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magicalsalamander · 6 years ago

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Soleil Chaser

✶ Pairing▹ BTS Hoseok ⇆ Reader

✶ Words▹ 10.7K

✶ Warning▹ rated mature; Depictions of traumatic events, death of a minor character, blood, witchcraft inaccuracies, explicit language, and explicit themes.

✶ Summary▹ Heavily breathing wasn’t enough to get air into your lungs fast enough. You vowed to never let this happen again. You swung an ax breaking the chain holding the jaw of your Dragon. You promised to never let this happen again, but you found yourself on stage at Barter’s Beach on Talon for the Pirates taking. However, a man even the pirates feared, the Sun King of the Jade Sea, proposed a deal to you, join him or die trying? What will you choose?

✶ A/N: Header image Anan 2019/ This originally was supposed to be a one-shot, but I decided to divide it into three parts. The story takes place centuries before the show, and know no canon characters show up. Light editing, will fix soon. Thank you for reading!

✸ | Masterlist | Next

The black night sky was lit by the high red flames and spangles of embers that decorated the starless night. From the coastline to the bordering lush jungle that surrounded the city, everything—everything was engulfed in carnivorous heat.

Trembling pupils, hands and legs, you grasped onto the edge of your stone window. From your room at the near tip of the stone pyramid, you helplessly watched your city be consumed. Your eyes reflecting those red flames that licked at every part of the city. The colossal dragon ridden by a man with white hair slithered through the sky as it roared, spewing fire and destruction.

You couldn’t look away.

“Y/N! We have to leave!” Your mother tugged and yanked you away from the window as a haunting roar rung over the city. Tears rolled down your face as you took a last look over your shoulder at what was once your city, your home, Gorosh.

Your mother pulled you through the dark halls telling you to look away from it all. But how could you avoid the bodies of people that once served you as they laid bloody on the floor? The blood of your people, the ones who protected the Ghis empire…were gone.

Your mother picked you up after stumbling one too many times and tucked you deep into her neck. “Shhh, my little Harpy, it’s going to be alright.”

Your mother, she held you tight, she truly did, but that wasn’t enough. The eight-council, your father being the eighth, were brought to their knees and heads rolled on the floor, including your mothers, by the dragon rider…the people with white hair.

You were forced to watch it all.

The pyramid, Gorosh and the Old Ghis Empire fell that night. Gorosh became a colony under the new Valyrian Freehold.

There was no way to remove the blood of your ancestors from the embroidery or the leather of your sandals. The tokar you had to abandon and exchanged for a Valerian slaves robe was never going to fit you right.

You had known nothing but freedom, but you won’t ever forget the fifth Ghiscari war and what it forever did to you.

There was no freedom under the Freehold.

You stood next to your Mistress’s throne, lightly bouncing the white-haired child to keep the newborn quiet. The throne room was balmy as a thousand candles burned; despite the temperatures still being high in this summer’s evening. The child felt heavy in your small arms; you were a child holding a child.

The great Harpy statue that used to stand tall behind your father's throne was turned into your Mistress’s throne. They had the body of the women melted and molded into a throne, only her wings remained. Your Master, the Lord, took over your father’s. The smooth, stone walls were decorated with Valyrian history, carving the conquering of Old Ghis into the pyramid’s walls.

Two guards marched onto the platform and placed a wooden, gold-crested chest down on the podium. Their metal armor clanked as they stood upright and took a few paces behind the podium. The mysterious guest delicately with their purple fingertips caressed the chest with a smirk as he turned with an extended hand. “I present to you my Lord, a gift to your newborn son. A dragon’s egg.”

Your Master raised a brow looking over to his wife, who had an equally skeptical raise to her brow. He pressed both hands on his throne and pushed off approaching the sorcerer. As he approached the sorcerer folded his hands proudly into his red robes. "Please, open the gift, my Lord."

The Lord was a relative of the main Targaryen family in Valyria. He had decided to stay in Valyria when the fifth war began while the rest of his family left. After the fifth war had ended, he had been punished for attempting to escape when he realized the weight of his decision to stay and refusing to participate in the war. So, they gave him the escape from Valyria that he wanted: to hold the captured city, Gorosh, while the Rise of Valyria happened across the sea. He was stripped of his honor, his dragon, and banished as punishment.

Brushing his long white hair from his shoulder, he haughtily opened the chest with two hands. Sitting center on velvet was the promised gradient black to red dragon egg. Like a child who just got sweets, he laughed jollily as he stared at the sorcerer who confirmed its authenticity with a nod. The Lord picked it up and it was small enough to fit in one hand. He rotated it around under the light of the torches, admiring it with the same childlike smile.

Subconsciously you tucked their newborn closer to you as he raised the egg up. You had seen what a dragon could do. What the rider had done. What it had done to your city. How they brought the beast into this city to bring it to its knees. You held the sound of anger and disgust back, trained now of what a sound out of line could do to you. However, that didn’t stop you from taking a subtle step back.

Your Mistress, who sat at the edge of her seat, gasped in delight.

As he shifted it around, it became prevalent that on the other side of the egg it had cracks and scales were chipped. His brow began to furrow in anger, “You present me, a gift to my son, a broken dragon egg!”

With a squirmy sashay, the sorcerer took the egg from your Lord. He caressed it gently like it was a child, “Oh no, no, no, my lord. I would never bring you such a curse. I present you an egg from the nest of the original dragon from the mountains of Valyria. It was tucked and protected for years, salvaged from the first war.”

The Lord perked up eager once again, anger simmering, “Yes, well then, but what if it isn’t a male dragon? Our family only births sons. Strong male beast must support strong men.”

The sorcerer placed the egg back into the hands of the Lord. “You are wise my lord, but there is no true gender to dragons’. This egg will be a strong one.”

The Lord held it up higher to the candlelight’s watching the scales of the egg twinkle a rose gold across the scared portions. He sighed in wonder, “Ah, I see it, I see gold. I have a good feeling about this egg.”

The mistress slithered from her throne and caressed her hand up her husband’s back and over to his shoulders. She squeezed as she remained behind him, whispering into his ear, “My love, we can become dragon lords. With this we can return to Valyria, but as dragon lords. Let’s take back what was ours.”

His pupils dilated as he turned around in the arms of his wife. This brought a twisted smile to the Lord's face. He leaned down and kissed her longingly. He could have power. “You’re right, we can take what our cousins took from us and abandoned us in Valyria. We’ll take Valyria one day; it’s going to be ours.”

He set the egg back in the chest, speaking to the sorcerer, “I will hatch the egg for my son. Thank you for your gift, Sorcerer. You have my word that this House will protect you on your journey to King’s Landing.”

The sorcerer bowed deeply and thanked the Lord.

The baby began crying and spitting up, you wiped at his face cooing him to shush. Your Mistress turned to you her sweet face contorted for a split second, irked by her son’s noises. “Harpy, leave.”

You bowed and began walking away, but not without looking over your shoulder at the egg. Goosebumps waved up your arms and spine. Something within you was deeply unsettled.

The child had fallen asleep and been asleep for a while. In a moment of silence, you waited for him to stir. The sudden sound of short pacing outside the room had your ear perking up. You crept, occasionally looking back to check on the sleeping baby, as you tiptoed towards the door. You placed your ear on the door listening in to the sound. The sound died out as you listened in. With a tight hand on the door handle and a hand against the door to counter the creak you knew it’d produce, you pressed it open an inch. You peeked outside of the room with the sliver of light letting out to the hall. The echoing sounds of the footsteps bounced off the walls, but the hall was empty.

With a final look behind you, you slipped out of the room. Your curiosity getting the better of you. The unsettling feeling from earlier was something you weren’t able to gargle down. As much as you tried to rest, your body felt jittery. You knew the pyramid like the back of your hand, every nook and crannies. You crept along the wall and gazed down the connecting corridor finding a cloaked figure just turning the corner. Against your instincts, your feet moved before your brain had registered. With hurried stepped you kept just behind the figure through many different halls.

You waited behind a pillar as they exited out the courtyard, rounding the broken harpy statue, to the monastery. The heavy stone door opened and allowed light to pour out over the dying grass before it instantly cut off.

You crept out across the yard and gazed around the courtyard once more before you sinked into the shadows behind the wings of the Harpy. You peeked through the metal-laced window catching dark figures standing around in a circle all softly lit by the moonlight pouring in. The figure you had been following handed off a jug to a sorceress who then held it up to the moonlight. Six, red-cloaked figured tipped their heads back and began approaching the pit of sand. The red, sacred sand from Old Ghis was like a talisman to your family. She raised it high and began pouring the liquid into the shallow pit as she walked around it clockwise. Anger simmered in your veins, feeling yourself being tainted as the precious sand was made heathen.

Dragged forward from the corner of the room by two guards was a young woman on her knees. You recognize the Goroshian girl, a kitchen maid that had recently been taken in. You watched the panicked look in her eye as she fought against rope restraints. The chest you had seen earlier was presented by two more cloaked figures. Your eyes filtered around the room and the closer you looked, in the shadows, near the guard handling the slave was the sorcerer, Lord, and Mistress. They smiled pleasantly as if they were watching a play.

The sorceress had passed the jug off and stepped forth grabbing the egg. You could see her lips moving rapidly as she picked up the egg and walked towards the pit. She held it in the moonlight chanting louder as you could hear what sounded like gibberish through the window.

The guard dragged the maid to the pit holding the back of her head with one hand. With his other hand, he unsheathed his sword holding a stoic face. After the sorceress was done with her chant, hands still in the air it all happened so fast. The guard raised his blade and ran it over her throat and sheathed his sword. Your eyes nearly bulged from your skull, but you couldn’t look away. You watched as her blood sprayed over the pits, causing a small spark that erupted into flames. The guard dragged the dead maid away and the sorceress tossed the egg into the fire. The prominent crack on the egg began to illuminate like molten lava. The sorcerous turned towards the Lord and Mistress and bowed.

The blood magic had been completed.

You held a hand over your mouth. How could such a terrible thing happen and the people around so content. That maiden was dead. The soil was tainted. Your parents, your people, were murdered. How could they be so content?

How could they do all this…and for a dragon?

You had to leave. You slipped from the window holding onto the wings of the Harpy as you slid from your hiding spot. You hurried back feeling nauseous and sick. Your vision was getting spotty as you ran back into the pyramid. You clutched onto the wall breathing heavily. Tears fell and you began sobbing in a deep corner of an empty hallway.

There was nothing you could do.

You shouldn’t have seen that.

After three years in the burning fire, the egg began to rumble. The Mistress over the years had grown impatient. She dismissed even the authenticity of the egg, but the sorceress had promised that there indeed was life. With her eyes rolling back she prophesized, “It will be a beast that will guide. The rider has leather arms like the beast.” The Mistresses needed no more provocation, in fact, she kept the room of the monastery secretive and protected to ensure the prophecy’s actualization. She even got her son to wear leather armory at any opportunity.

You pruning hands scrubbed at the stain in a cotton nightdress that wouldn't come out. Your hand was snatched from the water causing you to drop the dress with a splash as you were yanked to a stand. The Mistress dragged you along, incautious of the puddles of water or baskets of clothes. You nearly severed your head as she pulled you through the strung about clothing lines. The other slaves doing laundry as well looked at you with fear in their eyes before they averted them away quickly.

"Mistress, what—what's going on?” She didn’t answer you, she continued to drag you about the halls until you came to the royal chambers. As you arrived at her chambers another maid shoved her toddler into your arms. Naturally you took him in your arms, coddling him to you as he latched on. You were grabbed by the elbow by the Mistress and taken away without further addressing. You held her son tight to you, careful of not dropping him as she dragged you. You were taken far across the pyramid to the monastery she had been guarding so carefully. Not even you, her personal slave, were allowed in there. You looked over to the Mistress shaking slightly, you saw what happened last time to the slave girl. You didn’t want to die today. “Mistress, please, tell me what’s going on?”

She turned to you with a stoic look on her face, “Harpy, your lucky I didn’t send you to the mines.”

Your mouth was sealed shut, but your eyes were wide open in shock. The stone doors opened, and the Mistress shoved you inside. You looked over your shoulder watching the doors close as you stared at the intense smirking face of the Mistress.

She was throwing you into the deep end.

Her son cried from the sudden motion, but you hushed him to quiet, but it was really more for yourself.

You turned around when you heard shuffling and was confronted with the sorceress. She was a young, beautiful woman, she wore a red cloak and her accessories were red as well, especially her steel necklace. You clutched him close to you as more cloaked figures appeared walking in line then began forming a circle around the pit. The sorceress stood at the top of the pit facing you.

You finally took notice that the dragon egg was rattling in the center of the fire. The red sacred sand had turned charcoal black. The sorceress commanded you, “When the egg hatches you will allow the dragon to greet its master, girl.”

Your hands were shaky, but you obliged by nodding. What other choice did you have?

You didn’t have time to prepare yourself as the egg began to violently rattle. The flame began to grow, expand, like it was breathing. Your rag of a dress flowed about you as a sudden wind in the room picked up and intensified. Loud, humming chants filled the room and it was all you could hear besides the toddlers crying. The black sand was carried in the wind and pelted your skin. You placed the toddler’s face in your neck and protected him and yourself as the flames licked the ceiling in ribbons of light.

Suddenly the flame extinguished, the wind stopped and the sand rained down. It was completely still then the sound of cracking filled the silence. You slowly opened your eyes and eased up your hold on the hiccupping toddler. It was hard to distinguish anything as your eyes adjusted to the darkness. The torches along the wall lit up, unveiling a small black and red dragon. It looked like it was carved by a blacksmith with its lacquered scales. It was no bigger than the size of a raven. It crawled from its broken shell. The forearms were attached to its red, leathery wings as it crawled forward. It had two small horns on its head and its black eyes were the nearly larger than its skull. Soft murmurs came from the creature as it stumbled through the soot. As it reached the stone rise it hopped up and it looked directly at you and kept its eyes locked on you.

Your hands were trembling as you held onto the toddler. The beast, the destroyer, came to life! Your worst fear came to life. You took a step back on instinct, but a booming command to halt stopped you. You watched the small creature move closer and closer towards you. It reached your foot sniffing then it nuzzled you once before it began climbing your dress. Its sharp nails punched holes into the weak fabric, and you remained still as a statue, whining in your throat. You were unsure of what to do. It crawled up you, twisting up your leg to your hips, up your back before it perched itself on your shoulder. It paid little mind to the boy in your arms but passed the toddler a glance. It stood on its two back feet and flapped its wings as it stood proudly on your shoulder, tail twirling around your neck like an anchor.

The sorceress looked between you and the dragon, then smiled. The stone doors opened as the Mistress stepped into the room. You slowly turned around to face her. The sorceress came to stand next to you, “The boy, son of Valyrian blood, with dragon blood within him, has been chosen, Mistress.” The dragon shifted on your shoulder crouching in a protective manner towards the sorceress.

The Mistress smile bloomed like Spring. She proudly proclaimed, “My son will reign Valyria one day, our dragonlord.”

Your heartbeat loudly in your chest and the dragon tightened its grip around your neck. You side glanced over to it as it looked at you before it blinked slowly then back to the Mistress.

You turned back to the Mistress who had already begun walking away leaving you standing there with the next dragon lord in your arms and the dragon on your shoulders.

Raising the Lord’s son naturally brought you in contact with the dragon. However, the child had no interest in the dragon, not even a glimpse as he paid no mind to it. He was sweet, always kind, but when his mother began taking care of him his personality changed. The child was often interested in other toys or entertainment the other slaves provided.

You had not much interest in it to begin with either. Every time you’d look at it the image of the dragon you saw flying over the city all those years ago crossed your mind. Your palms were sweaty and a solid feeling in your gut to say no. However, the dragon always remained by you. It clung to you like a pup. The small creature would wag it’s tail like a canine as well. You overcame the initial fear of it, when it proved itself time after time to be gentle, but most shockingly, only towards you. It never allowed anyone else to touch it, even the Lord and Mistress weren’t able to approach it without it hissing.

The Mistress relinquishing responsibility to you, putting you in charge of taking care of it altogether. That is until her son will be old enough to take over. You decided that if it was yours to take care of you were going to try, with everything in your power, to keep it from that destiny. You weren’t going to try your best. You didn’t want any other city to end up like yours.

Change doesn’t come overnight, but hands aren’t supposed to be bend metal either. A mold takes times to case, hands take on calluses and yours grew thicker. It takes gentle hands even to manipulate clay, and an even more sensitive touch to break into the heart.

You weren’t going to change it, but you were sure to mold its heart, and you had nothing but time.

-years later-

At night, after your duties, you carried a torch with you to visit the dungeons below the pyramid. You passed the other empty cells until you reached the large iron gate. You unlatched the five locks and slipped inside. You docked the torch and turned around to an elephant-sized-dragon that had one of its eyes open, but it was still comfortably laying down. You giggled slowly approaching, “Oh look at that pout. Did you miss me, big baby?”

You received a huff in response. The dark scales, sharp horns, sharp jaw, and teeth didn't match his current behavior. You giggled, cooing at him scratching at his chin, “You know I have chores to do before I come see you. May I lay down with you?” The dragon opened up, its tail swinging out and you naturally found your spot as you leaned up against its belly careful of his wings. You enjoyed the heat; it eased your tired muscles. Oddly, you held up a conversation asking about his day and did he like his meal. In his way, he would respond to you with little huffs and nudges here and there. You had learned early on that he was intelligent.

Through an exhausted giggle you sighed, spurting out something that had weighed heavy on your mind. “I don’t like that they call you ‘dragon’. I don’t like calling you ‘dragon’ either.” Although you kept a lingering laugh in your tone, the truth of it pained you inside. You had grown overtly fond of the dragon; he wasn’t anything like you had expected. You never felt threatened, afraid, or that you had to be cautious around him. He had been nothing but accepting of you.

“I don’t like that they call me ‘Harpy’, my name is Y/n.” You had somewhere along the line picked up his tail and began stroking the scales. “Can I give you a name?”

The dragon turned his head around and tapped you on the shoulder with his chin as he used to when he was no bigger than a raven.

You perked up, scooting yourself up, thinking of all the names possible. Purposefully you teased, “Hmm, how about…Greg?”

Somehow you could tell he disapproved as he thwapped his tail in your hand. You laughed, “Easy now, easy now, or I may start calling you Greg for real.” He huffed, behaving himself as he calmed again.

You stared at the wall aimlessly, the flickering light catching your eyes. “Sun, you remind me of the sun.” Something I always wish was to spend more time in the sun. “When I was a little girl, and my family was still with me—my mother would tell me stories of when she lived in Meereen. She would tell me stories of the great harpy that would have the sun glowing behind it on the great pyramid. The morning sun behind it was a site to see according to her. She used to call me Harpy, after the statue, and I liked it, but then these…murderers took it. They took my name from me.”

You turned around to him, pausing for a moment, serious this time, ”But I won’t let them take that from you. You’re not their slave. Your name is…,” you sat for a moment, “Soleil.” You sat up seriously, “Your name will be Soleil.” You received a tap on your shoulder, and you knew that he approved. You laid back down and curled up next to him. Suddenly you felt tears brim up in your eyes, “Thank you Soleil.”

After giving Soleil his proper name, you never addressed him as such in front of your Masters. It felt important to keep it between you both, just like how your name had never been spoken in front of your Masters. You didn’t want them to have that.

That was your mold.

Things change over thirteen years. Their son was no longer a newborn, you were no longer a young girl and Soleil…Soleil wasn't what they had expected.

Upon routine you approached the chambers of the Lord and Mistress, closing off your duties for the night. As you raised your hand to knock on the door you heard shouting from inside. You stood still, with your hand raised afraid to move.

The Mistresses muffled shout rung in your ears, “We should kill it.”

The Lord sighed, “We can’t just kill it, it’s our ticket back.”

The Mistress screamed, “Don’t you get it? We’re never going back! That stupid thing, it’s not a dragon, it doesn’t shot out flames, or do anything!”

“What about our son, it’s his dragon.” The lord passed by the door and you held your breath.

The Mistress sighed, voice hoarse, “He could care less about it, he never has. We’ll just get him another dragon, maybe he’ll care about that one. I’m sure we can find one from a merchant or something.”

You lowered your fist and clutched onto your skirt tight. The murmuring continued back and forth but you had blocked out their voices. They were talking about Soleil. Your blood ran cold

No.

No!

You slowly backed away crashing into the wall knocking over a Valyrian flag. Your ears were ringing as your feet took off and when you were far enough you ran for it. You ran hard, thighs burning and towards the warehouse without a second thought. You went through the back gate, traveling along the stairs. You ran through the near-empty streets, carelessly running until you twisted and turned through the streets that lead to the abandoned part of the city near the coastline. It had been too destroyed in the war to repair. You traveled through the rubble, but you knew it by heart at this point. You took more stairs towards the docks. In familiar darkness, you found the old storage warehouse for warships and barges that your father once used to have. Remains and partial pieces of ships still were there, but It had become Soleil’s new home as he quickly outgrew his old cell under the pyramid.

You unlatched the large iron bar and pushed the gate across with all your might. Running into the darkness your shoes pounded against the moist ground. “SOLEIL! SOLEIL!” You heard his chain dragging against the cement and followed your instincts towards it. You slammed into his thick neck, arms not being able to wrap around his neck anymore, but you still gripped onto him. You held him tight for a moment, hearting beating like crazy, breathing erratically. You eased up and with your shaky fingers you began moving up towards his skull, “Stay still Soleil.” You were going to break the chain they forced on him. You began searching for the pin, “Don’t move.” He obeyed and you twisted the metal pin out of the lock and the choker fell to the floor in a loud metallic crash echoing in the empty warehouse.

You ran towards the dim light pouring in from the cracks of the main barge door. You grabbed onto that light, grabbing onto the handle and struggling to push it open. Your adrenaline was running on high that you didn’t hear the thuds coming from behind you. Soleil stuck his head in between the slight gap you’ve been able to budge and pushed the gate open. You both kept going until it was completely open.

The warehouse had a ramp that led into the water, but it also had a cement dock that led to the beach. You bent your neck backward as Soleil stood upright, towering fifteen feet tall. He leaned down to nudge you cutely in a greeting, but you couldn’t manage to greet him properly. You grabbed onto a horn as he dipped towards your level, walking backward, your voice was tight, "Come on, Soleil. Stay low.” His tail wagged behind him as he followed you out to the beach in a crouched position.

The cascading sound of waves welcomed you both on the empty beach. Soleil whined at you, his large body fumbled awkwardly as you let go of him, trusting him to follow. You stood at the edge of the water gazing towards the pyramid, which seemed small from this point. You turned and gazed at the vast horizon, a full moon in the sky. This was the edge.

You turned and urged Soleil with a small command for him to lower his head again. “Soleil, my good boy, “clearing your throat of building tension, “listen to me, listen to me good.” Your eyes were glassing up, voice unrecognizable. “You’re going to fly, fly far away!”

You hear in the distance the sound of the hounds echoing from the pyramid. The Lord must’ve given the orders out.

“Go! Soleil! Go!” You let go of him stepping away from him, getting wet as the waves crash around your ankles. He quirked his head to the side, for the first time not responding to you.

“Go! Don’t come back! GO!”

He shook his head and sat on his two hind legs. Tears were running down your face, “Idiot, you’re going to die! THEY’RE GOING TO KILL YOU!”

He refused to move just stared at you.

The sound of barking intensified; they were near the warehouse. You charged at him and fruitlessly began pushing at Soleil, but he wouldn’t budge. Your feet buried in the sand with each push. Pathetically you begged, “Please, please, Soleil. Just go.”

The barking was just around the corner, you could tell they were at the stairs.

He swooped his neck down and you couldn’t understand until he nudged you, remaining at your level. You looked at his eyes who were locked on yours. It was like he spoke your name to you calmly. The look in his eyes spoke greater to you than you had anticipated. You heard his message loud and clear.

You had nothing here. You weren’t even human to them here. This wasn’t your home and it hadn’t been for a long time. He leveled his head down completely, closing his eyes. You looked over your shoulder back at the pyramid. What were you staying for?

You grabbed on and climbed onto his back between his winged arms like you had seen that man ride that dragon. You held on tight to his spines as he shifted about. You were facing the sky vertically, then he squatted and lunging into the air. The sudden motion made your stomach sink, you were so terrified you were unable to breathe as you felt weightless. The cold wind was intense as Soleil soared up and up into the night sky. You kept your eyes closed until he evened out, body arching and falling as he graciously flew. You opened one eye at a time and looked over to his wings that expanded at least thirty feet. You dared to look at the sea below then behind and you could see the shoreline of Gorosh in the distance. The shore was lit up by torches and barking hounds. The pyramid was smaller as you barely saw the lights of the town.

Somehow, you didn’t feel a sense of emptiness. Freedom. You faced forward, with a big grin on your face. You’re never looking back. “Faster Soleil! Get us out of here.”

He flapped harder than before and you arched forward holding on tight.

You traveled for hours, sticking alongside the shore as you had no idea where you were heading. You had only known of Gorosh your whole life, all other cities mentioned were just that. Mentions. You didn’t stop for hours in fear of being found. When you felt you were far enough, and Soleil slowed down significantly, you spotted a small lagoon separated from the Summer sea and decided to stop there.

Slowly you slid yourself off his back, holding onto his spines still for dear life. Tumbling off him Soleil turned around instantly and helped prop you up with his stout. You laughed as you stood, thanking him none the less you had made it to the ground in one piece. You sought out a small dry patch of land and took camp there. Soleil was like a child, he rushed for the lagoon, enjoying the cool water after his body heated up from flying for hours. You had managed to create a small fire, a trick you had learned after working in the kitchen. Soleil hunted for fish in the lake, eating his fill then came out with a few extra he dropped for you. You thanked him, although, they were slightly mutilated from his teeth, giving him a good pet. You ate and enjoyed the warmth of the fire. You leaned up against a tree with a heavy sigh, and like a lap pet Soleil twirled around and found himself a spot next to you. Although he couldn’t fit his head in your lap anymore, he closely leaned up against you.

You breathed a heavy sigh, you stared up at the sky. You couldn’t remember the last time you had seen the stars. You couldn’t remember the last time you felt this relaxed. Although, the adrenaline was wearing off and your body was feeling heavy with exhaustion. You ran your hand over his head gently and he lightly purred in content. Your eyes were falling and you let them feeling your body succumb to the exhaustion.

Your body stiffened automatically when the purring turned into a deep growl. It vibrated you awake as he lifted his head facing towards the tree line. You knew beast, creatures and other beings lived in the jungle of Sothoryos. As a child in Gorosh, you were never allowed out in the jungle for that reason. You didn’t have time to interpret before you heard movement in the foliage and breakage amongst the trees. You attempting to mount Soleil discreetly. You needed to get out of here quick. Arrows sliced through the air, striking the tree you were leaning on. You ducked down avoiding another attempting to hurry and mount. “Soleil, let’s get out of here!” As soon as you had a good grip on his spines you felt him stiffen. An arrow struck Soleil on the leg. The reaction was quick as his eyes rolled and his body fell to the floor in a thud. You rolled away from his with the momentum of being flung. You screamed, “Soleil!”

As you turned around you were surrounded by men with mask covering their face. Blocking out the full moon one raised a bat and swung it a hard striking your head and all went black.

Stirring within, you felt the echoing vibrations of a muffled roar drum through you. It rung and rung through the darkness of your mind until the prickling, cold, unshaven stone digging into your arm brought you to consciousness. Your eyes shot open, ears buzzing, and every inch of your body tingled with a different degree of pain. The sound of chains rattling amplified the sharp pain in your head. You clutched at your temple, bringing both hands up unexpectedly. They were bound by handmade, silver chains. You inspected your hands, unregistering what you saw until your eyes widened once again.

When did this happen? What happened? Where were you?

The familiar sound of growling and screeching rung in your ears. It all came back to you. You weren’t dreaming, that wasn’t a nightmare. You were kidnapped.

You blinked away the dizziness, the sound of Soleil screeching resonated in your ears again. His pain ticked off yours sending a painful burn down your spine. You forced yourself off the wall into a sitting position only to be weighed down by the chains around your wrist. You tried again but felt a tug realizing you weren’t alone in your attachment. Ten other women dressed similarly to you in slave robes were connected to you, all huddled around one another in a cluster. Fear was evident in their eyes as they scurried away from you.

You scanned the room itself, noticing it was a large holding room with a single entrance or exit and no windows. The stone infrastructure was crumbling, and the planked ceiling had a hole in it allowing sunlight to pour in. This room at some point must’ve been a storage room.

You heard a howling cry from Soleil that sent goosebumps all over you, and like a mother bear driven to protect her child, a fire sparked within you. You were going to escape.

You stood up swaying slight, body still lucid, head throbbing in pain but all those were secondary at the moment. Slowly you dragged your heavy body over to the makeshift door made of rotting planks. Squinting one eye closed you peered through a thick crack. Guards were posted around the door and as soon as they moved slightly you were able to see where you were. Various makeshift buildings were posted like a marketplace. The market seemed to be placed between two mountains. In the distance, you could see fog covered green and slate rocky mountains. Through the scattered palm trees in the plaza, you noticed across the busy plaza was a high, stone stage. It was surrounded by an audience of men, but as you looked closer at everyone you realized they weren’t ordinary men.

They were pirates.

You recognized the black attire of men, their barbaric shouts, and the black flag with a skull. On the stage your black and red dragon was center stage, his mouth muzzled by heavy chains and limbs chained by even thicker chains suppressing any movement.

The image of Soleil coming towards you for the first time, the time he first let you rest on him, flew, and when he lowering his head to you at the beach when you told him to leave crossed your mind. He wasn’t like them. Soleil never gave up on you…and you weren’t about to give up on him. Anger boiled within you, how dare they! How dare they treat him that way. He wasn’t a slave and he will never be!

You gazed around, the women murmuring and gasping as you moved about yanking on the chain occasionally. In your frantic stupor, you stumbled over a rock. You hissed when you hit the ground scrapping your palms and knees on the dry stone. On your knees you shakily wiped your wounded hands on your robe, then it hit you. Stone.

Without hesitation you grabbed the stone, disregarding the pain and blood, and began slamming it on your linkage to the next person. The sound was loud in your ears, but the roaring cheers outside were enough to cover what you were doing. A thick sheen of sweat was building up on your skin as you used all your strength.

You had to break the chain.

The janky metal bent with each strike and eventually it broke into pieces. Although you still had cuffs on, you were no longer bound to the gang. You tipped your head back towards the ceiling heaving as you tried catching your breath. You squinted as the heavy clouds passed and let warm sunlight pour into the room. It felt so nice for a second before the clouds came back. You stared at it, blinking hard before you were moving again.

There was no stopping there, you pushed discarded wooden crates under the hole in the ceiling. You stacked smaller empty ones on top until you were sure you could reach the top. You climbed the crates, thighs protesting as you pushed yourself up, hands burning, but you kept pushing up. You reached the hole in the ceiling and grabbed onto the splintering, water damaged wood ceiling. It cut into your hand as you pulled and yanked and broke it to pieces to create a big enough gap for yourself. You weren’t sure the wood was strong enough to support you, but you had no choice. This was your only way out.

You turned back to the women staring up at you with a harsh whisper, “It’s your choice if you leave or not.”

You gathering all the strength left in your arms and extended your hands as far as the cuffs would allow you. You held on tight as you pulled your body up with a groan. You pushed and pushed until you were sitting on the roof. You blinked against the harsh light but as soon as you looked back to the plaza you saw pirates gather closer around the stage and the crowd cheered. Soleil growled thrashing his head around and that was enough to get you scooching faster but still carefully to the back edge of the building. The alleyway behind was empty and below you was hay in a cart next to more crates. You weren’t sure if it was clean, but it was your best bet. Holding your breath, seeing Soleil behind your closed eyes you let yourself fall over the edge. Your stomach turned but it was over quick as you plopped onto the soft hay. A puff of hay floated about as you stared up at the grey sky. Tickling your peripheral, tattered curtains blew as the breeze picked. You huffed and groaned as you got out of the cart and walked over to it and yanked it from its abandoned home. It was large enough to wrap around you and over your head around you like a cloak. You made sure your face was covered.

Under disguise, your bare feet trod the cobblestone with a false sense of direction. You weaseled through the crumbling white buildings and as you rounded the corner you filtered into the crowd like a beggar.

You heard a loud growl surge from Soleil's through the crowd and pirates jolly hooting in a recall. The sound eventually was drowned out by the loud calls of shop owners with their sales pitch. An announcer on stage spoke over the hooting, “This beast was caught last night, and the first bid is going to be starting at 10,000 Gold.”

The crowd erupted into furry as shouts of different prices rang out. The number disgusted you as it kept increasing and increasing. The auctioneer shouted the numbers he heard them. You moved towards that voice. You groaned as you accidentally bumped into someone hard. You bowed in silent apology not bothering to look up and kept moving towards the stage.

You didn’t know what you were doing. You didn’t have a plan, but you knew you needed to stop this somehow.

You stopped near the edge of the stage; you were the stillness amongst chaos. You peered up for that somehow…that something. You had gotten this far, but now what?

You looked around you and focused on the arms that clearly hung from the waist of the pirates. Pirates were brutal men; they were men that collected skulls as an offering to their god. They pillaged and raped at will and were more than happy to leave you for dead. Your eyes caught a sharp reflection of light as it nearly prophesied itself. You weren’t sure where this courage kept coming from, but your legs were light and arms heavy. You peered at the blacksmith shop near the stage, an ax was sticking out of a log. You briskly walked over to it and with cuff and dangling chain clinking lightly. You pulled it from the wood with a hint of struggle before you turned around without detection. The ax was heavy in your hands, the wood was unpolished and it bit into your raw hand.

Your throat was dry as you readjusted the weight of the ax in your cuffed hands. You weren't sure with what you were about to do would do anything. You weren't sure you were going to live after. You looked at Soleil, the look in his eyes wasn't the confident one you saw last night. The need to change that is raw. As your hearing dies out and the sound of your panting fills that void you stride forward eyeing the stairs the lead up to the stage. Your heart was beating hard in your chest, you could feel the veins in your neck throbbing. You lunged up the short staircase then broke into a run as your makeshift cloak fluttered off you. You had your eyes set on a chain. You pushed past the auctioneer; his face full of surprise as you pushed him out of the way. You swung the ax around until it was twelve, men rushed onto the stage and went to lunge at you. When the ax was high in the sky you used that same momentum to slam it down with a guttural scream on the chain that was attached to his muzzle.

As soon as the ax slammed down the chain cracked and broke, the long chain attached to the muzzle and the muzzle itself loosened around Soleil and feel in a metallic crash. Soleil acted immediately and roared breaking the chains lingering on his mouth as the links rained down. The man who grabbed you knocked the ax out of your hands as he tackled you to the ground. Seconds later he was pulled off you by Soleil’s jaw and the horrid crunch was heard and rung through the crowd. He jerked his head sending the body sliding at the front of the crowd. The pirates backed away creating a gap from the dead body. Soleil with his chin he tugged you closer to him and under his chest protectively. You clutched onto him whispering his name in relief.

The stunned crowd was paralyzed, even though they were men notoriously perilous. A dragon could bring men to their knees.

A booming voice cut through the silence, “I’ll take the wyvern…and it’s rider.”

The heavy crowd parted down the center, splitting evenly as a man confidently walked towards the stage. He stepped over the body to stand just near the front of the stage. His white blouse was tucked into his black pants, with a black long coat. He was decorated in gold accessories, most notably his golden broach on his breast of a sun.

He stood confidently, unbothered by Soleil, “I’ll give you a few options girl.” His eyes gazed up to Soleil, Soleil arched his neck back further ready to strike.

In a clear voice, he drawled it out simply for you, “Join me, or die.”

The sweet smile he seemed to offered had suddenly translated as cynical. “I take you, girl, and the wyvern with me.”

You felt sick to your stomach. Another person wanting to hold you captive, a pirate at that. However, you were under the chest of a chained beast. You had no other way out, no plans. If you did, Soleil was still chained and you had no weapon, you didn’t even know how to fight. The pirates that seemed to be a part of his crew around him all looked ready to strike.

In a low voice, you gave your condition, “No one will touch my dragon, even you.”

Surprisingly, the man smiled and bowed. The man turned towards the auctioneer, who was shaking in his boots at the edge of the stage. In fact, the population that was once around the stage had disappeared except for the men following the pirate in the center. The man whose smile reminded you of the sun pointed with a single hand, "Release the wyvern.”

With trembling hands, each of the thick chains was undone. You were holding onto Soleil's neck, prepared for the next move of the pirate.

With a gesture of honor, he placed his hand over the sun brooch, “Wyvern rider, welcome aboard my ship.”

You clutched onto the horns of Soleil as he dipped low, soothing him and yourself as you started at the man who smiled so gently, but underneath if you weren't sure to trust it.

The auctioneer still stood near you cautiously watching Soleil for a sudden attack. You asked, “Who is he? The man who just—bought me?”

The man scoffed to keep his ego, yet still cautious. “Ignorant girl, you choose a death worse with that man.”

Your eyes shifted, as you tried to suppress your internal panic. You had grown up in a household of many tragic men and women, guest who’ve done horrible things, and served those who caused horror. You’ve seen a lot, but based on the contortion on this man’s face you had another thing coming. A small huff came from Soleil at the man. Almost to himself, he whispered, “I don’t know why he’s in the Summer’s sea. He never travels west. Something must be wrong.”

The man began retreating and down the stairs. He spoke as he retreated, a sick smile forming on his lips as he laughed through it, “No one knows who he is, or where he’s come from but everyone knows what he’s done. He’s a hope collector, light collector, and life collector. Anyone who was slain by his black sword suddenly became skeletons. The only man who sailed to Leng and survived the Old Ones. Some call him Jay the Sun Chaser, but he’s the Sun King of the Jade Sea.”

You had heard of that name before, amongst the maids and guards before. It was near impossible to be of Sothoryos and not know of the Sun Chaser. But what he’s done, or why he was king was a hushed conversation, never truly knowing who or where he came from.

As he stepped on the ground, “He's killed plenty, girl, and I'm sure you're next. His skull collection on Skull island blocks the Sun, quite fitting for the Sun King don’t you think? You’ll be the next offering along with your dragon too.”

Up until this point, you hadn’t felt fear. You did what you had to do yet, your blood ran cold.

The auctioneer vanished into an alley and you were alone in the center.

Your hands shook as you held onto Soleil. Just what did you do.

You hugged your knees close to your chest preserving any heat possible. The cell was cold as a breeze crept along the floor. Each time the boat rocked the wood protested in a haunting creek. Waves tirelessly hit the side of the boat. The only light was a lantern that hung in the hall outside your cell, but you knew it was out there.

You could hear footsteps from above going back and forth all day long. You were in the bowels of the ship, but you weren’t discarded. In fact, you always had visitors, two specifically. Because of that, you had been told vicariously that Soleil was still following.

The wooden stairs creaked one at a time as a heavy boots stride towards you. He was later than usual. You leaned up and kept your eyes straight on the bars, awaiting your visitor. The steps grew louder before they stopped in front of your cell, blocking the light. Slowly you tipped your head up and met the shadowed eyes of a man as he tilted his head down to look stoically down at you. The man was thin but slightly muscular; his feline-like demeanor and features were always hard to read. He was the one who picked you up from the stage that day. He took hold of your chain and escorted you, uncaring of Soleil. As you were about to board a small rowboat you turned towards Soleil and for the first time spoke up to your escort, "I had a condition. I won't go if he won't follow."

That was the first time you had seen the feline smile, “He will follow. I don’t doubt that.” You were picked up and placed into the smallest rowboat.

You turned around to Soleil, “Stay close. I promise it’s going to be alright.”

The feline man began rowing and you watched Soleil pace the shoreline whining, at that point you had to turn away. You didn’t doubt that man’s words either.

Soon, by slippage, you had found out his name was Yoongi, second hand to the omnipresent figure that ruled this ship. You had yet to see him, the Sun King, only having direct interaction with Yoongi or Taehyung, a mischievous crew member who pulled the short stick in having to take care of you.

Yoongi brought out a ring of keys and unlocked the cell. “He’s requested your audience.”

You slowly got up, your legs prickling as they’ve gone numb from sitting too long. Your hands were still cuffed, and your wrist was raw and blistering. The moist air didn't make it any better egging on the sweaty friction.

Taehyung came trotting down the stairs in a bit of shambles, “I’m here, I’m here!” You kept a straight face, attempting to conceal a giggle at his clumsy behavior. He was a bit of happiness on this rig. Taehyung was the complete opposite of Yoongi, they always bickered, but you could still tell they were close. He would come down on his downtime and talk to you. It kept you sane. You had expressed to him your fear of his King. Ironically, he laughed, “I can’t confirm or deny what you heard, but just…be prepared. I recommend to just…be yourself when you see him. He doesn’t respond well to pretense.” His words didn’t ease your mind, but you figured if he accepted someone like Taehyung maybe you had a chance.

They escorted you up countless floors. You felt burning eyes on the back of your head, yet you didn’t pay them any mind. You already knew their eyes were staring at you intently and judgingly. In passing you heard them whisper, “A woman on board is going to get us all killed.” You chuckled a bit, finding them fearful of your gender but not your dragon. Then the laughter died down in your throat…they weren’t fearful of a dragon. They all looked clean kept, except the look in their eye was dirty, tainted and toughened up. You swallowed the thick saliva in your mouth and averted your eyes. Taehyung leaned in close to you, “Miss, don’t mind them. They’re not going to harm you. Especially not with me around.” You looked over your shoulder with a raised brow, his statements were questionable. You didn’t let Taehyung see you chuckle, but you were sure he knew.

You reached the top staircase ascending to the deck. The night sky was completely dark as you looked up. You stepped up to the deck and on first instinct, you took a breath of fresh air. The air was cold your dress that was paper thin, ripped in different places couldn’t protect you from the cold. The wind whipped your hair around, but it was refreshing.

You kept your eye to the sky, eyes focused on the big, billowing mast. You caught a glimpse of Soleil soaring instantly putting a smile on your face. He was fine. He followed you.

Yoongi pushed at your back slightly, “Keep going.” You had forgotten how large the ship you were on as the edge of the boat seemed far. Taehyung leads the way as you followed with Yoongi at your back. Surprisingly the deck was full of people working and doing things despite lanterns being the only thing lighting up the ship. The ship was made of light brown wood that was still bright even in the night; the mast were giant white sheets. When the wind slowed down enough you were able to pick up the big sun on the main mast. In all honesty, you didn’t want to meet the Sun Chaser. The auctioneer’s words still rung in your mind. Did he really want you dead? Were you just another offering to their God?

You were shoved from behind when you were gazing too long.

It took a while before you reached the back of the ship to the captain’s quarters. Yoongi approached double doors and knocked before stepping back. He must’ve received a response you couldn’t hear as he pushed open the door and allowed you in. Yoongi held a hand over his chest, a similar gesture you had seen their King do, as he held the door open. Your heart was in your throat, feet stiff and frozen, but you had no choice. You took a step forward then another into the lion’s den.

The feeling in the air changed as you walked in, a burst of hot air overcame you like a blanket. The wooden room had a golden glow about lighting up the bookcase and furniture around. Every instinct was on high alert and was warning you against settling into it. You jumped when the heavy door clicked behind you as you turned watching your only exit close.

“Spoked wyvern rider?” A gruff voice awakened your senses.

You whipped around finding him sitting behind his wide desk, feet crossed resting a top as he leaned back in his black stone throne. Across the back of the chair over his head, the rising sun in different stages was depicted in gold. He loosely twirled his sun brooch between his fingers as he observed you with a bored expression. The various stages of burnt candles that must’ve been on its mantle for ages at the edge of his desk flickered. The shadowing light lit up one half of his face. His strong features, sharp jaw naturally jutted in icy confidence. His hair was slicked back. It was darker than the light blonde you had seen him with a week prior.

He silently stood up rounding his desk like a predator holding the sun between his fingers. You noticed he was wearing intricate armory; it was unlike the casual wear you had seen him initially in. The deep emerald textile was underneath a thick metal armor. Plated mail graduated large to small plates from his shoulders down to his breast. Gold fabric cinched his small waist addressing below his tight black pants that were tucked into brown leather boots.

You cleared your throat to catch yourself from staring longer than necessary. He was gorgeous, that was something you’d admit. But that still didn’t change the fact that you still feared him. He must’ve caught you on though as he chuckled and stood tall before you. You caught a whiff of his rich citrus scent as he towered over you. His dangling long, golden earing caught your eye dragging your attention away from his intense stare.

He creased his eyes in a challenging taunt, “Must be difficult not riding your wyvern.”

You squinted, creasing your brows dragging your eyes back to his cheeky expression. You asked honestly, “Why do you call Soleil that? He’s a dragon not a…?”

You could see the a-ha moment cross his eyes as he repeated the name on his tongue. “Wyvern. Your wyvern, Soleil, isn’t a dragon. I would know, I’ve seen many in my days venturing near Valyria. I’ve seen Basilisk, but your beast is defiantly different. Wyvern different.”

You squinted still a bit confused, “Your beast’s wings are attached to his arms,“ he looked over you quizzically, “…and he doesn’t breathe fire.”

It hadn’t dawned on you. Yes, Soleil didn’t, or hadn’t ever, breathed fire.

He pulled out your hands taking in the cuffs on your hands. He tsked then pulled out his sword from its sheath. His eyes narrowed as he eyed the cuffs. You pulled your hands back to your chest backing up and bumping into a cabinet. You heard of that sword, the black stone sword that turned people into skeletons. In a moment the trust you had slightly built up was torn away. "Please, please don't kill me." Your heart was beating erratically out of your chest.

“What?” His eyes widened taken back your sudden jump. He attempted to center you but you just thumped against the cabinet again.

“Please, please don’t turn me into a skeleton.” The chains rattled loudly as you trembled.

He stared at you for a moment in complete disbelief. His domineering aura died down as his eyes softened as a subtle laugh started before it turned into a roar as he hunched over laughing.

You stood there gazing at him awkwardly holding your hands to your chest, “You’re…you’re not going to turn me into a skeleton?”

He spoke through a laugh, “No, where did you hear that from?”

You looked away, a hot embarrassed flush filling you. You whispered, “At Barter Beach.”

“Their mouth’s run dry if it's not full of lies.” He gently took your hands back in his, eyeing you cautiously, asking you to trust him for a moment. You held your cuffed hands out, all-be-it shaking. He lifted his sword and easily cut through the cuffs like butter. They fell to the floor pilling at your feet.

You thanked him lightly as he sheathed his sword back again. He eyed your blistering wrist, “Don’t thank me.”

He watched your mind work a million miles per hour. He brought a hand over his chest placing his brooch back in place, “Excuse me wyvern rider, I hope you know I have no intentions to hurt you. I apologize for keeping you in the cell, but you must understand my crew’s safety comes first. I merely did such to protect you and myself.”

You scoffed, “Protect me?”

A large shadow passed engulfing you both in darkness as Soleil covering the moonlighting pouring in from the wall to wall window. When the bright light returned you were both boldly staring at one another.

Instantly and evenly he responded, “I don’t believe in harming women…especially women with children, wyvern rider.”

“Y/n.” He paused for a moment taking in what you said. You don’t know why you gave him that. You’ve never given your name to anyone. You wanted him to know though, for some reason, you felt he would keep it.

“Y/n.” He sighed, “You are not my prisoner, but I will hold you on my ship until we are in safe waters. It isn’t safe here right now, so think of me as your escort.”

You raised a brow. It isn’t safe? And he’s going to be your…escort? You didn’t suppress the laugh this time, everything up until now felt so ridiculous. “Jay the Sun Chaser, the pirate king with the highest skull collection, my escort?”

He smirked, correcting you, “Please, call me Hoseok. You are not a pirate, nor crew, call me by my name.”

Rubbing your sore wrist, you started again, “Hoseok, I’m aware of the Pirate code. No debt or act goes unpaid, what do you want from me?”

He hummed twirling the sun brooch again as he stepped towards the window to observe Soleil. You cautiously approached the window to stand next to him.

“Nothing.”

You quirked a brow, “Nothing sounds like a heavy debt.”

Genuine laughter escaped his lungs, you even joined it a bit. He turned to you, “So it is.”

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