In the somehow dark Dragon Castle, Sienna stepped out into a fire-lit long corridor. It was day already, but it was dim in there. She spotted a few windows, but they were shut tight with wooden shutters; only small streaks of light were passing through the dense wood.
Sienna decided to follow the fire lines. "Do they have gas, oil or some kind of magic to keep it all flamed?"Sienna thought interested as she walked next to it carefully till she saw a single guard standing by his back to her.
"Hi, good morning."Sienna greeted him politely. The man was very tall and had a kind of wild expression on his face. His eyes were red and he wore light black scaled armour. He looked vile and dangerous.
"Good morning." he bowed lightly. "What are you doing outside, Queen Sienna?" he looked at her curiously.
"I'm looking for the King. I promised to help him."Sienna smiled gently. She wanted to look as innocent as possible! She felt quite relieved that the guard acted normal and not how he looked.
"Sure, follow me. You are the first one to get out on your own..." he muttered under his nose surprised.
"Are more of us here ?"Sienna asked curiously.
"Ahh, yes, ahhm...no, you are the only alive one," he noted and Sienna felt her stomach churn.
"Should I go back and stall more..." she thought."No...he asked for help so I need to see with what first," she said to herself in her mind and followed the guard down the corridors. It was like a long dark maze with fire lining the rough stone wall and she was walking behind the guard absolutely lost for direction. The navigation sense in the strange place was not Sienna's strongest trait...
The guard took her to the tall wooden decorated door and knocked on it loudly. Then he opened it slightly and pointed Sienna to go it. The gush of stagnant air came from the room and she looked at him worriedly.
"I can't come in. You need to go on your own." he shook his shoulders."I wait here for you." he said quietly as he saw her hesitation. His expression was somehow puzzled which contrasted with his dangerous warrior exterior. He seemed as if he almost cared.
"OK, then, I take your word for it." Sienna looked at him seriously and stepped inside the dimly lit room. She hoped that there would be no monster waiting to devour her. The room smelled dry and dusty. The long white spiderwebs were hanging from the ceiling and it looked like a vampire-style decorated library...
Sienna dreaded the spiderwebs and dust. The layers of dust were so thick it reminded her of the snow outside...
Sienna was not a cleaning freak, but this was over the top...She lifted the skirt of her dress a little as she walked because she could see big dusty footsteps in front of her!
" There is a human in there...the King...that is a good sign..." She thought. Sienna was worried that she would find some skeletons peeking from the library shelf's edges. It was quite possible that all the cleaners died in that castle from old age or the dusty avalanche burrowed them alive!
"He could set up a Halloween-themed shop with this! Free spiderweb supplies..."Sienna chuckled in her mind satirically."It must be seriously something wrong with him to let his castle run down this much!" she thought. "Or did he eat all the servants?"She questioned in her mind." Well, I saw one guard. I hope he will eat him before me...but the dragon seemed nice. I would prefer to talk to him than to the King..." she bit her lips worriedly.
Sienna walked through the main path, following the big steps on the floor and dim sunlight till she spotted the burly Dragon King leaning on the reading table. He was apparently waiting for her! He had some books opened on it as well...but they were way too dusty, so Sienna did not think he actually read something...
She noticed that he at least moved heavy black velvet curtains and opened a window to get some fresh air, which she quite welcomed. The King was wearing a light scaly black armour vest with a white linen shirt under it. On his waist was a wide black metal belt, he wore silken trousers and big black dragon-decorated boots. Sienna lifted her eyes from his imposing figure as she walked closer. His face was symmetric, even kind of handsome if he was not so stern. His golden eyes were staring straight at her but he seemed so detached from his surroundings that Sienna felt as if he looked through her!
He looked thinking, standing still as a stone wall, with a mindless cold expression and somehow sad eyes...Sienna wanted to read him better to see what to expect from him. She wanted to make him talk!
"Good morning, Your Majesty."Sienna smiled cheerfully trying to melt his cold stare...
"Why don't you address me my King, Sienna? "he asked inquisitively in a strong manly voice. It kind of demanded obedience, but Sienna was not a timid Queen...
"I do not feel like I should."She replied politely.
"Hm, call me Thunder then..."He furrowed his black brows." That is my name..." he noted as she still stared at him.
"OK, Thunder..."Sienna nodded slowly. The name kind of suited his dark exterior. "He looks definitely dangerous like a thunder." she thought."Can he make a thunder though? Or it is just a name. ...?" her mind raced.
"King Thunder..." he said firmly as he saw her thinking.
"Yes, I know you are the Dragon King, Thunder." She nodded clearly distracted. "So tell me what do you want to show me?" she rather asked straight away.
"You are in a hurry..." he said a bit surprised.
"Well, I noticed it must be something important for you if you came to pick me up so fast." She nodded.
"You called me."He said.
"You were at my city way too soon, you must have been on your way there before I called you."She said convincingly trusting in Tyrell's judgement.
"That's true," he noted and adjusted the little decorative figurine on the nearby shelf, that was not dusty by some miracle but...
"I see."Sienna glanced at it ."It is the latest one!"She blushed and bit her lips."Who would be so vile to deliver this to him!!!" she thought upset that someone betrayed her like this.
The King saw how she blushed but remained cold.
"So, come closer, I do not bite."...he offered his hand to her.
"Yes, your dragon seemed nice..."Sienna nodded."But I'm not sure about your human form..." she thought and looked at him curiously as she accepted his hand. It was hard and warm."Warrior King's hand. "She thought. "I wonder if his dragon form fits in here."The beautiful Black Dragon was still stuck in her mind. She would prefer to play with the dragon than to stare at the brutish man.
"How do you like my library?" Thunder asked to break her quietness. She was not asking anything and it kind of made him feel uncomfortable. He did not conversate much lately and was not very good at it. And she did not make it easier either. He felt she was keeping her distance more than he expected even though she seemed keen to help. She was like something strange in the run-down place, an intruder in his quietness, her presence was way too sunny for him to handle for now... He felt as if she was the embodiment of something forbidden because her presence radiated goodness. It made him feel guilty somehow. Like he was stealing something precious and priceless... and needed to destroy it forever...
"It is impressive, but I prefer snow to be in white. It sparkles more." Sienna nodded watching the bookshelf collecting dust. The room was grand but neglected...
"What?" He looked at her shaking his head.
"It really needs some cleaning. It is not my favourite activity, but this is too much even for me. I can wipe the dust but you are taking down the spiderwebs. " she bit her lips. "Is this what you needed help with?" she turned to him caringly. She tried to break his icy block exterior to figure him out...
"Yes, no...I know, but I do not allow servants here..." he noted. She was making him ashamed and distracted with her comments while he was thinking hard about how to present his matter.
"Aha, so you do not read much, then?"She asked curiously.
"No, I do, I come here every day..." he nodded.
"To read these books or do you just like to watch the dust falling?" she asked curiously glancing suspiciously at some big spiderwebs. She was careful not to touch them. Yakk!!!
"No, I come here to check on my biggest pain..." he growled as he noticed she was a little sarcastic with him. He felt as if she did not take him seriously and he was right in that...the King who did not take care of his belongings was chucked in the" lazy ass, go away fast" folder in Sienna's head.
"Pain? Are you scared to read?"Sienna furrowed her eyebrows."It is so hard to get an answer from him!"She sighed in her mind. She wanted to see some kind of reaction to asses him better...
"No, come see..." he decided to let it slip and just move to his point.
He walked with her into the middle of the library. There stood an amazing feature made of amber...It was bigger than Sienna herself! And surprisingly it was the only thing which was not dusty...
"Is he just polishing this stone all day? Crazy.. "Sienna thought.
She watched in awe the amazing shiny amber stone, it was golden yellow and smooth as a drop of water.
"Do you have trees so big in here, to make such an amber?" she asked curiously enchanted by the shine of it.
"Yes, but that is not my pain. Look inside..." he pointed her closer.
Sienna came to the crystal.
"Can I touch it?"She asked carefully
"Sure, it will not suck you in yet." he grinned painfully
"What? "Sienna stepped away in shock.
The Dragon King took her hand and walked her around the amber."Now look!" he pointed to the shiny amber letting go of Sienna's hand.
"There is a girl inside!"Sienna turned to him in shock for a moment. Sienna watched in unbelief a girl, a young woman in her eighteens stuck in the amber! "It is that Butterfly Princess from that book?" she wondered in her mind. "No, no she looks normal, almost like me. It could not be her! Who is she? Is she dead?"Sienna's mind raced and she felt a sudden fear in her heart..."Why do they store women in crystals here? Ridiculous! Does he like to keep women as decoration? Did he do it? Or she had an accident?"Sienna was deep in her thoughts when she felt the King touched her shoulder.
"Ahh, such a pretty girl, what is she doing inside?" Sienna asked gently as she turned to him. She felt the serious Dragon King was looking at her. Her spine was freezing awaiting the answer but he was quiet now staring into the amber.
"What happened to her?" she asked in a whisper.