User blog:Gnomehunter/Day 19: The Dragon Valley

Write a story with a reptile type monster

Inspired by user L man 2200 in a response to this post (I used prompt #3)

Across the plains and far away from the more populated areas of the region, lay a vast valley populated by dragon mamono. It was referred to, with a great deal of fear, as the Dragon Valley. Of course, if anyone had the nerve or even the patience to make a survey, they might find it more appropriate to call it the Reptile Valley, owing to the varieties of lamia and even lizardmen and salamanders that lived there. But the only people who were in a position to approach it were the residents of  a small kingdom on the edge of the valley, citizens who had been thoroughly terrified into never stepping a foot outside the small realm of safety.

Now, a man knelt on the palace floor, pleading his case to the king. “Your Majesty! I beg your forgiveness. But our town hasn’t accumulated enough goods to pay this year’s taxes”. The king stared down at him, looking deeply disappointed. He drew a deep breath and sighed.

“Lift your head, citizen”. The man looked up, praying to see some sort of understanding on the king’s face.

“Of course you understand where your taxes go?”

“I do, Your Majesty. To keep the roads between towns safe, to protect us against the monsters of the Dragon Valley”.

“Yes. It is a lot of work to keep the citizens safe. But I am not an unjust man. Send your sons into service to the kingdom’s army and I will forgive your town for its shortcomings this year”. The citizen’s face paled.

“Your Majesty”, he barely managed above a whisper, “We sent our sons to the army last year. We do not have enough to aid your forces”. The king’s dull expression fell into another frown.

“This pains me to hear, citizen. Of course I take no pleasure, but it appears I must make an example of you, in order to motivate your fellow townspeople. The man looked up in terror.

“NO! Have mercy, Your Majesty!” Guards stepped forward, hauling him up by the shoulders, marching him towards a heavy iron door just behind the throne.

“I cannot allow crime to go unpunished in my kingdom. You will be executed to serve as a reminder of what happens to those who disobey royal decrees”. The man screamed in terror as he was dragged through the door and disappeared. A woman who had stood just behind the condemned man, coming to represent a neighboring town, trembled in fear, but steeled herself as the king turned his attention to her.

“Speak now, citizen”, the king said, giving her a pleasant smile.

“I have come to deliver the goods for the town of Mora”. She dropped a large sack on the floor, containing every scrap of food the townspeople had been able to collect. A guard inspected it, nodded, and carried it off down a hall to the storeroom. The king smiled so widely she could almost believe he was genuinely happy.

“It does my heart good to know the townspeople are being productive members of the kingdom. Unlike the more regretful citizen before you. I wish you and your family's good health and fortune, and may you return next year with the same provisions”. She smiled, bowed, and left, walking down the hall and out down the long steps at the front of the palace. Her stomach growled, a fearsome beast desperate for prey. But she clenched it in an attempt to quell her hunger. She began to mutter softly, coaxing herself to continue walking.

“Past the stables. That’s it. One step at a time”. Stablehands were working tirelessly, caring for the horses and cleaning out their spaces. “Now past the guard towers. Through the gate”. Finally she was out of the courtyard, and walking down the road to Mora. “We can rest when we get home. You’re almost there. Road’s nice and short”. It was an hour by foot, but even the furthest towns were no more than a day’s travel, as the towns had been built close enough to facilitate patrols which would ensure monsters were kept at bay. But as she followed the bend, passing a small clump of bushes and trees, she collapsed on the ground.

---

She opened her eyes at the sound of singing. A lovely, harmonious tune floated into her ears, and she looked up to see a beautiful woman holding her in her lap. “My god. Are you an angel?” She asked. The woman smiled, blonde hair cascading over her face.

“I’m afraid not. I just like to sing. But how do you feel? I found you passed out on the road. She looked deeply concerned, her voice containing a hint of the melody that sang with.

“I’m much better now, thank you. I must have been tired. But I need to go home. My family will worry”. Her stomach growled again.

“Are you hungry? Eat this”. She pulled out an apple. The citizen stared at it, wondering where someone would get such a succulent fruit. But she took it. “I will give this to my children”.

“Are your children as hungry as you are?”

“No, my husband and I have given them what little food we could”.

“Well if you need food then please take these”, she said, handing over a sack of apples. The woman stared, as if she had never seen such a sight, then burst into tears. She sank to the ground, as her savior gave her a hug. “Oh dear, whatever could be the matter?”

“We...we gathered every bit of food in our town in order to pay the taxes for the year. Every bit. I don’t even know how we’re going to make it through the winter. Some of my neighbors were talking about sending our sons to the king’s army, let us have more food and fewer people to care for. And I was about to do it! My son is too young. Send my neighbor’s children off to feed my own. They’ll be well fed under the king’s service. But I couldn’t bear the thought of all those notices coming home, all of them dead, and then we’d have to pay taxes next year anyway. Better to keep families together”. Her savior looked horrified.

“How could a ruler be so cruel to their own people?”

“Please, do not speak ill of his majesty”, she said, shushing the other woman. “He is very good to us, providing security to our towns and our roads. He hasn’t raised taxes in all the years I’ve lived here. Life is good. But I must be going home now. But may I have the name of my savior?”

“I’m Prudence. And what is yours, ma’am?”

“Alicia”.

“Alicia, please take these apples. Give them to your family”.

“There might even be enough for my neighbors. Yes, If we divide them properly, there should be enough for the whole town. Prudence, you’re a godsend”.

“But before you go, I want you to eat one”. She handed another apple to Alicia.

“Oh, but I couldn’t”.

“You must! I insist, or how else will you get home?” Alicia hesitantly took the fruit, taking a small bite. Her teeth sank into the skin, and she chewed at the sweet, crisp juicy flesh. And devoured the entire thing. She then heaved the sack up and began to lumber home, as the sun was starting to sink. Prudence watched her go, then rose up and vanished into the bush. She glided through the green, her long tail carrying her silently over to the ground. She fumed at the injustice of the king, and went straight to the Dragon’s Den, the home of the lone dragon living in the valley. “Madame Vanessa?” She called at the mouth.

“Enter”, a stern woman answered. Prudence glided through the cave into the main chamber, a dragonic woman sitting on a stone seat, looking down at her. She was covered in silvery blue scales, large wings relaxed behind her, tail hanging over the side of the seat, legs crossed as she leaned on one arm. “And what brings you here?”

“Madame Vanessa, I implore you to use your powers to break through the barrier into the kingdom!”. The dragon snorted.

“You are not the first to make that request. Do you yearn for a husband? Have you not sought help from raid patrols who go regularly to procure men from the army?”

“No, that’s not it at all! I was on a road and found a woman lying unconscious on the ground. She had given all the food in her town to the king, she didn’t have anything to feed herself or her family!” Vanessa looked unconcerned.

“The plights of humans are not worth my time to bother”. Prudence could barely contain her shock and anger.

“Listen here you stupid cenceited dragon! There’s an entire kingdom of starving frightened people right next to us and if you just broke past the barrier you could take the king, take the whole army and we could get inside and start repairing the kingdom! Are you too selfish to care about anyone else but yourself?” Her furious voice echoed throughout the cavern, and Prudence clasped her hands over her mouth, frozen in terror as Vanessa stood up, spread her wings and stalked over to her. She reached down, resting a great clawed hand on her shoulder. She leaned down, her face inches away and spoke quietly.

“Apologize”.

“I”m sorry! I didn’t mean to lose control of my temper, or insult you”.

“A ruler has many decisions to make for the sake of their kingdom. Now think about how generous that makes me? You are free to take residence in the valley or leave whenever you wish. Sometimes there are men taken from the kingdom for whoever is there to take them, And I don’t even ask for anything from the residents. Just that you respect me. I want you, little snake, to leave my home at once, and don’t you dare let me catch you near my home ever again”. She released Prudence, who escaped as fast as her tail could carry her, through the forest until she reached her home.

---

Another four years of tyranny reigned in the kingdom, groups of mamono attempting to mount an offense but failing against the highly trained soldiers. Until the day that Vanessa passed away. She was found in her cave, cold and alone, after a few days of silence, many valley residents afraid to enter. She had no family, nor anyone in the valley who would call themselves her friend, so she was buried quickly. Days later, Vanessa’s return was heralded by a horrendous roar that echoed across the valley. She rose as a dragon zombie, the sheen of her fine scales gone in favor of soft, discolored skin of the undead. Her great wings withered, her limbs turned hard and bony, and all of her grace and poise had melted away. With a lifetime of dwelling in her cave and stifling her desire for a male partner, she wanted nothing more than to find a man. Retaining all the strength she had in life, and none of the concerns about pride or status, she raced towards the kingdom. The army assembled as soon as they heard the roar, preparing spells and defensive reinforcements to their monster mana barrier surrounding the kingdom. Squadrons of knights stood at the ready to fight. But the barriers were eroded by her powerful breath, and the soldiers couldn’t keep enough rotations against her never ending assault. She broke through their defenses, tearing the barriers down, scattering their forces, and rushed for the castle, leaving a mass of mamono following behind her to pick off the tired soldiers or follow into the towns.

Racing into the courtyard, she swatted aside any soldiers who obstructed her. Through the doors, and there in front of her, was the perfect partner. She breathed deeply, the king’s scent, the strong and muscled man who stood by the throne before him. He had taken to training himself since the early days of his leadership, and now he stood with a circle of guards, prepared to fight the beast himself.

“Monster! You will not take my kingdom after all I’ve done to protect it!” Vanessa grinned, her heart racing, barely noticing the other guards. She lunged, crashing through the final defense, and seized the king, snapping his sword and discarding it. He barely had time to be surprised before she pulled him into a kiss, his body sinking into her soft body.

“Husband…” She uttered, “I must have you, I must have a child, and we’re going to do that right now”. She raced out into the courtyard, carrying him in her arms, back to her cave, without a care for anyone else that she passed.

---

Alphonse, one of the captains of the royal guard, was in his room when he heard the commotion. A dreadful roar echoing from the valley, screams in the courtyard, and soldiers rushing down the hall. One of them burst through his door.

“Captain!”

“Soldier, what’s going on?”

“A dragon is approaching the edge of the kingdom, we’re sending as many forces as we can!”

“Well then I’ll be on my way!”

“No, Sir! We’ve already taken too many forces from the castle. His Majesty needs more protection”.

“Then I will be at his side. As you were!” The soldier rushed out of the room and Alphonse pulled on his gear before leaving the soldier’s barracks and heading to the castle. Inside he saw a small guard of soldiers, standing in front of the king. “Your Majesty! You must escape while you can!”

“I will not run from a beast trying to take my kingdom after all I’ve done to defend it!” He held his greatsword in front of him, as the guards stood ready to fight.

“Then I will aid you”. Alphonse said, standing beside the guards. They waited. A full day passed, the soldiers tentatively eating some rations and taking shifts for sleep. The next morning they heard another terrible roar, and the door burst open as the monster stepped inside the hall. Alphonse had only a few moments to stare in shock at the skeletal dragon woman, her face twisted in some sort of sick grin. He grimaced. Even though she had appeared to have risen from the grave, she retained the alluring appearance of a woman’s body. But he barely had time to take in her form as she lunged, smashing some of the shields that he and the soldiers carried, and sending them flying. Alphonse hadn’t even lifted his sword as he was sent hurling against the wall, falling to the floor and groaning in pain. He got a glimpse of the dragon tearing the king’s sword away and picking him up, flying out the castle door.

Alphonse stared in horror, then staggered to his feet. He started to walk over to the other soldiers.

“He’s gone. His Majesty is gone!” The soldier cried in despair.

“Captain! What do we do?” Another soldier looked to Alphonse, as if hoping he would have a solution. Alphonse looked gravely at the men, before managing to speak.

“The king is dead”. He led them to the door and they looked out across the courtyard. Snake women and other reptilian monsters swarmed the grounds. Smaller dragons circled in the skies and descended upon the castle ramparts, snatching men from the walls and the guard towers. “The kingdom is falling. Stay here to assist your fellow soldiers. Or run to the defense of the citizens. Or perhaps the best thing to do is run into the valley and try to escape with your own life. It matters not. We are all on our own now”. Alphonse watched the soldiers disperse, but as he decided to go to the courtyard, one of the servants called out to him.

“Captain Alphonse! Sir, there’s one more thing to do”. He turned to see who was speaking, one of the kitchen workers.

“How can I help, ma’am?”

“The Prince! He’s still up in his room. Someone has to get him to safety and you’re the best man for the job, the rest of the captains ran to stop the monster near the edge of the valley”.

“Thank you for entrusting me such an important job. Perhaps all is not lost”.

“Take these provisions, and one of the horses, and ride with the prince through the valley. If you can get far enough, you can make it out and beyond to the next kingdom. That’s the only place you can go”. He thanked her and took the bag, as a maid led him through the halls, up stairs and finally at the prince’s room. She knocked on the door.

“Your Majesty? Please open the door. I am here with someone who can help you”. The door cracked open, and a young boy looked out.

“Allison!” He cried out as he ran to hug her. She patted him on the head.

“Gustav, please listen to me. The castle and our kingdom have become unsafe. Captain Alphonse is going to take you to safety, so you have to go with him right now”.

“You’re one of the soldiers my father appointed. I saw you at your ceremony. Where’s my father?” Alphonse knelt down to put a hand on Gustav’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, my boy. Your father is gone. But I will protect you with my life”. Gustav looked like he was going to cry, but took control, and nodded, before running back to his room and grabbing a knife.

“My father gave this to me. It’s the only thing I have to remind me of him”.

“Your father was a practical man, and a great king. Now quickly, to the stables”.

“Take the secret exit”. Allison said, walking over to the bed. She started to pull it away, Alphonse helping her out, and it revealed a door in the floor. They opened it to a narrow, spiral staircase that led them down, through one of the towers on the corner of the castle. They looked out the door at the bottom of the tower to see that the coast was clear and ran, taking a left turn to where the stables were located. As they got closer, a sea of people lay before them, both soldiers and castle servants as well as monsters.

“Madam, are you sure you don’t want to flee?”

“It is my duty to care for the prince, and I will see it to the end”.

“Very well then. Come here, my boy”. He picked Gustav up and carried him under his arm. They then charged into the crowd. As they both tried to step past the humans fighting or running from monsters, a snake woman approached Alphonse, snakes growing out of her head like hair.

“Stop right there!” She said, her tail raised. “You’re going to be mine”.

“Leave the prince be!” Allison shouted, jumping at the medusa and brandishing a brush she carried, swinging it at the medusa’s head. The medusa cried out in surprise, and Alphonse ran, sparing a moment of sorrow for the brave woman. The medusa petrified her foe, but when she looked up, the captain had left. She sulked, wrapping her tail around the stone woman.

“Thanks to you I lost a really good man, and he had a kid with him too. I think I’ll leave you like this a while”.

Near the stables, Alphonse ran into another monster. A woman with red scales and a tail that appeared to be lit on fire.

“Where do you think you’re going? You’ll make an excellent opponent”. She eyed Alphonse, as her body began to heat up in excitement at the prospect of fighting. But she frowned when she saw him carrying Gustav in his arm. “Oh, but put the kid down. It would be too difficult to fight at full capacity”.

“I will not let you have this boy! He is my responsibility”.

“No, I don’t want to-” She whipped around, brandishing her sword to intercept a strike from a soldier who had appeared behind her. “Tch. Not very sporting to attack an opponent from behind”.

“Captain! Take the boy and run! I’ll distract her!” Alphonse ran again, cursing his reliance on others’ sacrifice.

“You’re leagues behind that man”, the salamander commented, holding her sword in front of her. “Think you can take me?” The soldier held his sword at the ready, trembling a little. “Well, it’s very brave of you to come to someone’s aid. Try to relax a little and enjoy this, I know I will”.

Finally, Alphonse opened the stable doors and walked down the narrow passage, until he reached a particular horse. It was padding the ground and whinnying softly, nervous as the rest of the horses due to the commotion.

“Easy there”, Alphonse said, handing it a carrot and patting it on the head.

“Captain, how are we going to get past everyone?” Gustav asked.

“As soon as we get the horse saddled, we’re going to ride out the side, and right out the gate and down the road. It’ll just take a little time to get ready”. But as he spoke, Alphonse’s senses told him something was wrong. He peered out the stable door. His eyes widened. Another snake woman had found them, so silent that he never noticed her approach. She had a mask covering her face, but appeared to be looking directly at him.

“Excuse me, would you care to-”

He raised his sword. “Stay back! You will not harm this boy!” The basilisk recoiled in fear.

“I won’t lay a finger on him! Please put that sword away”.

“You seem to be less threatening than the other monsters. I will not cut down a defenseless opponent, certainly not in front of this child. But stay right where you are, we need to prepare a horse, and then you may go free”.

“Yes sir!” She replied. She remained motionless as Alphonse got a bridle and saddle, preparing the horse for riding.

“Is there a monster out there?” Gustav asked.

“It will not harm us. Follow me, we are ready”. He picked up the boy, opening the door to the stable so it could walk out, and down the hall. He  watched the basilisk, until they reached one of the stable exits. “Begone!” He shouted to the snake woman, then hoisted himself into the saddle. “Hold on tight. It’s going to be a rough ride”, he said to Gustav, placing him in front of him on the saddle. “YAH!” The horse started to trot, turning into a canter, and began galloping toward the gates, both monsters and humans scattering. Down the road, Alphonse passed another group of monsters making their way to one of the towns. It was not long before they reached one of the towns, passing more monsters, and broke into the wild green expanse on the edge of the town. Alphonse urged the horse on, even as it was forced to slow down through the thick shrubbery. He tried his best to follow in the same direction, hoping to reach the other end, but as the light faded, Alphonse knew they had to rest. The horse was tired, and Gustav wasn’t accustomed to riding for such long periods. He dismounted, helping the boy down, and led them to a tree next to a patch of ground. He couldn’t risk starting a fire, so he pulled out some food from the pack, as well as a bedroll.

“Are you sure it’s safe to rest?” Gustav asked.

“I confess I am not. But we must. Eat, rest, I will keep a look out for trouble”.

“Thank you sir”. He started to nibble on some bread and cheese. “I miss my father. He told me to train and become strong like him, so that I could succeed in his place as the ruler. He told me how important it was for a leader ro be respected by his people, to judge the best way to solve problems...now he’s gone”.

“My boy, I believe you could have followed in his footsteps and become a great ruler just like him. But you need to rest now. We will leave early in the morning”.

---

Deep in the heart of the valley, Irma the wurm slunk along  the ground. “Where did all my friends go?” She asked. “Did they all leave somewhere without me?” She had been fast asleep when Vanessa rose, and had no idea anything had even happened to her. But as she reached a particular spot in the forest, her eyes lit up. “Wait, is that a man?” She sniffed the air, gliding around and sniffing the rocks and trees and ground in the area. “Yes! It doesn’t smell too old either. I wonder if I could find him?” She tried to follow the trail, and found that it was in a single direction. She giggled to herself. “You won’t get away that easily. Not if I have anything to say about it”. The sprang forward, barreling along the path and crashing through any of the surrounding plant life that was unfortunate enough to be in her way.

Alphonse and Gustav heard the rumbling behind them, the sounds of trees falling. Alphonse urged the horse to pick up the pace, but Irma caught up and sprang into them, scooping the two into her arms and leaving the horse miraculously unharmed. It was thoroughly spooked, and charged off without them. Alphonse watched their final means of escape vanish, as he looked at the serpentine dragon woman, with her long tail coiled around his waist and Gustav in her arms.

“Hooray!” Irma shouted with joy. “I finally got my man and a kid too!” Gustav started to shake with fear, struggling to keep his tears to himself.

“Please, take me and let the boy go”, Alphonse begged.

“Huh, no way, otherwise he could get lost”.

“What are you going to do with us?” Gustav asked.

“Hm? Take you back to my home of course”. The two went silent as she made her way back through the trail of debris, until she reached her cave. Inside, she plucked Alphonse’s sword off his belt and tossed it to the other wall of the cave. Then she took his pack and looked inside. “Ooh, there’s lots of tasty things inside, are you hungry?” Gustav started to cry. Alphonse sat there, wishing he could comfort him. But Irma put the pack down and picked Gustav up, hugging him against her chest.

“Oh dear, what’s the matter sweetie?”

“A-aren’t you going to eat us?” Gustav asked timidly.

“Eat you? Of course not!”

“Then why did you bring us here?”

“So I could make you my child and husband”. Alphonse looked at her.

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Silly! Isn’t that what all mamono want?”

“No! Monsters take humans as prey! I’ve seen hundreds of soldiers fall in battle to monsters, every one of them taken away never to be seen again”.

“And I’m telling you, every one of them just wanted someone to love and care for. The last thing we’d want is to hurt someone”. Her two captives sat there, thinking about what she’d told them. “I know, what are your names? I’m Irma, and I’m a wurm”. The two introduced themselves. “My husband Alphonse and my son, Gustav”. She mused dreamily.

“Would you really want to be my mother?” Gustav asked.

“It would be my pleasure”, she beamed.

“I never knew my mother. She passed away when I was born”.

“Poor dear. I’ll do my best to take care of you. Both of us will”, she said, looking at Alphonse.

“Wait a moment. I saw this boy’s father snatched up by some sort of dragon monster-”

“Mamono”, she interrupted with a little glare. “Ma-mo-no”. Alphonse corrected himself.

“Some sort of dragon mamono taking this boy’s father. She snatched him right out of the castle and flew off with him. Are you sure he’s not…”

“Oh, then your father must be with her right now. Oh! Then you already have a father. And she’ll want to be Gustav’s mother too!” Irma looked like she was thinking very hard, then collapsed on the ground. “No! I found you first. So I’m your mother. Oh, but we can find them tomorrow. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your family”.

“You promise?” Gustav asked. Irma nodded.

“Pinky promise”.

They spent the rest of the day chatting and eating, and when it got late, Gustav began to yawn. “Looks like it’s time for the little one to go to sleep”. Irma put the bedroll on the cave floor. She then released Gustav for the first time since she’d found them. He lay down in the bedroll, soon falling fast asleep. Irma kissed him on the forehead.

“Irma, we’ll find the boy’s father right? I’m afraid I haven’t gotten much practice in raising children. And I’m not sure if I can think of this boy as my son when his father is alive”.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, darling. We’ll figure it out later. But there’s one more thing we need to do”. She whispered. She carried Alphonse out of the cave, watching to see that Gustav was truly asleep. Rolling a huge boulder across the entrance, leaving a crack to let the moonlight in. She carried him through the forest, until they were far away from the cave. “Ohhhhhh, I’ve waited to do this all day but I couldn’t as long as the child was near”. She began to pull Alphonse’s clothes off, trying not to tear them. “Careful, Irma. We can’t ruin these, he doesn’t have any more”.

“Just what do you think you're doing?” Alphonse asked, trying to stop her.

“The most important thing for mamono. I want your body, Alphonse. I want you inside me”. Her voice grew more sultry, her breathing increased, as she managed to undress him, noticing his growing erection. Her scales retracted, leaving bare, soft skin. She pressed her breasts against his chest, rubbing her tummy and moaning happily as she coiled her tail around him. She kissed him deeply. “Mmmmm, it’s so good…” Alphonse was bewildered, but was unable to resist Irma. They mated through the night, Irma writhing in pleasure, showing a ferocious side that was unlike the sweet side that Alphonse had gotten to know. In the morning, they returned to the cave, clothed and tired, where they greeted Gustav after he woke up, none the wiser.

---

As the mamono integrated themselves into the lives of the townspeople, they began to try to repair the damage done by the king. The castle storehouses were raided, food distributed, hunting parties formed to gather more food, and many of the soldiers discovering the people of the kingdom held them in great contempt, as being complicit in their suffering. Mourning those who’d been lost due to starvation, or executed by the king, mobs formed to hunt the king down. Many mamono tried to stop them, but the crowds were temporarily stopped by a fierce rainstorm that appeared over the entire kingdom. A ryu who lived in the valley had found a husband and was now covering the kingdom’s skies with clouds to bring a halt to the people’s anger. Finally, the citizens were assembled in the castle, many begrudgingly, to hear the ryu speak. She stood on the balcony over the crowd, the king next to her, tied up and gagged. Vanessa was kept in the room just behind them.

“Citizens!” The Ryu called out over the crowds with a magically amplified voice. “We have heard your woes, and are deeply saddened by the suffering you felt. I do not stand here with the intent to take the king’s place, but rather as a representative for all the mamono of the valley. We will see that no man, woman or child goes hungry. We will care for everyone through the fall, the winter, as long as you live. And, we will mourn the loss of your people. We will designate this day as a day of remembrance for all the people whom we could not save”. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. She raised her hand again. “Many of you feel that the former king should not escape without punishment for what he did to the people. We mamono cannot abide the taking of another life. However, we cannot ignore the pain that he caused. Thus, we will exile the king and his guards who were personally responsible for executions. I understand your anger. But I will not allow the taking of a life. We will assist anyone who wishes to leave the kingdom, should you wish not to be reminded of it. But in the meantime, we will focus on rebuilding it for the sake of the people, and the mamono who have joined them. Thank you for listening”. She carried the king off the balcony, noting the mixed reactions of the crowd, some being satisfied with her promises to assist them and some wanting more retribution for the king’s cruelty. She set the king down and looked to Vanessa. “I’m afraid you and your husband are going to have to leave this kingdom. You won’t be welcome here again”. Vanessa looked a little sad, her mind cloudy and unable to remember everything that had happened to her in life. She picked up her husband to hold him close. “And you!” The ryu said, looking at the king with fury in her eyes. “I’m sickened by the people’s stories. Do you know that there are mamono capable of bringing men back from the dead? Your wife is an undead mamono after all. If we wanted to, we could have you beheaded and revive you for your wife without anyone being the wiser. The king’s eyes widened. But it would be...messy with Vanessa. And I want to put an end to this kingdom’s violence. I’m going to free you temporarily so that you can gather whatever you want before you go. Spare me the explanation of how you chose to rule”. She undid his binds and pulled the gag off his mouth.

My son! Where is my son?” Vanessa looked down.

“You have a son?” She asked dreamily. “I could have a child?”

“We will do our best to locate him. Although, I’m not sure what he’ll do when he learns of your legacy”.

---

Irma, Alphonse and Gustav sat in the cave, thinking about the news they had gotten from one of the parties who’d been traveling in search of Gustav. The boy learning that his father was “not well liked by the people” and “forced to leave the kingdom”, the other two hearing a more detailed account of the king’s rule.

“All these years and I never knew how he was treating the people”, Alphonse said, horror written on his face.

“How awful”, Irma said, thinking about what she’d heard.

“Will we have to leave too?” Gustav asked.

“It seems like we’ll be able to stay here”, Alphonse answered. But if you want to go with your father, we’ll...I don’t know what we’ll do”.

“I don’t know if I want to see him just yet. Did something to make the people mad”.

“Um, I’ll be happy to have you”, Irma said, trying to cheer him up. Gustav hugged her, resting in her lap. She patted him on the back.

“It seems like I’ll have to think more seriously about caring for Gustav”, Alphonse said, sitting next to Irma in her coils. He smiled at the boy. His son? Would they try to find the king and his wife when Gustav was older? Wouldn’t that be a challenge to sort out. But now he tried to focus on Irma, and Gustav, who needed them the most.

“I’ll be happy to help”, Irma said, looking at the two with sheer joy. And maybe one day, you’ll have a sister”.