Title: Dragon Song

Author: sllebswap

Characters/Pairing: Nakiri Alice and Kurokiba Ryou, Nakiri Leonora and Nakiri Soe

Type: OneShot (Complete)

Genre: Romance/General/Humor

Word Count: 2429

Rating: M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older)

Disclaimer: Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

Summary: RyoAli Fantasy Medieval AU ft. Dragon!Ryou and Leanan Sidhe!Alice. Preestablished relationship. Test/Pilot Chapter. He is the song she has grown up singing.

Verse: Fantasy Medieval/Dragon Heart AU

Chapter Last Revised on: 02/12/17

She woke up alone but was entirely unsurprised; her partner was an early riser and by now he knew better than to rouse her from her slumber until she was good and ready to do so on her own. Stretching out like a drowsy feline tangled amongst heavy pelts of cozy furs, she rolled over onto her belly and briefly snuggled into the faint indent on his side of the tent. His warmth was long gone, leeched away by the relentless chill of the Northern morn, but his scent still lingered and she inhaled happily, filling her lungs with sea salt brine and musky spice.

She was content to curl into the nook he had left behind, at least for a little while more, dozing, and it was another hour or so before she was roused enough to start her day, as the sun drifted higher up over the pale blue skies and the temperature started to warm…just slightly. Even though it was summer, this far North in Tootsuki, the weather was almost always freezing. Sitting up languidly, the fur covers slipped down her lush figure, revealing alabaster curves and silken skin, gooseflesh already starting to pebble from the cold, but she seemed impervious otherwise. Running her slender fingers through sleep tousled silver hair, she started to hum softly under her breath as she finally left the warmth of the furred bedding and crawled out of the tent, entirely, unabashedly, nude as she stood before the empty campground, sloe-eyed crimson surveying the breathtaking view before her.

Steep, craggy snowcapped glacier mountains stretched towards the endless crystal blue skies an impossible distance away. A few meters from where she stood, a fjord that fed into the sea snaked out before her, the calm surface pristine like a mirror's reflection, twining sinuously through the vast and stark alpine ranges, carved into sheer bedrock stretching for hundreds of miles after millions of years of inchingly slow, geological upheaval. There was hardly any vegetation all around; nothing but the glaring white of snow and the contrasting dark greyness of rocky, jagged valleys and quietly lapping water. The harsh Northern sun bore down overhead, almost biting in its sheer intensity, but everything turned to gold where it touched.

This was home.

Beautiful but desolate. Harsh and unforgiving at times, but she would not have it any other way, just as she could not imagine living anywhere else. Her blood was tied here; she was born to this breathtakingly bleak, vast, untamed land, and here she would always return to.

It seemed like she was the only sentient being for miles and miles around, but appearances could be deceiving. She knew that she wasn't alone; he was somewhere around too…

She wandered a few steps closer to the water's edge, comfortably barefoot, yet her movements remained airy and graceful as a dancer. Ethereal. She was in a good mood, but then again, she had every right to be, her body loose and limber, still thrumming, glowing and well loved…

She opened her mouth, and started to sing.

Her head voice was haunting, a pristine, lingering kulning vocalized in the lost language of her people. Long, carrying notes echoed off the mountain ranges, resounding across the fjord and the valleys with lilting clarity, an impressive pitch carrying crystal clear over incredible distances. Her song was riveting, enthralling, captivating the hearts and minds of all who were within hearing range, immediately held in the adamantine grip of her lulling, enchanting voice.

She closed her eyes and sang the story of a beautiful Leanan Sidhe, with a head of fine silver hair like moonspun silk and mesmerizing eyes of blood rubies. She was the most beautiful of her kind; flawless skin of ivory, the spellbinding face of an angel's, the willowy, graceful figure of the fae…and a divine voice that could send grown men dropping to their knees in prayer and euphoric worship.

There were none who could resist her exquisite presence – she was deeply loved by all who set eyes on her, who so much as heard her sublime songs. There were men who would kill for her, who would die gladly for her, just for the sheer privilege of hearing her sing.

But this beautiful Leanan Sidhe, even though adored and idolized by mortals – she was always sad, because for all of her endless wanderings across the realms, never once had she found that which she was fruitlessly searching for. A deep, persisting void grew in her chest day by day, a gaping emptiness that she sought in vain to fill through the enraptured, tortured souls who yearned for her but could never possess her, but their dedicated, ardent infatuations were never enough even when they surrendered their all to her. In despair and sorrow, this muse of the fae resigned herself to a miserable, wretched fate of constantly seeking…though for what…or whom…she knew not.

Perhaps this was the curse afflicted to those of her kind. Just as her beguiling presence elicited sheer madness and obsessive inspiration in the fractured minds of mortal men, so was she doomed to forever seeking for the elusive something that she would never find, that she would never be allowed to experience this feverish, frenetic euphoria and blissful anguish that she hungered for the most.

Love.

But one day, that all changed.

One day, passing across the violent, frenetic aftermath of a bloody battlefield, the Leanan Sidhe chanced upon a dying mortal man.

He was a Prince amongst men, an honorable warrior who fought valiantly for his men and for his Kingdom. In battle, he was ferocious and heroic, and even in defeat, the loyal, steadfast song that his soul sang with such strength and courage captivated her completely.

When she laid eyes on him, everything else fell away. Nestled cold and still in her chest, something trembled and started to stir. Her alabaster complexion tinged rose. Her fathomless crimson eyes glistened with the beginnings of emotion. Her breath caught in her throat.

She had spent her long, lonely existence searching forlornly for something that she knew not a thing about, but yet, at that very instant, she comprehended immediately and with complete certainty that she had found it. This precious, precious, most exquisite thing.

For his song resonated in such harmony with her own that it could not be mistaken for anything else.

Her eyes filled with tears. He was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen, perfect in his human imperfection. He was hers.

And she could tell, from the moment their gazes met, that he had felt the inevitable pull too. She could not let him perish, now that she had finally, finally found him. So she took his life as her own instead, in the only way she knew how, in the only way she was allowed to. Tethering his soul to hers, binding them both together because that was right and that was how it should have been from the very beginning, how it should always be. Never mind that she would shorten her own immortal existence and share his human lifespan instead – for what possible existence could she have without her heart with her?

Song of my heart, you are the only song I'll sing for the rest of my life.

And for this warrior Prince, she was his, too. Light of his life. Her beauty, her grace, her love both humbled and strengthened him. She was something that he did not entirely understand, but whose mysteries he would gladly spend the rest of his life trying to unravel. For her, he would use his shield and his sword to create a life they could share, build her a home in which to raise a family that was both his and hers. She was his muse, his motivation, his inspiration. Wife. Lover. Soulmate. Their joyous union eventually bore fruit in the form of a beautiful baby girl, a little halfling princess who was every bit as exquisite and spirited as her fae mother and brave and righteous as her royal father.

One day, this curious and fearless child princess of the North met a wild Jörmungandr dragonling…

The young woman standing right before the water's edge allowed her pure, heady voice to trail off slowly, until the tender, dreamy, beguiling notes faded away completely, inadvertently imbuing the now utterly silent countryside with the faintest touch of the Otherworld. Smiling playfully, she reopened her eyes, a flicker of impish mischief glimmered in those unearthly captivating, ruby depths as she steadily, fearlessly met the dangerous, slit pupiled ones of the colossal serpent that she had summoned out of the deep fjord with her song.

The creature before her was amongst some of the most ferocious and savage looking species of dragons to exist. Cold, glittering red eyes, angular jaws lined with rows upon rows of razor sharp fangs each easily standing as tall as a full-grown man, and an intimidating, fearsome face plate studded with an impressive array of deadly horns and jagged spikes. Massive, impenetrable matte black scales covered the entire span of its long, coiling body, dynamically streamlined yet muscular. Sleek fins adorned its back and powerful tail. It possessed no limbs or wings, but this monolithic, aquatic dragon did not require any to swiftly, silently, glide through the icy, dark waters of its expansive territories as easily as though it was flying through air.

It reared its gargantuan head out of the water to peer at her, transparent nictitating membranes sliding back to uncover sharply intelligent reptilian eyes, arcing near enough that the icy water sluicing off the defined ridges of its armored hide threatened to soak her, but the young woman remained unafraid of this danger coming so close to her.

Because there was nothing to be afraid of.

Because, just as her father could never resist her mother's call, so too was this particular dragon unable to resist hers.

Alice reached out and rested her hand on her mate's massive snout.

"Ryou, I'm cold~"

His mind-voice rumbled in her head in reply, the same flat baritone as always tinged with exasperation.

…That's 'coz you're naked as a jaybird right now, Princess.

She ignored his droll comment stating the obvious. It was really hard to seduce a three hundred feet long (at the moment) dragon, but she was determined to get her way all the same.

"Warm me up. Now!"

As you wish.

He obliged easily enough, snorting enough that the waters surrounding him were literally vibrating, and she pulled a face at the strong gust of warm air that nearly blew her backwards. Dragon breath. She squawked loudly and tottered a bit, stamping her feet in pique, looking less and less like the exquisitely graceful beauty that she had become, and more like the spoilt, tempestuous child brat he had known for almost all of his life.

"That's not what I meant!"

The faint flicker of amusement that radiated from him was almost enough to make her scowl and pout.

No time for that, Princess. Those envoys that your cousin Her Majesty sent from the capital will be here soon, and your father's still waiting for us to report in after this patrol. Let's go home.

She did not even blink when in a flash, that massive dragon before her shifted fluidly back into the form of a tall, well-built, dark haired man standing right before her. A very handsome in that wild, feral looking way, healthy, very fit naked man-god that she was trying really hard not to ogle at. Did she also mention that he was stark naked and dripping wet as well?

She managed to compose herself (and her unruly hormones) enough to give him a disdainful sniff instead, nose stuck high in the air and head turned away from him in petulant rejection.

"Noooo~ I'm not going anywhere until I feel like it, hmphh!"

He squinted slowly at her, expression still deadpan as always. She was obviously forgetting something important here.

In the past, he often indulged her tantrums because that was how it had always been done, thanks to the lenient and loving actions of her overly doting parents. Now, things were a bit different and his mark that sat on her left breast indicated as much. He stepped up to her, lowered his head and nipped at her exposed neck, fangs scraping tantalizingly against her porcelain flesh, one large, lean hand coming up to cup her bare chest, right over her thrumming heart, just in time to feel her pulse stutter at his casually possessive action.

She folded very quickly after that; just as he was unable to resist her call, so was she equally weak to his claim. He took advantage of her momentary distraction to pick her up and heft her over his shoulder; she was a tiny thing compared to himself. Without breaking stride, he strolled straight back towards their tent.

"Aah! Not fair!" She squirmed and kicked out with her bare feet, small fists thumping against the back of his shoulders in a fit of indignant temper but he had a good hold on her so she wasn't going anywhere despite her best efforts. She also knew better than to bite him too, since he had no compulsion against biting back and they both knew who possessed the larger set of chompers between the two of them. "Ryou! Do I look like a sack of potatoes to you?! Let me down!"

"You can sulk on the way back, Princess. We gotta go, so let's get dressed, saddle up, and then we're leaving."

She, of course, took advantage of her new position to grope his behind instead, completely shameless. Not that she could be blamed for her action. It really was a very nice behind, all toned and taut and muscular. Those buns of steel were practically inviting her touch and fondles.

He muttered long sufferingly under his breath. At least she was quiet and docile for now…

Happy again, she started to hum, and his shoulders stiffened a bit, knowing that a full-blown song was not far behind. Her fae blood might be diluted, but she was still Leanan Sidhe like her mother…and very distracting when she wanted to be. It was a good thing that he has had years of practice maintaining his pokerfaced mien, or this unruly mate of his would be gleefully running circles around him.

"Stop that."

"What? Whyyy?" Grope. Grope.

"You know why. If you start singing, you're getting gagged all the way home, Princess."

::owari::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

So. This is a spinoff mini-series from my other series featuring EiRin, Dragon Heart, though it's not necessary to read that one first before you embark on Dragon Song. This one shot/test chapter was derived when I was actually doing some plotting for Dragon Heart, but for some reason, the side characters there (the Nakiri branch family) snatched my attention and proceeded to run off with it, so here we are.

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Kulning: A unique Scandinavian cattle herding call that's also a song. It has a fascinating and haunting tone, often conveying a feeling of sadness, in large part because the lokks often include typical half-tones and quarter-tones (also known as "blue tones") found in the music of the region.

Leanan Sidhe: In Celtic folklore, the leannán sí is a beautiful woman of the Aos Sí ("people of the barrows, the faery folk") who takes a human lover. The words are Gaelic and refer to a faery muse. "Leannán" means the love of my soul or spirit…my inspiration. "Sí" is the word for a faery. Lovers of the leannán sídhe are said to live brief, though highly inspired, lives. The leannán sídhe is generally depicted as a beautiful muse who offers inspiration to an artist in exchange for their love and devotion; however, this frequently results in madness for the artist, as well as premature death.

My favorite definition of the Leanan Sidhe can be foundhere: Leanan Sidhe is often quoted as meaning "the fairy mistress" or the "fairy sweetheart". She is the famous Celtic muse with such a dark and unearthly beauty that her lover is often distraught with longing and suffering in her absence. In legend, the Leanan Sidhe often takes an artist for a lover, hence the title "the fairy sweetheart". It is said that her lover gives her the vital depth of emotion that she craves and she in turn inspires his genius. The self-destructive nature of many inspired artists probably lent itself to the misconception that she is evil and dangerous. Evil is not darkness, for darkness she is, and she can also be dangerous and destructive. When her gift is honored and nurtured, she shines as a luminous light in the darkness. For those who understand her true nature, who do not idolize or fear her, she is a sliver of moonlight in the blackest night.

'…(sic) light of his life…': The name Leonora literally translates to 'compassion, light.' I also like that Leonora's name (and appearance) ties in nicely with the Leanan Sidhe mythos that I have decided to incorporate into her character (and also Alice's) for this drabble/AU.

Jörmungandr: is the sea dragon in Norse mythology. It is the middle child of Loki, and is said to be able to grow so large that it could surround the earth and grasp its own tail. I thought that sea dragon/sea serpent goes in line with Ryou's canon specialty which seems to be in dealing with seafood, as well as his place of origin in the Norway up in the northern hemisphere, the home of Norse mythos.

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Also, instead of the 'milady'-suffix that Ryou is known to address Alice in canon, it's 'princess.' This is because in this Dragon Heart/Dragon Song AU, Nakiri Soe is a Prince of the Kingdom of Tootsuki, and so Alice is rightful title is that of Princess.

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Last but not least, do let me know what you think of this AU/theme. Good idea, bad? Should I continue, or just scrap it right away? Feedback is always appreciated as always, thanks!

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Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap