he could see that she was horrified.

"I will not—"

Rhysann gently squeezed her hand to stop her from speaking further. Aria, startled, turned to face him with anger flashing across her features. She quickly withdrew her hand away from his grasp. Nessie cracked a cruel smile, while Raiken seemed to enjoy the drama unfolding.

"It must be so humiliating for a princess of Eldoria, being reduced to such a lowly state, isn't it?" he taunted her with a smirk, reclining on his seat. "Ah, I wish your dumb father was here to see this."

At the mention of Aria being a princess of Eldoria, the other slaves stared at her in shock.

Aria's heart broke at the mention of her father in such a disrespectful manner. She desperately wanted to hurl the wine-filled goblet at him, but the pleading look in Rhysann's eyes restrained her.

"Go on, little slave," Nessie muttered with a sly grin, turning to Aria. "Kneel."

"Nessie, it's not necessary. Just leave her alone," Rhysann said, but she cut him off before he could finish.

"Ah- ah, Your Highness." she teased, waving a long finger with nails painted black tinged with red at him. "The other slaves are kneeling, so she must do the same."

"I will never kneel before you!" Aria suddenly spat before Rhysann could stop her.

The dragons stared at her in shock. The slaves were terrified on her behalf. Surely she would be severely punished for showing even the slightest defiance.

"Oh? You dare speak in that manner to your superiors?!" Nessie hissed, her hazel eyes taking on a sinister draconic appearance as her nails and fangs elongated.

"Let me handle this, sister. Relax." Raiken rose to his feet and approached them, placing a hand on Nessie's shoulder to briefly calm her dragoness. "I know how to crumble her defiance."

Before their eyes, Raiken casually approached Constance and quickly, he seized her by the neck and sunk his elongated fangs into her skin with such brutal force. There was a sickening crunch, and Constance cried out in sharp, agonizing pain.

Aria's eyes filled with horror. She had not expected that her new friend would bear the consequences of her actions.

Raiken retracted his fangs and shoved Constance to the ground. She cried in great pain, pressing her palm to the spot where she had been bitten. Blood poured from it uncontrollably.

"Constance...!" Aria muttered under her breath.

"Raiken, Enough!" Rhysann commanded aloud in a voice full of anger, and the entire chamber went silent.

Aria rushed to Constance's side and tried to help her up, but the poor girl couldn't stand on her feet anymore. Her shoulder hurt even more as the pain spread through her entire body like venom. She had been poisoned by Raiken's dragon, Rannenclaw. It was one of his many abilities that set him apart from the others.

"It hurts...! It hurts, my princess!" Constance cried weakly.

"Somebody do something! I think she's poisoned!" Aria cried helplessly, seeing that her skin was becoming a pallid purple.

She sank to her knees, holding Constance close as the girl teetered on the edge of unconsciousness.

No one in the chamber moved an inch. Nessie and Raiken watched with cruel smiles on their faces. The other slaves were terrified, but they could do nothing. Rhysann approached them and signaled for a servant to come forward.

(Servants are different from slaves. They are dragons who work in the palace for a living. They are not mistreated and enjoy equal privileges as the other dragons.)

"Take her and ensure she gets proper treatment," he instructed. The servant nodded, then draped Constance's arm over his shoulder and led her away.

Aria stayed kneeling on the cold floor, tears streaming down her face. Rhysann looked down at her helplessly. He felt so furious at himself for letting his mate cry, but he could do nothing to stop it.

"None of this would've happened if you obeyed the rules, little slave." Nessie broke the silence with a wide grin.

"I hope this serves as a lesson to you and the other humans who dare to resist us," she sneered. "You can never defeat us. You all are weak! Your very existence disgusts me! No matter how hard you fight, you will always be beneath us, the dragons!" She raised her voice with pride, and the other dragonborns cheered, raising their goblets in her honor.

***

The feast lasted until midnight, and when it was finally over, the dragons dispersed to their respective homes. Rhysann had left shortly after the incident, and Aria went to keep Constance company.

She lay on a small bed in a room within the slaves' quarters. Earlier, she had been given an antidote to drink that would prevent the poison from reaching her heart, and thankfully, she was saved.

Aria watched as Constance lay still, her eyes closed and her face marked with lingering pain. Although the worst had subsided, some discomfort remained. Her shoulder was wrapped in a white cloth to stop the bleeding.

Then, Constance let out a soft moan and slowly opened her eyes.

"Constance...!" Aria gasped, her eyes filled with relief as she gazed down at her.

Constance's eyes fluttered open, and she saw Aria seated beside her.

"My princess..." she muttered weakly.

"Shh... You need to save your strength."

"My princess... I'm glad you're here." she forced a weak smile, and Aria was deeply heartbroken.

"Please... No more formalities. Just call me by my name... Aria. In here, we're all humans trying to survive."

Constance nodded once and tried to sit up, but the throbbing ache in her body forced her to lie down again.

"Just lay still. You'll feel better that way."

At that moment, the door swung open, and a young man entered. His face was etched with concern as he approached them. His hair was messy, and the dark circles beneath his eyes hinted at several sleepless nights. His arms, neck, and face bore burns and bite marks, but other than that, he was undeniably handsome.

"Constance...!" he called out hoarsely as he stood by her side.

"Noah..." Constance called out weakly. She seemed relieved and happy to see him.

"I came the moment I got the chance. Nessie wouldn't let me out of her sight. I'm so sorry for what that monster did to you..." He spoke breathlessly, but Constance assured him that it was fine.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Princess Aria." he turned to face her with a slight bow.

Aria's gaze flickered towards him and fell on the metal collar encircled around his neck.

"Likewise, Noah." she managed a smile. "What that thing around your neck?"

Noah reached up to touch the collar and a grim frown etched on his face.

"It's... A symbol of Nessie's ownership..."

Aria's eyes widened when she understood what he meant.

"You're—!"

"That's right; Nessie's slave."