A Dragon's Hoard
Lilia stood outside Maleficia’s office stock still with dread bubbling in his gut. One way or another, he’d end up dodging lightning strikes. Maleficia was far too fond of that punishment to stop just because Lilia hadn’t actually done anything this time. Other than adopting a new child. A child that just so happened to show up with a blade that truthfully shouldn’t have been anywhere near a child. Or anyone outside the royal family for that matter.
Maleficia no doubt already knew he was there. She would’ve felt him cross the castle boundaries the moment he teleported in. He just had to knock. That’s all he had to do. He could knock, go in, tell her about the sword, and teleport back to the school before she had a moment to aim at him. There wasn’t any need for him to stay after telling her after all and Malleus still needed a guard. Silver wouldn’t be enough to protect him for long and it was just best if Lilia made his way back as soon as possible.
He nodded to himself and raised his hand to knock only to drop it in the next instant. The door clicked quietly, creaking open slowly.
Ah.
Too late.
“Lilia.”
Why did Revan have to die? If he were still alive then Lilia could have just pushed him in to tell her instead. He sent a silent apology to his long-passed lover for every time he’d done just that when they were younger.
With the air of a man walking to his death, Lilia strode into the dim office. Maleficia sat at her desk as she usually did, hair pinned back and back ramrod straight. The hearth glowed with green flames, sending acid light against the walls and bathing Maleficia in cold light and even deeper shadows. Her wings shifted behind her and the scraping of scales on stone let him know she’d indulged herself in letting her tail out as well.
Lilia swallowed thickly when he noticed the absence of anything on her desk. There had been very few times in his life when Maleficia didn’t have a plethora of forms on her desk, all of which ended with him getting struck with lightning or, when he was younger, viciously spanked. Lilia wasn’t confident enough that she wouldn’t still spank him if she thought it’d get her point across. Especially if she thought humiliation would be a better teacher than pain.
“My Queen,” he’d known her too long to think any amount of flattery or respect would get him out of punishment, “I have news.”
If he could just come out and say it quickly and bluntly, then he could maybe get out quickly enough to escape.
She folded her hands in front of her, an eyebrow raised. She was still and silent and as cold as she ever was. Okay, so far so good. He just needed to keep her calm and then he could skedaddle before she brought the castle down.
“Speak, Lilia,” her voice was soft and whispery in the silence. He’d rarely seen her like this. Maleficia was not a quiet woman, not when she was out of the public eye. She was cool and calm but never soft.
Centuries of instinct and training had him shifting into parade rest, hands neatly folded behind his back and eyes gazing just past his monarch. It made him feel a bit better, a bit more relaxed, a bit more disciplined . It was easier to remove himself from the topic, to speak of it distantly and professionally.
“A Seelie blade has been found outside the domain of the royal family,” he spoke, voice flat and dead as he abandoned any semblance of himself. What stood before his Queen was a mimicry of a person. What stood before her was the soldier she’d trained since he was a child.
He stared past her, not reacting in the slightest to the way the fire roared, spilling out of the hearth to wash against the walls. Tongues of flame danced across the ceiling and the windows shook faintly as the usual clouds outside darkened and rain began to pelt down. It was all distant to him.
“Explain,” she was too old, too worn and experienced, to allow any of her anger to seep out into her voice. The winds battering the windows were more than enough.
“It’s been confirmed to be a Seelie blade by the Fae known as Dire Crowley. The blade was first discovered during an incident at the Night Raven College entrance ceremony. I was attending to oversee the sorting of the new students. I saw fit to retrieve the blade, receiving injuries to my hand, after which Dire Crowley took the blade away to be analyzed. Approximately four hours after retrieval, Dire Crowley informed me of his suspicions of the blade’s origins. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that the blade possesses a form of sentience. The blade refused to allow Dire Crowley to handle it physically, seemingly warping reality to ensure Dire Crowley could not touch it. It was discovered shortly thereafter that I, myself, was able to handle the blade, though not without sustaining further injury. The blade is undoubtedly of Seelie make.”
Her eyes narrowed at him and Lilia had to stop his heart from shuddering. His fingers twitched behind him before he forced them still. He still didn’t mention his newest son though. There was absolutely no way he was telling her himself. And really was the boy that important to the report? The sword was too big for him anyway so obviously it wasn’t his. The kid was unconscious anyway so he wouldn’t be of any help.
“You’re hands.”
Lilia’s lip twitched and he took a stiff step forward and then another and another until he was directly in front of Maleficia’s desk. With forcibly smooth movements, Lilia brought his hands out and presented them to Her Majesty. Cold hands, much larger than his own, folded over his. Maleficia frowned deeply as she ran her fingers along the burned, white and black, skin of his palm. He suppressed a flinch when she ran a nail over a particularly melted section of flesh. At least now he could understand why he hadn’t been able to feel much pain. His palms were more white than black and red, the nerves melted and dead.
She brought his hand closer to her face. Her tongue, long and split, flicked out to taste the air above his skin. She hummed and released him, folding her hands again.
“You will report to the royal physician and receive further treatment. I do not trust the raven to have dealt with your injuries adequately.”
Lilia relaxed minutely. Well, that’d gone better than he’d expected. He’d thought she’d be angrier, but that was a surprisingly tame reaction for Maleficia. He might actually be able to get out in one piece.
He nodded decisively back at her and promptly spun around on his heel to begin his march out of office. He’d have to take the long way to get to the physician’s office if he wanted to avoid running into any of the nobles who also worked in the castle. Maleficia would know if he tried skipping it and he didn’t feel like getting dragged there like a child.
“Little Red,” His hand had just grasped the door handle when the hair along his spine tingled. A forlorn smile curved up along his lips. Of course, it’d been too easy. What else had he missed? Had he forgotten to turn in some form or another? Was she going to order him to attend some ball or gala or other inane function in her stead? He liked balls most of the time. They were a fun chance to play with people and dance and eat but Maleficia somehow managed to force him to go to the most boring functions. He didn’t want to deal with nobles, of any nation, poking at him and needling him for connections.
He spun back around, much more relaxed than when he’d come in, only to freeze. His eyes bugged out of his skull and his smile stretched wider, tinged with fear.
“Would you like to explain this,” Maleficia questioned as she held up a familiar red envelope. Her nails tapped at the formal paper.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck -
Lilia spun around faster than he had in decades, yanking and pulling at the door handle. Open! Come on! Don’t do this to him! But the door didn’t budge. A miasma of darkness grew behind him, shadowing him. A bead of sweat dripped down his spine. He twisted back around, putting his back flush against the wood. He already knew kicking it down wasn’t going to work. He’d broken his foot in his “teenage” years trying that.
Windows.
His eyes darted to the massive wall of windows behind Maleficia. If he used the door as a springboard then he should be able to break through the bulletproof panes. He just needed enough momentum. As long as she didn’t-
A long whimper left him as the lightning flashed on the other side of the windows, illuminating a green sheen to the glass. Oh, oh, he was so fucked.
He forced his gaze to Maleficia and the, frankly, horrifying smile she gave him. Maleficia spun the envelope he’d sent to the royal attorney almost flippantly from knuckle to knuckle. What had he done to deserve this? He was a-
Well, he wasn’t a good person. He’d killed too many people, guilty and innocent, to ever be a good person. Even so, surely he hadn’t done anything bad enough to deserve this.
“Maleficia,” even terrified as he was Lilia refused to stutter or mumble. She’d just punish him even more if he did, “I can explain.”
“Oh,” She quirked an eyebrow at him, green eyes glowing in the shadow her wings cast on her, “do continue, my dear. I would dearly love to know why Alabaster brought this curious letter to me.”
His mind was frightfully blank. Damn it all, this was why he and Maleanor always sacrificed Revan. No matter how hard he tried, every thought fled the moment his eyes met Maleficia’s. He needed to explain and do it quickly . How was he supposed to tell her without getting roasted?
“In my defense, what else was I supposed to do?” She placed the envelope on the desk and looked at him coolly, “He was just there and there weren’t any adults with him and he was just covered in blood. He was- He,” fuck, this was harder than explaining himself to his boys. Lilia sagged against the door as the last couple hours finally began to catch up to him.
His ears twitched as Maleficia’s chair rolled back, but he didn’t look up. He slid down the door, plopping uselessly down on the floor. His hands buzzed and he couldn’t even feel the pain he knew he should’ve been feeling.
He squeezed his eyes shut as he felt Maleficia bend down to kneel in front of him. Why did she always have to make him feel like a child? He bit his lip, not caring that his fang pierced through the skin. His knees drew up against his chest and he wrapped his arms around them.
A hand, gentle and cold and soft, smoothed his hair down. Her hand trailed down, cupping the back of his neck and Lilia couldn’t help but lean back into the hold. He tipped his head back, baring his neck to her.
In and out, he breathed slowly. Maleficia’s scent invaded his mind, smothering his worries beneath roses and oak and storm.
“I am waiting, Little Red.”
Ah, well, he couldn’t have that now, could he? He kept his eyes closed as the air shifted and a heavy, scaly, tail bracketed him. Her wings came around them and he relaxed even further. Centuries may have passed, but she still knew the best ways to keep him calm.
“He’s like me,” he choked the words out, “he’s like me , Maleficia. How did you ever deal with this? He was so scared. He was so damned scared and I want to kill whatever put that look on his face.”
Maleficia stayed silent and let him talk himself out.
“I got the sword away from him and promised him safety and he just… collapsed. He clung to me, Maleficia. Me!”
Suddenly, his helpless sadness was consumed by anger. He shot up, Maleficia taking a step back from him. His hands clenched at his sides as he began to pace. He marched, each step heavy and loud, the exact opposite of what he portrayed to the outside world.
“ He latch onto me ! An adult he had never fucking met ,” he roared and the flames roared with him. Green was overtaken by scarlet red and lightning flashed in tandem with his rage. The window panes rattled treacherously.
“ A human child,” his teeth clashed together as they grew longer, “sought comfort from a Fae he had never met. What was I supposed to do, Maleficia? Leave him to be preyed upon by another far more willing to do harm? Leave him to be taken advantage of? To be made a slave of? No.”
He dragged his hands through his hair, uncaring of the chunks of burnt flesh that stuck to the strands. Maleficia still watched him, silent and watchful as she ever had been, but Lilia kept going because there was so much wrong with the entire situation.
“He fought for his life and nearly lost it anyway. He fought and I know he killed to get free and he was still dying. The first fucking person to give a shit about him was me. What kind of shit luck is that,” He threw his head back with a bitter laugh, “What shitty luck indeed.”
He whirled around and slammed his hand through the stone mantle. The marble parted around his fist, sending dust and shards into the air. A long fracture cracked up the wall, mending in an instant as Maleficia fixed it. It wasn’t the first time he’d destroyed her office, though it had been a few decades since the last time. He ripped his hand from the stone.
“What sort of curse has to be on someone for me to be the best option,” he sighed quietly, shaking his hand out.
“What makes you believe you are unfit to be a guardian to the boy?” Maleficia sat primly on the edge of her desk, folding one leg over the other.
He resisted rolling his eyes at her. He could get away with a lot of disrespect but even he had limits. He was just him. Silver and Malleus were different. They’d been babies when he’d taken them. They’d never been anything other than themselves. This new one though…
He was someone. Someone Lilia didn’t know. Someone Lilia had no idea how to deal with or how to treat. He was a boy who was so much like him and Lilia didn’t want to get it wrong. He knew how badly he could’ve turned out if it hadn’t been for Maleficia. Lilia had no idea where to even start with that child.
“I never said I was unfit,” he muttered, “I’m simply not the best option.”
Maleficia’s arms wrapped around him, her head resting on his. His anger drained from him in a rush, leaving him feeling weak and tired. His bones ached and his head throbbed angrily. He was getting too old for these tantrums.
He sagged against her as her scent wrapped around him again and he just…let his mind go quiet. Just for a bit. He could let himself have this just for now. Maleficia was the only one there to see his weakness and he knew she’d use it against him. Who wouldn’t? But with Maleficia it was different. It wasn’t like she couldn’t just order him to do things for her anyway.
He relaxed into her hold as she rubbed her scent into his skin. He’d get looks once he got back to Diasomnia, but he didn’t care. Why would he care about the judgment of a bunch of arrogant younglings? Like their own parents didn’t scent them every chance they got.
“Stop treating me like a child,” he muttered just to complain and Maleficia rubbed her cheek even harder against his head in retaliation. He just knew she was getting lipstick and makeup all over his hair too.
“Boy, you’re a thousand years too early to be trying to act mature,” she laughed, her arms tightening around him, drawing him impossibly closer. At this point, he’d be lucky not to end up squirreled away in her hoard or locked up in a tower. She’d done it before, right after Maleanor and Revan died. That’d been a rather boring decade, just him and Malleus’ egg stuck in a tower with nothing to do.
“I’m nearly 700 years old,” Lilia couldn’t keep the whine out of his voice if he tried. Not that it would’ve helped. 700 years old he may be, but he doubted he’d ever truly stop acting like a 200-year-old around her.
She was his mother after all. She owned him. His body, his life, his future, and that of his children; all of it belonged to her. Such was the way of Fae. She’d created him in every way that mattered and he’d be repaying her for the rest of his existence. Other Fae parents may loosen the reins on their children a bit once they become adults, but a Draconia? Hell no . What was theirs was theirs, forevermore.
“No matter how old you grow, you will always be a child to me.”
And Lilia truly was a child to her. He wasn’t even a fourth of her age and he’d die before he ever got close to being considered an adult by her. He’d accepted that centuries ago. It helped him justify how closely he clung to her as he aged. How he used her for support when he noticed the drain of his magic, the way he’d begun to age quicker, the way Malleus was growing so quickly, the way Silver’s life was passing him by.
Lilia was a child and that made it easier. A child has every right to seek help from a parent. A child could be weak and not have it held against them. With Maleficia he could be a child.
He didn’t have any memories of his birth parents or colony. Nothing concrete at least. What little he’d remembered as a child had slowly whittled away into vague sensations. Maleficia was the closest thing he’d had to a mother and she’d taken to the role admirably. So, when Lilia turned in her arms and wrapped his own around her, burying his head against her chest, she clutched him close and wrapped her wings tighter around them. As long as he lived, he would always be a child to her. No matter how old he got, she would let him hide in her wings for as long as he needed.
Bats and dragons really were too much alike.
“I still expect you to go to the physician.”
Lilia groaned childishly and pressed his forehead harder against her. A rumble built in her chest, soft and low, and his ears twitched before he let out a sigh and a submissive chirp. He luxuriated in bathing himself in her scent and the sound of her heartbeat. All the legal matters could take a backseat.
“Will you support me in this,” he asked quietly, almost hesitant to break the peace. Maleficia trailed a talon down the back of his neck, no doubt drawing her own amusement from the way he shuddered.
“Do you want the boy,” she questioned back, her voice a whisper, cold and powerful. Lilia squeezed his eyes shut. Want, longing, complete devotion crashed through him followed by a possessive feeling he had no name for.
“ Desperately ,” his voice cracked as he forced the word out. Lightning ran through his limbs, shaking him to his foundation. He wanted that fierce little boy. He wanted to snatch him up and hide him someplace no one would ever find him. He wanted to train him, to nurture him, to see him grow strong and indomitable. He wanted to see that little boy make the world bow before him. He wanted him happy and safe. He wanted those thin cheeks and wrists to fill out. He wanted to see that absolutely tiny boy grow taller than him.
“Then take him .”
Maleficia cupped his cheek, leaning his head back to look him in the eye. Draconic green glowed down at him. She tilted her head at him, an almost cruel smile painted across her face. Maleficia was not a gentle person. She was fire. She was death. She was a dragon older than most nations. She tempered herself somewhat but Lilia had always been the one who’d understood her the most.
“Grow your hoard, my dear. Mother will handle the rest,” she hummed amusedly, releasing him to stalk to her desk.
Lilia followed slowly, caution warring with elation. It was never a good thing when Maleficia referred to herself as “Mother”. It was the same thing she’d always say whenever she beat the ever-loving shit out of him in training. She’d said the same when she locked him in that tower.
“What will you do, my Queen?”
She slanted a narrow look at him that had him taking a step back. She flashed a rare smile at him and the flames in the hearth flared higher. The smile that gleamed back at him was black with wicked amusement and sinful delight.
“I’ve grown bored with the humans of late. The result of the last war seems to have dulled their fear of us to an unacceptable degree,” She sat down regally, her dress sweeping out along the floor, “I’ve noticed the halflings are siding with their human counterparts. It would do them well to remember who they belong to. Take your child, Lilia. Make it known that we can take our children back whenever we so please. I’ve allowed this to run wild for too long. Now with traces of the Seelie on the horizon, we’ll need foot soldiers at our beck and call.”
An envelope unraveled into existence, a glowing decree soon following.
“You mean to entice a war, Your Majesty?”
“With the humans? Only if they wish it, dear. But you, my dear little deathly one, you would like that wouldn’t you?”
Lilia stepped closer, gliding around the desk to Maleficia’s side. He was too old to fight in another war. He didn’t want another war. He was tired of the death and mayhem.
But-
He couldn’t help the resentment that bubbled up. He’d taken Malleus to Night Raven College to socialize, to make friends, to grow . He’d hoped humans had changed, mercurial beings as they were, but they hadn’t. They feared his eldest and they hid that fear with scorn and insult. Malleus had taken it hard, though he’d hidden it well. His eldest had been excited to make friends and it’d hurt him deeply to be rejected.
Was that enough to go to war?
Yes. Yes, it was.
Hell hath no wrath like a Fae scorned.
His silence was answer enough and Maleficia knew it. He’d never been able to hide anything from her. He sighed and slumped, not caring for royal decorum or anything else foolish. He could take the inevitable punishment later.
“A bat you may be, Lilia,” Maleficia gazed at him with cold satisfaction, “but I raised you a dragon. Take your child, boy, and I will handle the rest. You will find no opposition in me. All you need do is bring the case to court. Our lawyers will deal with the legal matters.”
She leveled him with a stern look and Lilia’s back went straight.
“I do, however, wish to meet the newest addition to our court within the next decade. ”
Ah, she was still angry about that. This was why he wanted to send Silver instead. He hadn’t introduced Silver to her until she showed up at his cabin in a rage after Malleus slipped up and mentioned him. Silver had been twelve and had immediately assumed Maleficia was a danger when he walked in to find her electrocuting Lilia. Which, in all fairness, wasn’t too far off. His son had taken his little wooden sword and charged her only to get scruffed.
Hopefully, his newest would have a better introduction, a far less stressful one. Lilia didn’t think he’d be able to take another heart attack like the one he’d had when Maleficia picked Silver up like he weighed less than a kitten.