I keep shifting from foot to foot. What if I see the princess again and there’s no spark? There have been times when the lights go up on the dancefloor, where the chemistry evaporates. Would this be one of those moments? A part of me was afraid it would, while another part rolled her eyes at the thought that I cared so much.
Once the princess finally appears, gliding through the doors and past the rigid guards, my concerns dissolve in a heartbeat. God! She’s breathtaking. She’s dressed in a casual yellow dress, whose short hemline gives me a solid look at her great legs. Red eyes sparkling, and a warm smile, she stands before me. Her poise and regality make me keenly aware that my crush is a princess. A real princess!
“JayMay, we meet again,” her voice, husky and sensual, cuts through the air. Is it just my imagination, or did her eyes flicker down for a quick look at my fuchsia booty shorts? “I’m afraid that I never got to introduce myself. I’m Tanza of the Royal Family Sapphirite. May I convey my most heartfelt thanks for your assistance?” She bows as deeply as she smiles, and my heart starts racing like the DJ just put on some hard, phat 130bpm hard techno.
“Sure, no problem, it was my pleasure, er, honor m’lady,” I bow even deeper than her, with my palms pressed together in a prayer position. Dad hangs with high rollers, but I’ve never been in the presence of true royalty before, and I’m feeling awkward as hell.
“Please, just call me Tanza. And you are my savior, I can’t have you bowing to me,” she insists. She looks to the formal soldiers lined up like toys and gives a soft sigh. “Please, follow me. A little food and wine to celebrate the occasion of our meeting,” She offers with a subtle bow and gesture towards the door. “The drawing room will offer relief from the formal atmosphere here.”
“Yeah, th-that sounds good to me, you highness - erm, Tanza,” I stutter lamely. Get yourself together, JayMay, you’re a strong, beautiful, independent woman - no need to go all weak in the knees over a cute girl.
“Had I known you were coming, we’d have prepared a banquet. As it stands, you’ll have to settle for significantly less impressive fare,” she apologizes as we walk together into the castle.
“No, anything is great. I’m not looking for a reward or anything, I just…”
I want to see you again. To hold you…
I can’t say what I really felt, so I leave it at, “I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”
We walk side by side down an elegant hallway, filled with teak tables and grand portraits. I shoot her a quick glance, and she quickly turns her head away upon catching my eyes. She must have been looking at me, too. Probably just because she knew that I’m also a giant dragon, that sort of thing is imposing, but maybe, just maybe…
We walk down a spiral staircase and into an ornate sitting room the size of a nightclub, where a selection of cheese, bread, nuts, meat, crackers, and carafes of wine are laid out like a buffet on a long table. I mean, my own family’s loaded, so I’m used to a certain level of elegance, but this whole place is spectacular, even by my standards.
I pause, unsure of what to do, when the princess beckons towards the food. “Please, go ahead,” she insists in that “husky, dusky want to hear it upon waking” voice of hers.
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I grab a dainty porcelain plate and load it up with cheese and crackers. The great thing about the astral world is that you can eat as much as you like, and the calories never go to your hips! I pour a splash of red wine. I’ve been pretty strict about my sobriety, but it’d be bad manners not to accept any. I’ll do what I always do in these situations, and just swirl it around in the glass, lift it to my lips, and leave it undrunk.
“So, where do we begin?” Princess Tanza asks once I’m finally situated in an elegant high-backed chair. Oh crap, grabbing all those snacks wasn’t very sexy. I set my plate down on a side table. Pluck a small cube of blue cheese and give it a prefunctory nibble.
“Fuck me!! This is the best cheese I’ve ever had!”
From that initial funky earthy flavor that I so loved in blue cheese, to the bright tang, all the way to the peppery aftertaste - this cheese is dope as hell!
Oh, shit, had I just said…?
I blush furiously and shoot a quizzical stare at the princess, to gauge her reaction. She seems a little taken aback, but she covers her discomfort with a hearty laugh.
“I suppose it is good. I’m happy you like, but your language… I’m not sure father would approve,” she tilts her head down, but keeps her half-lidded blazing red eyes glued to my own. A mounting heat rises between us; surely I’m not the only one feeling it?
“Your father? I’m afraid there might be a lot about me that your father doesn’t approve of.” I pop the remainder of the cheese in my mouth, slowly chew, and swallow the delightful morsel. Our gaze never breaks; you could cut the tension with a knife. Oh shit, I think she’s really into me!
I lick my lips slowly with my pink tongue, and that does it; Tanza loses our little game of chicken. She averts her gaze, rises from her chair, walks over, and pours herself a glass of dark red wine. A sharp clang rings out as the carafe bumps her glass. She’s turned away from me, so I take a moment to drink in the beauty of her exposed arms and legs.
“JayMay,” her eyes averted and her voice now more formal. She sets down her glass and turns back to face me. “My father,” the word now a wall between us, “he would want me to convey my thanks for saving me. That raid, it…” she takes another drink, as a haunted shadow flickers over her beautiful face.
I hadn’t really considered it, those people… They weren’t conceptual astral entities; they were friends, and they’d been killed in front of her eyes. Here I was, turning up a flirtatious heat, while Tanza was still living through the trauma.
“Those men, the raiders, why did they attack you?” I hope the compassion I’m feeling towards her is conveyed in my words, and she’ll forgive my earlier intensity.
“They were trying to kidnap me... Baron Absolobin is behind it. He’s an enemy of my father’s, and his greed has gotten out of hand. We of the Sapphirite family have only a small kingdom, but our gems are greatly valued. Priceless in fact. The baron’s been after us with false claims of ownership, but those haven’t held, so now he’s trying darker tactics.”
She finishes off her glass of wine and pours another, her hands shaky; she splashes a little on her yellow dress. She looks down helplessly at the stain. I now see beyond just the passion in those eyes; vulnerability and fear are now fully visible.
I rise to comfort her when I feel a telltale tugging below my sternum. My alarm!
“Oh damn, the timing couldn’t be worse,” I mumble. “Princess, I mean Tanza, I’m sorry, I have to leave again. But I’ll be back, and I promise you, I will take care of this Baron Absolobin for you,” I say earnestly.
“This sudden leaving of yours seems to be a habit. The ways of dragons are so different than our own,” she pauses, and I want nothing more than to take her in my arms and comfort her through this dark time. But the cord tugs harder.
“I’m sorry, I really have to…” I eye the doorway, knowing that I’ll have to transform to dragon form to make the journey, and it’d be better to do that outside than inside this lovely room.
“I understand, but first,” the princess opens a curio cabinet, and takes something out. She walks over and presses something into my palms. “This will help you find me. Please come again soon!”
It’s a sparkling topaz pendant, a color similar to the princess’s own dress. I take it in both hands and clutch it tight to my heart.
“See you,” I whisper before tearing out of the room and up the stairs. I know I left her behind, but her eyes still echo in my mind’s eye as I take to the sky and begin my return.
