The Serpent's Chains

Sabine

"Unchain her."

My breath caught in my throat and I stopped staring at the dragon shrinking into the darkening sky. Prince Cole snapped his fingers at one of the guards.

All around the amphitheater, people were recovering from the unexpected presence of the dragon. At the moment that I thought the beast was going to eat me, I wasn't afraid. Now that he'd flown off, I was surprised by how relieved I felt until the War Dragon started giving orders.

The guard quickly unlocked my shackles and I stepped away from the post, rubbing my raw wrists. I kept my head bowed and eyes down. Until the collar was removed, I was still a slave.

"Your Majesty, this girl still belongs to me. If your intention isn't to purchase her, then I must insist that her chains be put back on."

My master pointed a fat finger in my face. I took a deep breath but didn't react. Any reaction would be bad.

"I'm taking her to be my personal attendant."

"That is... are you sure you want a mere slave for that honor?"

"Weren't you the one telling us all what a great treasure she is?"

The prince glared sharply at my master. He recoiled and nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes. Of course."

"Good. Then our business is finished. I want her transported to the palace, immediately."

I was to be the War Dragon's personal attendant. My heart clenched and I shifted from one foot to the other. Waiting on royalty was not something I was trained for and with the Crowned Prince's reputation... there were worse fates than death if I disappointed him.

Even a sheltered slave like me who spent my whole life on the opposite side of the kingdom from the capital knew of the fearsome War Dragon's reputation. I heard whispers of how he and his crimson dragon burned entire armies alive, dropping down from the skies and decimating them with flame.

Prince Cole and Talon led the royal army to conquer five smaller countries in just a few years. The way I heard it, he lived and breathed war and death, and he loved it. Everyone I talked to respected and feared him. They said a man like that is born to kill. No amount of training can turn someone into a warrior who loves to kill and destroy.

If he was that proficient of a killer, what would he do to me if I didn't meet his needs?

"My apologies, Your Majesty, but we have not settled on a price for the girl." My slave master's words pulled me from my thoughts.

I stepped back just in time for the prince to whip around. He stood tall, menacing over my master. The shorter, fatter man shrank down in a crouch, sniveling. I couldn't believe I'd ever been afraid of him.

"And are you going to be the one to tell the crimson dragon that you're denying him his prize?"

My master trembled visibly and shook his head. "No. Please, take her. She's all yours."

The prince nodded to a few guards and they swarmed around me, ushering me out of the amphitheater. I wasn't in chains anymore but the salve collar hadn't been removed. I hooked my finger around the iron binding. My master was the one who put it on when I was a girl. He was the only one who could take it off.

The collar was magically designed and only the hand that put it on could remove it. If I tried to run, it would incapacitate me with violent electrical volts. I hadn't tried that since I was thirteen.

I was transported to the palace with a group of guards. As they rushed me through the main courtyard, I barely had time to take it all in but what I could tell was that the palace was massive.

The cobblestone courtyard alone was bigger than my village. There were several smaller buildings around the courtyard but at the far end was the largest, widest staircase I'd ever seen. It led to the main building of the palace.

The guards pushed me along. All I really saw was the red and gold pagoda roofs and the white stone exterior.

I was brought through a side door, a slave's entrance, and taken directly to a wing on the far left of the palace. The guards stopped at the wing doors. They were massive double doors with dragons embossed on the wood, grafted from several different precious metals. Each of the dragons had a different hue that flickered with the flames on the torch sconces lining the palace corridor.

One of the guards knocked with a round, brass knocker. The doors pulled open from the inside and another set of guards were on the other side. They were dressed differently than the guards who escorted me. They wore armor with red hues and their helmets were shaped into red dragon heads.

These were the War Dragon's personal guard, his crimson warriors.

"What is this?" The leader barked.

"His Majesty's new personal attendant. He acquired her at auction."

I was used to others talking about me while I stood before them. It wasn't uncommon for other people to talk for me.

"How lovely. I'll take it from here." The crimson warrior leader grabbed my arm.

I didn't resist or protest as she half dragged me down the hall. I hardly had a chance to fully take in the luxury and glamor of the palace around me before I was standing at another door. The crimson warrior knocked.

"Your Majesty, I have a delivery for you."

Prince Cole opened the door and stepped aside. I was shoved into the room and the door closed quickly behind me.

My mind spun with how quickly everything was moving. I hadn't had a chance to process what had happened since the dragon landed in front of me.

I looked around, seeing that I was in some kind of parlor. There were several comfortable-looking chairs and couches around the room made of velvet and silk. One of the marble-topped tables had a fine, golden tea set on display.

Two of the walls were lined with bookshelves stuffed with old, leather-bound books with cracked spines.

"What's your name, girl?" The prince asked gruffly. He was moving around the parlor busily, his back to me. I hadn't gotten a good look at him yet.

"My name is Sabine, Your Highness." I bowed my head and looked at my feet.

I heard the door click open and flicked my eyes in that direction. A tall woman with a wasp waist and ample breasts swayed in. She held herself tall, chin high, shoulders square. Her black, rippling hair framed her face and shoulders in elegant waves. She entered the rooms like she was the queen of the world.

And with good reason. She was stunningly beautiful with her perfect, porcelain skin and her big, doe eyes.

She went right up to the prince and curled her fingers around the back of his neck. I pursed my lips and looked away.

It was common knowledge that Prince Cole wasn't married. This woman must have been a concubine, an unwed companion.

"I was hoping to find you here," she said in a silky, seductive tone.

Slowly, I inched against the wall and pressed myself flat, hoping they'd take their intimacy to another room so I wouldn't have to watch.

"Why'd you come, Dulcey?" The prince didn't sound pleased.

"I wanted to find you now that the auction is over. You did say your royal responsibilities would be done after that and I thought we could..."

The prince shrugged her off of him. "That's not going to happen." He sighed and shook his head. "You should go. Don't expect me to call on you again."

My cheeks burned hot and I wished I could disappear into the wall. The prince knew I was there. Why didn't he ask me to leave?

"Wait, are you... are you dismissing me?" The concubine, Dulcey, asked. She pressed her hand to her breast looking taken aback.

He nodded and waved toward the door.

Dulcey shook her head several times. "No. No! You do not get to dismiss me. Do you know how hard I worked to get here? I grew up with nothing and I pulled myself out of that, all the way to the palace. I worked for this and I deserve to be at your side."

I held my breath as Prince Cole rounded on her with a snarl.

"You deserve what I say you deserve. Now get out of my sight, or I will have Talon take care of you."

Dulcey immediately stepped back. She tried to hide it but I could see the uneasiness in her posture. It was like she knew his threat wasn't empty.

My stomach dropped like a stone. If the prince could be that cruel to someone he was close to, what would he be willing to do to me?

For a moment, I wished the dragon had swallowed me whole.

Dulcey left huffing and stamping her feet. It was a childish tantrum but I imagined her frustration at being so callously sent away. Clearly, the prince didn't care much about the emotions of others, even the women he chose as companions.

Prince Cole sighed loudly, more of a groan, and went into another room. I heard him sink heavily into a chair.

"Sabine, come here."

I pushed off the wall and hurried into the other room. The prince sat in a gold-gilded chair beside a large, metal tub. The tiled floor had a silk carpet that tickled my feet as I got closer to him.

On the opposite side of the tub was a tri-fold changing screen made of thin paper that had cherry blossoms painted on it.

"Can you draw a bath and take off my boots?" The prince stretched his legs out.

I nodded and went to the tub first. I turned the knobs until steaming water gushed from the pipes into the basin before I knelt in front of the prince. I plucked at the tight laces of his knee-high leather boots, slowly loosening them down to his ankles.

I pulled one boot off but when I turned to the other, the prince grabbed my chin and forced my face upward. I gasped and averted my eyes. It could be death to look at a royal without permission.

"Look at me," the prince demanded.

Slowly, I brought my eyes to his face. I trained my face to be expressionless and emotionless, lest he see some betraying thought in my eyes.

For the first time, I got a good look at the War Dragon.

Dark emerald eyes with crimson flecks stared back at me. His sandy-blond hair flopped a little in front of his face where it was longer on the top and shaved on the sides. Now that he wasn't glaring, his features were soft and boyish. There was a youthful roundness to his cheeks. He was more handsome than anyone had the right to be, even a prince.

My breath caught in my throat. How could someone so innocent looking... so angelic, have the fearsome reputation this man had?

If I didn't know he was the War Dragon, I would think he was charming.

I wanted to look away but I couldn't. With how close we were, I could see the way his muscles strained against the fabric of his nice clothes, stretching the seams. He was very strong and could easily snap me like a twig if I didn't do what he asked.

His fingers tightened on my chin. My jaw ached and a sharp pain shot through my cheeks. I clenched my teeth against the pain but kept my face expressionless.

The prince snorted and pushed my face away. Quickly, I went back to my task of removing his other boot. Whatever he saw in my face, he didn't like it. I just hoped my work as his personal attendant would be satisfying enough.

"Take a bath, clean yourself up. There will be fresh clothes waiting in the other room when you're done."

The prince stood and headed for the door.

I stared at the half-full tub and then back at the prince. "Y-you want me to take a bath?"

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I clamped my hands over my mouth as the prince turned around.

He arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow at me.

I rocked back on my heels and clasped my hands behind my back. The prince didn't seem the type to suffer insolence and speaking out of turn, questioning his actions, was insolent.

I held my breath, waiting for him to condemn me after my outburst. To the War Dragon, any offense was punishable by death.

"I'm not accustomed to repeating myself. However, I will make an exception this once. Clean yourself up in that bath. I can't have my personal attendant looking... like that..."

He lifted his hand and motioned to my body. My cheeks burned hot and I turned away slightly. The prince sighed and shook his head at me. He left me alone without another word.