Hanna, who had actually fallen asleep, half buried in his coins that acted as his blankets, opened one eye when he first heard the steps creeping down the long hall. He snorted, half asleep, and closed it again, letting his body wake up, even if he still looked rather limp, entirely too boneless to not be asleep.
His soft breathing continued, filling the large cavern with warmth, his chest rumbling on a snore that sounded almost like a purr or a gentle rumble. He had been ready to defend himself, but part of him wanted to wait. Wait to see what his new help would do, and when that sword raised, he could feel the coolness of the metal above him, and yet it didn't fall.
Either this prince was a coward, or he had far more heart than he let on. He supposed putting him to task further would help him be the judge of that.
Up until now, the prince had been deadly silent. Now he was biting back a sob that was trying its hardest to escape. He choked on it, swallowed it back down. He felt it splash down into the pit of his stomach only to rise again. His gloves creaked as he squeezed the sword's hilt. He raised it higher, and higher.
And in the heat that rolled off the slumbering creature, his eyes burned. He glared and let the tears fall in earnest. It wasn't an animal. Either he'd been lied to his whole life or Hanna was special. He felt stupid and lied to. And as he struggled, he allowed himself to really look at his captor beyond the searing color of his scales.
The dragon had little ox's ears.
How on earth could he kill a dragon with little ox's ears?
He let out the breath that had been souring in his lungs and slowly, slowly, lowered the sword. The blade's tip didn't so much as brush against one of the coins at the edge of the dragon's bed. So this was it, then. The key back to his old life lay sprawled before him and he could not turn it.
With a flutter of the lambskin he'd draped over his shoulders, Maurice retreated back into the store room to fall into a black and dreamless sleep.
The gentle patter of tears hit Hanna's ears, and for all he was worth, he wanted to open his eyes, to speak to this human and perhaps talk him out of the sorrow he felt. He wasn't cruel, even if he was condescending, but he kept his eyes closed, let the prince wander back down the hall. It wasn't until he was sure the man slept, that he slipped out of his golden nest, the gentle roll of coins sounding like heavy rain in a field.
There were things that needed done, clothing for his new charge, perhaps some other things for him to help with the learning process, and if he didn't start early, he would never get them done before Maurice woke the next morning.
Unknown to Maurice, he pulled his wings around him, form shifting to that of a small man, awkward just as he was in his true form, slipping out into the night to gather what he needed. Sleep could come later when his task was done, but for now he needed to reward Maurice for his kindness, even if he was unaware of how much Hanna really knew.
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theattic2014-11-09 08:06 pm
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His soft breathing continued, filling the large cavern with warmth, his chest rumbling on a snore that sounded almost like a purr or a gentle rumble. He had been ready to defend himself, but part of him wanted to wait. Wait to see what his new help would do, and when that sword raised, he could feel the coolness of the metal above him, and yet it didn't fall.
Either this prince was a coward, or he had far more heart than he let on. He supposed putting him to task further would help him be the judge of that.
no subject
And in the heat that rolled off the slumbering creature, his eyes burned. He glared and let the tears fall in earnest. It wasn't an animal. Either he'd been lied to his whole life or Hanna was special. He felt stupid and lied to. And as he struggled, he allowed himself to really look at his captor beyond the searing color of his scales.
The dragon had little ox's ears.
How on earth could he kill a dragon with little ox's ears?
He let out the breath that had been souring in his lungs and slowly, slowly, lowered the sword. The blade's tip didn't so much as brush against one of the coins at the edge of the dragon's bed. So this was it, then. The key back to his old life lay sprawled before him and he could not turn it.
With a flutter of the lambskin he'd draped over his shoulders, Maurice retreated back into the store room to fall into a black and dreamless sleep.
no subject
There were things that needed done, clothing for his new charge, perhaps some other things for him to help with the learning process, and if he didn't start early, he would never get them done before Maurice woke the next morning.
Unknown to Maurice, he pulled his wings around him, form shifting to that of a small man, awkward just as he was in his true form, slipping out into the night to gather what he needed. Sleep could come later when his task was done, but for now he needed to reward Maurice for his kindness, even if he was unaware of how much Hanna really knew.