A/N: This has been revised, and will now hopefully be updated every so often. I might cross-post this to AO3.

The Seer and the Dragon King

Chapter I

The road wasn't use to visitors, that much she could tell. The weeds and vines that had overtaken the road were wary to relinquish their hold that they'd gained over decades. Normally Hitomi would have lingered to admire the way nature had reclaimed its stake, but not today. It was a little difficult to appreciate nature's beauty when she was running away from men who wanted to recapture her. Instead of gazing at the vines and trees she was cursing them for hindering her escape.

The treacherous things kept reaching out and grabbing at her ankles, trying to slow her and keep her close to the clutches of her enemy. Except, it was that very treacherous act that saved her life. A vine wrapped itself around her ankle dragging her back down to the ground and with that fall she rolled to the ground falling into the brush that had yet to overcome the ancient path. Sticks pushed harshly against her tender skin while the leaves brushed and itched. Still, Hitomi just laid there catching her breath.

Her chest was still heaving at the exertion when she heard the sounds of her pursuers. The clomping and metallic sounds that could only come from Dilandau and his vile Slayers sounded thunderous to her ears, just like her heart that was slamming hard against her chest. She could have sworn Dilandau would hear the organ just as well as she could, yet when he did not stop, instead he moved forward until there was a startled yelp.

"Sir!" one of the Slayers called out. Hitomi imagined the sneer overcoming Dilandau's lips.

"What?" she heard him demand.

"This is the territory of Fanelia," the words sent chills down her spine. As a child in their nomadic village Hitomi had often heard of the tales of Fanelia and its cursed king, though the tales told of a time years ago where Dragons still roamed free on Gaea along with Melefs being things of great importance. In the story it had told of a family that was cursed because of the mother's heritage, she passed on the curse to her children and thus the Fanel royal family was doomed to perish. Only the youngest, most feral Prince survived to rule with an iron fist until his curse too took him and changed him and his kingdom into a death trap. It was said that they would sleep until an unsuspecting soul wandered into their realm and then would awaken to consume the soul.

"And the Kingdom of Fanelia has been abandoned for centuries!" Dilandau snarled at his man. Hitomi scrunched her eyes tight as she remembered the second part. Something was to be able to break the curse, but she knew not of what would, no one did. Or if they ever had the knowledge had long since passed.

"But sir! The curse still lives! The seer is lost to us, she has most likely awoken the Dragon King and been sucked dry of her soul," another voice of a Slayer joined the fray. There was a pregnant silence before Dilandau uttered an irritated sigh and conceded. Hitomi knew that he had probably weighed the probability of his troops actually doing anything useful as they looked over their shadows waiting for the cursed Dragon King to pop out and suck their souls from their living bodies. Hitomi shuddered at the thought, but she was already in trouble, she had trespassed on the Fanelian territory. Though she'd rather take on the Dragon King than rather go head to head with Dilandau.

The sound of soldiers retreating never sounded so sweet. Once they were far enough away that she could stand without them spotting her, Hitomi did so only to face a large yellow eye. She stifled a scream that threatened to rip from her throat, Dilandau and his slayers were too close, and she had meant every word when she would rather be part of the Dragon King's meal than be back in Dilandau's hands.

Still the thought of actually being dragon food wasn't appealing, Hitomi shuffled back her eyes trained on the big yellow eye until a hand wrapped itself over her mouth. The hand was broad and covered in a brown leather glove, which felt strange against her flesh. Seeing as most people refrained from touching her, even if they had gloves, being touched was strange all on its own. Her back was brought against a broad chest alerting Hitomi to the size of her savior or captor, which ever he chose to be.

"Don't move," it was a hiss that seemed to slither into her ear from lips that were far from her body. It was strange she didn't know if it were humanly possible for him to be so close to her and yet she couldn't feel his breath against her skin even as he spoke to her. His grip on her body seemed to tighten as the creature blinked its overly large eye, and then it began to move. Hitomi watched in a mixture of horror and fascination as the long scaled neck moved into the vision after the eye.

Never before in her life had Hitomi ever seen a dragon up close so as the creature moved she was completely unaware of the fact that the gloved hand had moved away from her mouth as well as the body, which had disappeared all together. It was only until the tail lazily swung back and forth that she was aware of the fact that now she was all alone in the cursed Fanelian forest. Another shiver crawled down her spine and Hitomi was quick to scramble out of the underbrush. If she could get out without Dilandau catching her as well as keep herself safe from the Dragon King, the seer would take the route.

Her breath came out in pants and Hitomi only felt shock, as her eyes did not gaze upon the road instead she saw more of the strange forest. Perched upon a limb was a cat-person with bright pink hair. Fur covered the beast creature's entire body and the majority of the fur was brown and not pink. A sense of unease curled around Hitomi's spine caused by the combination of the patchy skin along with a wide feral grin that was spread along the feline's face. The seer shivered and tried to look away, but it was like a bar fight no matter what you did your eyes were always glued.

Hitomi forcefully clenched her eyes shut and tried to imagine back home, where people danced around fires, told stories anything they could get their hands on. Where dresses were vibrant colors and most wore jewelry sang as they moved, even the men wore them. She ignored the fact that the second she showed the she had indeed inherited her grandmother's gifts that they seemed to shy away from her even it if was only a little bit. She refused also to remember the day of her capture instead she focused on the good parts the interesting parts that made her life with the nomadic tribe so loving and great.

"What brings you to my lord's woods?" the feline asked and Hitomi's eyes snapped open and noticed that the creature had moved a few branches down and was looking at her curiously from glassy eyes.

"I-it was an accident I lost my way. I am just trying to find my way back to the road," she tried to look away from the eyes that seemed to be made from bobbles, but she couldn't, she couldn't even force herself to close her own eyes. The creature had her in a trap.

The feline clicked her tongue and shook her head, loose pink strands flopping listlessly as she did so, "Lying will get you nowhere with the Lord. And you can't escape, you have entered our realm, the road is no longer for your eyes. No matter how far you can see." She ended the reply with a chilling giggle. "Now, what to do with the liar girl? Leave her for the dragons or take her back home?" Hitomi watched the feline tap her chin before the grin once more came over the feline's face and she disappeared into the foliage. Suppressing the shudder that wanted to make it's way to the surface Hitomi looked at the ground and took a deep breath.

"I suppose that answers the question," she mumbled, but even as she did the noise of something rumbling caused her to look up. Trees were groaning as they moved out of her way creating a variation of a path, but not the one she was looking for. Still it was not proper to look a gift horse in the mouth, so she took the route trying to spot a fluff of pink or maybe a man with gloved hands. She didn't know where she was going, but she did know that this place would keep her safe from Dilandau for a while. At least until he got troops who weren't scared of the fables, the very fable that was now proving to be true. Would he try to turn back once he found out its truth?

Hitomi took a step forward and then stopped. She felt like she was falling and then there was a roar. A hideous bone-chilling roar as a male figure ran began to clash with a horde. Wings sprouted from his back, and it was then that Hitomi realized she was in a vision. The angle she was watching from was inhumanly possible. Her eyes watched as the man tore through the large group of soldiers in red. It wasn't until all were dead did she see him finally drop to his knees. By that point there was a louder roar and if felt like Hitomi was pushed through time and space to see as a mechanical white dragon stood proudly in a clearing, and then there was nothing.

Trees seemed to lean over causing a strange archway, but then again they had just been forcefully moved. Hitomi tried to ignore the oddities and tried to see if she could spot some pink except instead of seeing the cat girl again there were squirrels and other animals that were normal to see in normal forests. She frowned because the creatures did look normal, they even scurried away as she walked closer. Hitomi drew in her bottom lip and started to chew on it nervously. She nearly bit into the flesh completely when the forest ended with a slight incline before opening into a village.

People lived here?

She arrived at the small village that seemed to be connected to a large, sprawling castle. Perhaps she was wrong and no one lived there. The village appeared to be deserted. No one walked the cleared roads and the doors to the homes were wide open. Hitomi only checked a few, but the ones she did were empty. It was as if everyone had all disappeared or left. Walking slowly forward, Hitomi looked around a little more. Where was everyone?

"They left," a deep and rough voice answered her unspoken question, "they left the second it reemerged. Seeing as they were not participants of the curse they were allowed to leave. The rest of us weren't so lucky." Turning around Hitomi saw a wolf man standing his eyes dull as if he were on the edge of life. He hobbled as he walked towards her. And his movements almost made her think he was one of the dead raised again. "I heard from my Lord that you had arrived. We were waiting for you." He gave a jerking bow and Hitomi just watched afraid of what would happen next, but the wolf man just hobbled over the path expecting her to follow along. He turned his head back when he noticed she had not moved from her spot.

"Am, am I in trouble?" she stuttered, eyes wide with fear. The beast man chuckled softly before shaking his head no.

"Just come along, you do not want to be left here when it comes to dark. I would know," he gave another chuckle this time it sounded raspy, and rattled. Once more he jerked his head towards the castle. "Come." This time Hitomi did follow the orders and with slow movements she trudged after the wolf man.

He led the way easily even though it seemed that he was about to fall to pieces even as he walked. For the most part the trip was silent except when the air was broken by screeches of something dying. It felt like her innards were shaking every time one of the screeches pierced the air. She glanced worriedly at the wolf man whom showed no signs of hearing the noises instead he dutifully led her into the castle.

There too it was silent as a tomb. Nothing moved and the air was still. The wolf man turned to her before bowing and leaving her there at the entrance of the castle. Hitomi hesitantly stepped into the foyer, and the doors swung shut with a deafening thud. Once more the silence seeped back into the castle. When it finally seemed to settle, Hitomi began to wonder if she would disrupt the silence and awaken the beasts inside if she dared to make a move. Preferably she would rather not cause to castle to come to life, but her legs were shaking and she felt tired. Now that she was no longer running and hiding the actual trauma she had endured had come crashing down upon her. It wasn't a surprise when she stumbled forward. At that point it wasn't even shocking to hear the pattering of feet rushing towards her. Tanned hand grabbed her shoulders and soon she was maneuvered so that she was carried like a bride should be.

From her position she could see the curled brown hair that flowed down the man's shoulders as well as he quite large nose. His skin was tanned, but it was still sickly pale beneath the tan, and his eyes a dull green as if he weren't seeing anything. Hitomi mused that he must be like the cat girl and the wolf man, but he was completely and utterly human. As much as she was at least, however, her musings were cut short by an unmistakable feminine shriek.

"Dryden! Put her down at once!" the woman, whom Hitomi had to crane her neck to see, practically screamed. The man, who was apparently named Dryden, quickly set her down before a sheepish looked came over his sickly pale face. Now that she could see him better, Hitomi noticed that his cheeks were sunken in as well as his eyes giving him quite a haunted look. "She's our guest not some barmaid!" the woman continued and thus brought Hitomi's attention back to her. She too would have been strikingly beautiful if not for the fact that she looked as if she hadn't eaten for months. Indigo eyes stared hard over high cheek bones as blonde hair fell limply over her shoulders and back.

"Millerna, she was about to faint," a smooth charming voice was emitted from Dryden and he moved towards the blonde woman. "I couldn't throw her over my shoulder now could I?" he asked as he arched a brow. His arms were busy wrapping themselves around Millerna's shoulders, and if she could, Hitomi was sure, the blonde would have blushed for she looked bashfully to the ground before a mask overcame her face and she shrugged the arms off.

"Well then, I apologize," her eyes still glued to the stone ground. "I knew not of your condition, Miss. Would you like some sort of refreshment?" Hitomi was startled by the offer and debated if it would be wise to eat the Dragon King's food. Would it be like the myths that once she consumed the food she would be part of their court?No, that was supposed to be the fae people. There was nothing about Dragon King feeding people. They only said he fed off of people.

Hitomi sucked in a breath and looked at Millerna's slightly less dull eyes. They were not apprehensive nor did they seem too mischievous, all Hitomi could see was worry and caring. While the worry made her uneasy, Hitomi couldn't throw away the caring. It had been so long since someone had truly cared for her well being, not just the fact that she was a tool for use.

"I would like some," Hitomi said. A smiled spread over Millerna's face that looked like it could be painful for the woman, especially when her bottom lip split open and blood began to dribble on her grayed skin. However, neither Millerna nor Dryden seemed to notice it and that disturbed Hitomi more than anything.

"Okay, I'll send some tea up to your room, which Dryden will show you to," Millerna's smiled widened if it were possible and more blood droplets fell to her chin. Hitomi gave a shudder even as Dryden's cold arms touched her bare skin. How had she not noticed the chill of his flesh before? She wondered and looked at his overly thin face. Glasses sat perched on his nose and seemed to droop a little ways down. They too looked like they had seen better days, yet she did not comment upon that particular fact. Instead she watched as the castle seemed to come alive with others who looked very much like Dryden and Millerna, as if they had yet to consume food for months or if they were near death's door. What shocked her most were two grown leopard cat women who bounced down the halls carrying strange objects. Unlike the young cat girl she had seen the two looked like they were losing their hair as well as being too thin. Still even as sickly looking beings buzzed around Dryden seemed to take no notice of them.

They arrived at a door and Dryden swung it open. Standing in the midst of the room was a red headed girl who was leaning over the bed straightening the bed spread, and strangely enough out of everything of the castle the room looked new and well kept. The red head jumped back and looked at Hitomi almost wearily before smiling broadly at her. This smile too caused a split lip and bleeding, but unlike Millerna the girl covered her lips and looked bashful without the blushing. It was so strange to Hitomi they could obviously bleed and yet they could not blush.

"Just finishing now are you Yukari?" Dryden asked a playful note to his tone. Once more the red head looked down at the ground and gave a nervous chuckle. "Or did you want to see the new guest?" Yukari looked up her eyes seeming to be the liveliest out of all the people and creatures she had passed, excluding the dragon.

"You caught me. I wanted to catch sight of her," Yukari held up her hands as if to say, you caught me red-handed. Hitomi frowned and wondered why she seemed so different. She knew from the legend that the curse was over the entire lands of Fanelia, so wouldn't it be easy to lure in unsuspecting victims. "She is very pretty," Yukari nodded as if she were approving of Hitomi's appearance.

"Very well, but I was sure that Millerna was expecting your help in the kitchen," Dryden warned. What little color that was in Yukari's face left as Dryden's comment and she quickly rushed out of the room whispering apologies. Looking back to Dryden after the door soundly closed, Hitomi noticed an amused look on Dryden's features.

"Well, then," he began, "I'll leave you to settle in and the tea should be up in a few minutes." With that Dryden bowed out leaving Hitomi with only her own presence as comfort. She plopped down on the bed and hugged her arms as she ran through the things that had happened that day and from her deduction she had ended in somewhere slightly better than she had started out. At least the people in weren't beating her.

If she had been caught, she was sure Dilandau would have had thought it necessary to give at least forty lashings minimum. He seemed the relish in punishment as well was burning things. Before her escape Hitomi had watched in horror as Dilandau had brutally hit and beat upon one of his soldiers. Looking back on that, Hitomi wasn't too sure it would be a minimum of forty lashings, he would have probably to start off with a little bit of burning. She shuddered at the thought of that. For the rest of her wait for the tea Hitomi had kept her eyes closed tightly.

The door swung open and she snapped her eyes open to see Yukari walk in. Hitomi wondered if it were just her eyes or if the girl looked slightly healthier as if she had fuller cheeks and more color to them as well. Yet then again maybe she had always looked as that. It was obviously possible that after being sent into such a horrifying place that her sense of what was actually happening would be skewed. Gratefully Hitomi received the cup of tea and took a tentative sip.

"I apologize for being such a bother, but could you finish your tea quickly? The King wishes to see you as he has returned from his hunt," Yukari asked, her head bowed. Hitomi felt her stomach lurch and the fear begin to trickle back inside. She sucked in breath through her nose before giving a quick affirmative nod. She had already brought herself that far and now there was no turning back now, she would have to meet the Dragon King. The only thing Hitomi wished she could do was savor the tea and make the Dragon King wait, however from the legend it would be suicidal and thus she just set the cup down and nodded to Yukari that she was ready.

"Is there anything that I shouldn't do like not stare at his face?" Hitomi asked and Yukari got a funny look on her face and shook her head.

"It depends on his mood. I mean it's always just touch and go even for the ones that have been with him for a while," Yukari tried to explain. But Hitomi didn't have the heart to respond because from what Yukari had told her the Dragon King was very dangerous. Why wouldn't he be? She'd heard the stories of his cruelty.

What she had imagined the Dragon King to be was definitely not what she saw. Instead of a tall and imposing man with eyes like fire and something that would make him beast like instead she was met with a handsome young man who had to be near her age. His hair was dark black and flopped over his bronzed, healthy looking, face which rested upon his gloved palm. Hitomi sucked in a breath when she saw the glove. The very one she was sure that had covered her mouth earlier that day. Her own green eyes latched onto his garnet ones in hope she would see recognition all she saw was pure boredom.

While he sat in a throne, Hitomi couldn't find anything of his attire that made him seem kingly. A red shirt stretched across his broad chest and shoulders while a pair of tanned pants were covering his narrow hips. To be quite honest with herself Hitomi would have suspected that he was some sort of worker not a king, though she had to admit he looked quite attractive except for the scowl that had covered his face.

"You again," he sighed looking at her as if she were a mere ant, "in the state that I had found you I would have expected you to be somewhere in the forest…dead." Hitomi saw red. Sure he had saved her from a dragon, but she was sure she could have eventually found her way out of the whole mess. He didn't know her because if he did then he would have swallowed the words.

"Well, apparently I am far more apt than you give me credit for, sire," she gritted the words out. There was a flash in the Dragon King's eyes, was it amusement or anger, before it was quickly hidden once more.

"Well then I am glad to hear of that," his tone said it all though, he wasn't all that glad of her back talk. He seemed to dismiss her words as he began to speak once more, "I expect you to have dinner with me this evening do you accept?" Hitomi was about to snap that no she didn't accept when out of the corner of her eye Yukari jerked her head up and down. Survival would mean that she would have to spend a few hours of her day with the Dragon King.

"I accept," she kept her teeth gritted and the Dragon King smiled with arrogance before waving her off.

"Then I suspect you'll wish to change and bathe as well," Hitomi's nostrils flared and she was about to snap at him when Yukari intervened by grabbing her by the shoulders and leading her away from the scene. The man was unbearable! It wasn't really the words he chose it was completely his tone the holier than thou way of saying things. If she ever caught him with out one of his numerous servants around she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

Once Yukari deposited her in her room Hitomi let out a growl and stomped her foot while saying: "Jerk!" Yukari was standing back watching her as she threw a fit for a few minutes. When she was done Hitomi noticed a warm bath already there. Glancing over at Yukari, who looked even healthier, was still in her spot she had taken at the beginning of the fit.

"This place is magical," was Yukari's only response to the oddity. Hitomi couldn't just shake it off that a steaming bath had appeared and filled itself up out of nowhere. Even so after a prodding from Yukari, she was ready to get out of her dirty traveling clothes and clean her hair.

Though the moment Hitomi began to undress Yukari had excused herself, which Hitomi was glad for. She preferred to bathe in solitude. As she sunk into the warm water, Hitomi gave a sigh of contentment before relaxing further in the tub. Questions began to run through her mind as she laid there. If the place was so magical then why did all the people look so bad? Why did Yukari look more healthy and also why did the King look like he was properly fed as well as being in top form? How did the trail disappear? The last question made her stomach turn into led. Would Dilandau be able track her down even in this place?

The musings that were tormenting her mind ended when a knock came hard against the door. At first Hitomi suspected it was Yukari until the smooth masculine voice of Dryden slipped through the cracks.

"Miss are you ready to go to dinner yet?" he asked and Hitomi frowned. She couldn't have been in the tub for more than five minutes, yet when she raised one foot for the waters she saw that her skin was looking quite prune like. She wiggled the small digits and then stood from the tub, water splashing onto the floor, but then being quickly sucked back up. The noise must have alerted Dryden to her state of dress because he did not continue to ask her if she were ready instead he was silent.

Hitomi wrapped herself in a robe, after drying of course, and then once again with the strange magic that filled the castle a dress appeared at the foot of her bed. It was a silk like green dress with a white underskirt. The thing appeared to fasten in the back underneath her bosom and Hitomi was sure that she would need to embarrass Dryden, by calling him into the room, to get the dress on. Except she didn't the second she got something on that needed to be fastened it would be done by the time her hands reached the ends. In the end the dress was basically tying itself and once she was done Hitomi was allowed to admire her appearance in the mirror. The dress had fit the green of her eyes enhancing them as well as her short blonde locks of hair that apparently were dried by the magic of the castle.

Though she was not vain, Hitomi spent a few moments gazing at her appearance in the mirror. It was more like there was another person staring at her a regal lady of the courts, not a runaway seer from a nomadic tribe. Deciding that she had enough of staring at her own reflection Hitomi walked towards the door and opened it. Yet, when she did her heart leapt into her throat and she gasped.