For Who Could Ever Learn to Love a Dragon?
My one year anniversary fic- I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve written for Minho. Thank you to all of you, for all the support, patience, and kindness. You’re amazing. I hope you enjoy this, and my other works. My masterlist is in my description.
Summary: The mountain always looked terribly mysterious, and the dragon trapped inside was cruel and lost... never to be loved by anyone again.
Word Count: 9233 words, Beauty and the Beast AU, Minho x neutral reader
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a young prince. His name was Lee Minho, and he was well known throughout the lands as one of the most talented dancers of his generation. People would travel far and wide to come and see his performances. Minho received award after award, accolades aplenty, and adoration from all around him.
Unfortunately… the praise ended up getting to his head. And so, Minho’s talent morphed into vanity and hubris. People who had longed to learn from him or just meet him even were disappointed by his cutting words and cruel language.
A year passed in this manner, and Minho only grew more and more vain. He began turning away even the students that had studied under him for years and the teammates that he had once danced with. Minho grew single minded in focus, everything centering around the mastery of his art.
That is, until that fateful day.
Minho was practicing in his main studio, mirrors all around him so that he could analyze his own movements and perfect them as best he could. He was so engrossed that he didn’t notice one of the servants knocking lightly on the doorframe.
“Your highness?” the servant asked, trying to catch Minho’s attention. “There’s someone here to see you my lord. May I show them in?”
Minho looked up and rolled his eyes, turning away from the servant. “I’m busy. You have your instructions. If someone wishes to see me during practice, they can come back when I’m free. I’m not changing my schedule to accommodate anyone. Why on earth should I? I’m a prince after all.”
“My lord, you must see them!” The servant was getting more agitated, wringing his hands worriedly.
Fire flashed through Minho’s eyes. “Did you just imply that I am required to do something? Excuse me? Leave my sight right this instant, and if I see you again, you’ll regret it for the rest of your days.”
The servant bowed and backed away, cringing under the deadly glare Minho was directing at him, Minho turned back to his dance practice, stepping quickly into rhythm and letting the music float over him, carrying him with it.
Light footsteps sounded behind him.
“So, you really are as vain and horrid as they say you are,” a quiet voice mused from behind him. Minho whirled around, furious at being interrupted again.
“How dare you interrupt me?” he snarled at the black cloaked figure standing in front of him.
The figure laughed coldly. “How dare I? How dare you, Lee Minho? How dare you behave in such a manner to a witch with my power. Either you apologize right now, or regret it for the rest of your days”
Minho let out a scornful laugh. “Why would I, a prince, apologize to a stupid, ugly, pathetic old crone like you?”
And that was the last laugh that escaped his lips. The witch let out a snarl, smashing her stave against the stone floor of the castle. Curls of bright green magic spiraled through the air, filling the hall with the smell of acrid smoke.
“Your vanity has brought about your downfall young prince. I curse you to live as a creature befitting your ridiculous vanity—I curse you to be a dragon until you can learn the humility required to be human once more. You have until this flower dies to change your very being from the inside out, else you will be forced to take this form for eternity!” She slammed her stave against the ground three times, and a cloud of white vapor swirled around her.
When the vapor vanished, so had she. Only a pretty white iris lay in her wake.
Minho couldn’t concentrate on the woman’s disappearance however. Sharp pains suddenly wracked his body; the green curls of magic that had remained even after the witch disappeared wrapped themselves around him. He felt his limbs changing, his body growing longer and more lithe.
Then, his back began to burn. It burned as though someone had poured molten lava over it, scouring and puckering his skin even as he felt his shoulder blades growing longer and longer, until they became like a second pair of arms. He writhed in pain as his body twisted and morphed, until finally, blessedly, the world went black around him.
His final thought was only asking, begging, to know what kind of monster he had just become.
---
You pulled yourself up onto the kitchen counter, biting into an apple that you’d plucked from the tree outside. Today was your least favorite day of the month—departure day.
You and your brother Felix had been living together for many years in this town, studying dancing under a celebrated dance master who had moved to the country to establish his own school. The only real difficulty was in living so far away from your parents but having your brother with you helped deal with the loneliness.
That is, only when he was there. Which, incidentally, is what made this day so miserable. Felix would be leaving to go back home, while you remained to take care of your home alone—and while you took turns going back, the separation was never easy on whoever was left behind.
“Now remember, stay on the roads, and make sure you don’t wander! There are bandits and all sort of other dangers around here.” You instructed Felix.
He rolled his eyes as he pushed the last of his provisions into his bag. “I’m going to be fine you old worrywart. I’ll be back within the week, is there anything you want me to bring back?”
You thought for a second, mentally running through the list of items that you’d left at your parents’ home. “I think I left my favorite record at home, you know the one that we still haven’t come up with a choreography for? Bring it back with you, I’m sick of not being able to come up with something for it.”
“Anything else?” He pushed open the kitchen door to the yard, where the car was waiting.
“No, just hurry home soon would you?” Felix nodded and quickly started the car and waved to you from behind the wheel.
You waved back, ignoring the strange apprehensive feeling that kept fluttering in your stomach.
---
About a week later, Felix was driving as fast as he could in the pouring rain, trying to get home as soon as he could. The car had already made a few ominous noises, and he did not want to be caught outside in the storm, and that too on top of a mountain.
All around him, the wind shrieked through the trees lining the side of the road. Felix had even heard a few wolves howling wildly almost as though they were hunting for prey under the cover of the night.
His nerves were rising at every little sound that filled the small car’s cabin. He could hear every little creak of the straining engine, every whistle of the wind outside, every hair-raising, inexplicable noise that came through the windows and dove straight into his heart. The sooner I get out of this mess, the better.
Unfortunately, right as he had that thought, the car gave off a large splutter and died, smoke rising from underneath the hood. Felix groaned to himself, getting out of the car and over to the smoking hood.
He opened it, only to find more smoke and what looked like a battery that had shorted out from all the rain.
“Wonderful. This doesn’t look like I can fix it any time soon,” Felix grumbled as he went back to his seat and pulled out his bag. “Might as well try and see if there’s any caves or something nearby that I can shelter in.”
Right at that moment, a flash of lightning lit up the dusty country road. Felix glanced up and caught sight of a door cut into the side of the mountain he’d been driving up. He rushed towards it, disregarding the brambles that cut at his clothes and hands. Reaching the door, he pounded on it wildly, screaming for someone to open it.
No one responded. Felix’s cries grew more and more desperate in sound and he pounded a little harder.
And then, his fist caught on a hidden pressure plate in the door. It swung up without a warning, leaving Felix reeling and stumbling over himself as he entered the room behind the door.
That is, room was a bit of a misnomer. The area was enormous, with ceilings easily a hundred feet high and torches lining the walls wherever Felix looked. He shrugged off his soaked cloak and left it in a heap next to the door, moving closer to what appeared to be an enormous sunken fire pit in the center of the room.
Teeth chattering, he reached out towards the lightly glowing coals, trying to leech some semblance of warmth back into his fingers. Let me rest for a few minutes, then I can go back and try and get the car started again.
Those few minutes were enough though, and Felix’s eyes slowly began to droop shut, until he was fast asleep on the floor of the enormous hall.
---
“HOW DARE YOU WALTZ INTO MY CASTLE AND TREAT IT LIKE YOUR PERSONAL DRIP CATCHER!” A thundering roar shook the walls of the hall and Felix started awake, sitting up abruptly and almost hitting his head on something that had just appeared in front of him.
He blinked a few times, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes. “Wha- where am I?” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes with one hand.
“You, pathetic little blob, are in my mountain castle. MY CASTLE!” The voice growled.
“I’m sorry, I only hid here to shelter from the rain. Please, forgive me for trespassing sir.” Felix doubted the apology would have any effect, yet he attempted it regardless.
“An apology is NOT enough. You dared enter; now you will never leave. Enjoy rotting here for the rest of your miserable life.” An enormous something came hurtling down towards Felix’s prone figure out of the middle of the air and scooped him up. Felix screamed at the sudden loss of solid ground underneath his feet. He hurtled through the air for a moment before crashing into a tiny nook about thirty feet in the air.
Felix figured he didn’t really have options aside from begging at this point. “Please, my family needs me! I can’t leave them alone! I beg of you sir, spare me and let me go.”
By now, the something that had scooped Felix up had gone back to the ground and was tapping the bag that he’d left near the fire pit. The contents of it soon spilled over the floor, and the something moved into the light.
Felix couldn’t stop the horrified gasp that escaped his lips as the light fell on his captor.
He was being held captive by a dragon.
A DRAGON. I’M DEAD. THERE IS NO WAY I’M EVER GOING TO ESCAPE. His breathing got faster, almost to the point of hyperventilation.
The dragon poked gingerly at the pile of items that Felix’s bag had contained. One in particular caught his eye- the record _____ had requested.
“You have a set of records but no instruments, only extra clothing and foot wraps. Are you a dancer?” The dragon’s voice had changed slightly in timber, an almost longing note lacing the edge of his question.
Felix gulped in a breath and replied in the affirmative. The dragon hummed thoughtfully, an utterly terrifying noise that shook the walls of the room slightly.
“I think I’ll keep this in my personal collection.” He swiped the record up and gingerly clutched it in one paw. Slowly, the dragon’s enormous wings spread, and he made to loft himself off the ground and back into whatever passages he may have been hiding in before.
Now or never Felix. You can’t let him take it. “Wait! That’s not yours! You can’t have it!”
The dragon cackled wildly. “Well, if the owner comes, we can discuss what happens with both you and your record. And you. It’s about time I had a dancer to perform my dances for me.”
And with that ominous statement the dragon lofted himself into the air, leaving gusts of wind in his wake that chilled Felix to the bone in his still damp clothing.
I hope _____ doesn’t come looking for me.
---
You frowned at the calendar. Felix was supposed to have returned two days previously, and he’d apparently left your parents’ home on time. Yet there was absolutely no sign of him anywhere, and none of the travelers from that direction recalled passing a boy around his age.
Needless to say, you were out of your mind with worry.
He was your younger brother, your responsibility, and you’d let him go off on his own. If I’d been with him, he might not have gotten lost. What if someone kidnapped him, or he got stabbed and left on the side of the road? What if he got enchanted by some witch? What if he-
You shook your head violently, trying to get the horrible thought out of your mind. Felix is fine, and I am going to go find him.
Mind made up, you quickly threw together some spare clothes, food, and money into a bag. Now that you had a plan, you felt slightly lighter, like someone had relieved the pressure weighing down on you. You quickly stuffed your feet into your boots and ran out the door, bag slung over one shoulder.
Hopefully the dance teacher will let me borrow his car if I say it’s because Felix is missing.
You stalked through the outskirts of town, walking quickly to avoid the somewhat sleazy gazes of the young men loitering in the alleys. It was the fastest route to the heart of town; a detour would only slow you down.
“Hey babe, how about you stop walking so fast? We’re just looking?” One of them called out. Another one whistled as he looked you over, eyes lingering inappropriately.
You ignored them, pulling your bag closer to yourself and walking faster, an angry glare painting your face. If those idiots even breathe on me I will scream bloody murder and claw their eyes out.
“Awww, don’t scowl like that babe, your mouth looks so pretty when you aren’t frowning.” The first one called after you as you stormed out of the alley onto the main road.
People. Finally.
You quickly knocked on the door of the studio, hoping that you wouldn’t be stuck outside for long. Within a few seconds the door swung open.
“____? Is everything alright?” your teacher asked, a worried expression clouding his face.
“I’m fine sir, I just… Felix is missing and he took our car. Is there any way I can borrow your car to go look for him?” The man’s face softened, and he nodded.
“I’d offer you tea or something but I’m guessing you want to leave immediately?” You nodded mutely. “Come inside, I’ll get you the keys and you can leave from the back entrance.”
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure. I just hope you find him safe and sound.” Me too.
Five minutes later you were cruising along the main road, eyes laser focused on the pavement in front of you.
---
Three hours later, your hands were beginning to hurt from how tightly you were clutching the steering wheel and you were almost sure that the second you took your foot off the accelerator it would cramp up. Pushing onwards with only willpower and desperation to fuel you, you began your steady descent down the mountain road.
You were on your way down the hill when you saw it. Sure enough, there was Felix’s car, parked at an angle to the road.
And it was empty.
You quickly pulled over and ran over to the car, searching wildly for any sign of Felix. Something, anything to tell you that he was still alive and not lying dead somewhere after rolling down the mountain side.
As you were examining the driver’s seat, you happened to glance up. The light was striking the side of the mountain at an odd angle, and you could almost swear there was a door cut into the rock with a path leading away from the door towards it.
“I wonder…” you grabbed your bag from the car and sling it over one shoulder, making your way up the path to the door. You scrabbled around on the smooth surface until your fingers caught on a latch and the door swung open.
A dark, empty space loomed in front of you, completely devoid of any light. You took a deep breath, and then stepped inside.
This is for Felix.
Almost immediately the door closed behind you, leaving you trapped in the darkness. The world was pitch black around you, making it seem like someone had trapped you deep underground.
The panic rose in your throat. Walls seemed to close in around you. A ringing began to sound in your ears. You’d never been stuck somewhere so dark before. Somewhere so utterly terrifying.
I’m going to die here, and no one will ever find me.
Suddenly, a crevice that spiraled all the way around the hall sparked to life, flames flickering and lighting the enormous hall in front of you. You immediately felt your breathing ease and the tension seep from your limbs.
And then, you saw the tiny, curled up figure tucked inside a niche on the other side of the hall. Bars covered the niche’s entrance, and all around you the walls loomed up in sheer black darkness.
“Felix!” you yelled, voice cracking in desperation. A narrow ledge connected the two of you and you clutched your way along the stone wall towards him, ignoring the steep drop below you. “Felix!”
He sat up, rubbing the sleep from tear encrusted eyes. “____?” You can’t be here, you have to leave!”
“I’m not leaving here without you! Do you have even the slightest idea how worried I’ve been? I was going mad waiting for you to come home. Good thing I did come, now we can get out.” You shook the bars roughly, trying to get them to swing open somehow. Come on, come on, open damn it! I can’t leave him.
Felix shook his head, pushing you away roughly. “Get out of here, before the dragon comes back. Please, I’d never forgive myself if you got stuck here with me. Tell Mom and Dad I love them, yeah? I’ll miss you.”
A sob escaped your throat as you turned to go back to the door. “I’ll get you out of this Lix, I promise.” Even as you spoke, an odd sense of foreboding filled your very soul. Why does it feel like I’ll never see him again?
“Just GO!” You shuffled along the ledge back to the door.
Your fingers scraped the smooth stone, trying to find the latch that would open the door once more from the inside. After a minute or so of frantic searching, your fingernail caught on a small latch.
And then, just as you were about to slip out the door, a thundering roar that shook you to your very bones filled the room.
“How dare you enter my home? Two intruders in three days, how lucky for me. Is this the one you begged me to spare?”
Wind rushed through the room. A sharp clicking, like metal clanking on stone floors, scraped your ears.
“Run _____!”
“Not so fast.” A paw reached out of nowhere and clamped down on your shoulder, before the paw’s owner took off. The floor dropped away beneath your feet, leaving only empty air below you.
“Shut up.” The voice said, setting you down next to the bars in front of Felix’s cage. “Now stay still. You have a decision to make.”
You couldn’t stop trembling. Every part of you shook with fear at what the unknown thing that had grabbed you would do to you.
Before you had a chance to blink and let your eyes get adjusted to the light, Felix was standing beside you. Chains were wrapped around his hands and feet, with another length holding him in place so that he couldn’t run to you no matter how hard he tried.
Taking matters into your own hands, you ran over to him, paying no heed to the rocky floor that threatened to trip you up. You pulled at the chains keeping him in place, but they wouldn’t budge.
A cold voice cut through the air, making your hair stand on end. “You have a choice now… run for your life and leave your brother behind with me…” A chuckle ensued as whoever the unknown speaker was saw your determined expression.
There is no way I’m leaving Felix here.
“Or…” the sly pauses the voice was making were just making you angry now.
“Spit it out!” you yelled into the darkness around you.
“You could take his place. I will let your brother go if you agree to stay with me for the rest of your life, in this place.”
All you could hear now was your own heartbeat rushing in your ears, faster and faster. What do I do? Take his place? Let him go.
You thought back to your home, to what awaited both of you. Felix had so much left he wanted to accomplish, so much potential that would be lost if he stayed behind.
I’m sorry Mom, Dad. This is for him.
“I’ll take his place.”
“No! _____, you can’t do this, I won’t let you! You’re insane if you think I can leave you here to pay for my curiosity.”
“Felix, this is my decision.” A small sparkling key came flying through the air and you caught it.
The voice spoke once more. “Unlock his chains and cuff yourself.”
You did as told, fingers shaking so hard you could barely hold the keys. You couldn’t meet Felix’s tear-filled eyes as you pulled the shackles off his wrists and tightened them around your own.
“I love you Felix, I love you and Mom, and Dad, and I want you to do everything you—”
The dark figure swooped down and grabbed Felix, carrying him up into the air and out of the light from the nearby torches.
The last sound you heard from your brother was his anguished scream as the little door in the side of the mountain closed, leaving you alone. The sound shattered you from within, breaking whatever reserve of strength that had held you upright while your brother was still there.
At least Felix is safe, you tried to reassure yourself. At least it’s me trapped here and not him.
It hit you then that you really were trapped.
With only the monster for company.
At long last, the figure you’d seen swooping around came into full view.
Glittering dark green scales covered a lithe, muscular body. Spines that glowed with some sort of inner fire lined his back and neck, sharp as knives. The creature’s front paws had long claws over six inches long. Along his back you could make out folds of green leather, which had to be wings. A barbed tail curled around him almost like a cat’s would, swishing back and forth as the dragon, for that was what stood before you, breathed in and out. Steam rose from his nostrils, and rich dark eyes twinkled in the light of the torches.
Those eyes looked almost human in nature. Warm and mischievous rather than cold and unyieldingly cruel the way you’d expected.
“Well? Don’t just stand there like an idiot. Do you want to stay in that cell where your brother was?” The dragon’s voice was surprisingly soft given his horrifying appearance. It was loud and deep, yes, but it had a lyrical quality to it that contradicted the sharp fangs that were just visible in the corners of his mouth.
“Answer me! Do you have a name?”
“____.” You hid the waver threatening to make itself known. “I want to leave this hellhole of a cavern and get back to daylight.”
“Daylight?” the dragon mocked. “You think you deserve to see daylight, little one? After sneaking into my castle? You’re staying right here, my preciousssss.”
The dragon’s hiss sent shivers up your spine. Even his voice is terrifying. It’s like ice and poison and corrosive acid all at once—
“Now then, _____. Do you want to stay in the cell, or are you going to cooperate and let me take you to your new room?”
“Do I even have a choice?” Doubt it. He clearly has his own ideas over what to do with me.
“Cell it is then.” You cringed away as the dragon’s cruel claws came close to your shoulder.
“Room, please!” I can’t handle being carried by those daggers one more time.
“So, you can be reasonable. What a surprise. Come.” The dragon clicked down a hallway that had yet gone unnoticed by you in the corner of the large cavern. You followed, unsure as to how to respond to the twelve-foot-long dragon. Yet another thing no one ever told me how to deal with. I just hope Felix is safe.
Three corridors, two sets of double doors, and four large halls later, the dragon pushed open a large gilt door.
“This is your room. You will be joining me for dinner in the dining room in one hour.” He spoke curtly, with a careless, disdainful glance at you.
“What if I choose not to?” Might as well test my boundaries.
“That was an order, not a request.”
And with those words, the dragon turned, tail whipping through the air behind him and almost hitting you in the face. With no other alternative, you entered the room, slamming the door shut behind you with a clang that echoed through the hollowed-out mountain castle.
With little else to do, you threw yourself onto the bed and began to sob. You were trapped, in the middle of nowhere, with only a monstrous dragon for company. And even the finery around you couldn’t disguise the fact that you were a prisoner, in a gilded cage.
Golden bars were still bars after all.
---
Minho clicked down the halls back to wing where his old rooms used to be. He’d long since outgrown the bed he’d occupied as a child; now he simply had knocked down half the walls and turned the space into a very messy nest, with bundles of items lying all over the place.
Just because his claws couldn’t wrap the fabric properly didn’t mean he couldn’t order the servants to do it for him.
Speaking of servants, where were they? He mused as he settled down into the nest of soft blankets. Intimidating people really was a full-time job.
His eyes began to droop slowly shut, only to slam open as a small candlestick began jumping up and down on top of his scaled back.
“Prince Minho! Wake up! Who’s the person in the guest wing? Is it the one? Will they break the curse? Are they cute?”
Minho rolled onto his other side, flicking his wing to try and get him off. “Go away Jisung. Make sure ____ is down for dinner on time and tell Chan he has to make sure dinner tastes good.”
“Ooooh, trying to impress ____? Your new consort has a pretty name. You better behave well with them. No temper tantrums, and woo them properly, that’s the best way to get them to break the curse.”
“Would you shut up? I need a nap.” Jisung had veered uncomfortably close to the truth. Minho did hope that ____ would be the one to break the curse, but he also didn’t want to hope.
If he had hope, the chances of being hurt when he was trapped as a dragon forever would only be more painful.
As it is, he only had about half a year left before the curse became permanent.
Lost in thought, he didn’t notice Jisung leaving the room and going to meet Changbin outside.
“Is he alright?” Changbin asked, hands whirring worriedly on his face.
“I don’t know Binnie-hyung. I don’t know. Let’s just get things together and try and welcome our guest. It’s all we can do it this point.
---
You looked up at the knock that reverberated throughout your new room.
“Go. Away. I don’t want to see your scaly face,” you hissed at the door.
“It’s dinner time. Your presence is required.”
“Fuck off!” Something inside you snapped. “Do you think I’m going to sit and politely eat opposite the dragon that kidnapped my brother and blackmailed me?”
A loud huff came from the other side of the door. “If you don’t come and eat with me, you won’t be eating at all.”
“Good riddance! I don’t particularly feel hungry after being manhandled anyway!” You yelled back, before picking up a large, heavy looking hair brush and flinging it at the door. “You can bother all you want, I’m not coming out.”
“Then rot!” The dragon stomped away, his heavy footsteps clanking on the ground heavily.
You let out a heavy breath, feeling the tears begin to well up once more. You hadn’t been lying when you said you weren’t hungry. Right now, the only feeling in your stomach was one of nausea and horror, horror at what you were probably going to face.
Who knows what the dragon’s going to do to me when I refuse to leave at his order?”
Exhausted, miserable, nauseous, and ready to collapse, you curled into a tiny little ball on the surprisingly soft bed. You didn’t have much else to do, might as well sleep.
You’d need all your energy to try to escape later on.
---
Your eyelids fluttered open after some time, feeling crusty and dry after your sobbing. You rubbed them carelessly, remembering the warnings your mother had always given you about your eyelashes falling out if you rubbed your eyes.
If I have a chance to listen to Mom nag me ever again, I’ll be the happiest person on earth.
You took the silence as an opportunity to explore your new room. A few shelves lined one wall, with various knick-knacks and decorations filling the space. Sheer curtains led outside to a window, surprising seeing as you had entered a mountain. Maybe it opens onto the valley inside. Like a castle courtyard, only the mountain and cliffs are the castle themselves.
A set of pretty wall hangings finished the other side of the room, along with a screen and a large wardrobe which seemed to be letting out a few large snores every now and then. At this point though, after seeing a dragon speak, not much would be startling you.
You went over to the wardrobe and poked it. It jolted awake with a shudder, blinking open carved eyes near the door.
“Oh, hello! You must be _____, the master sent me up to see to you. I’m Hyunjin, your new helper! We should get you into some night clothes so you can sleep, yes?”
You frowned. “I don’t want to go back to sleep. I’m going to explore and find the kitchen.”
The wardrobe—Hyunjin—opened his mouth to speak again, but you forestalled him by wrapping your cloak more tightly around you.
“Do me a favor and don’t tell the dragon?” You called as you slipped out the door. Hyunjin just stood there, unmoving in his shock.
Slowly, a little smile spread over his face. Maybe some challenges were just what the master needed to bring some light back into his life and spice it up a little.
Maybe Jisung and Changbin were right. Maybe you would be their salvation.
After all, you simply had to fall in love with a dragon. How hard could it really be to orchestrate that?
---
The answer, as Hyunjin, Jisung, Changbin, and the other plotters were soon to discover, was that it was really quite difficult to orchestrate two people’s falling in love with each other. Especially when one of those individuals was a cantankerous dragon who took no pleasure in anything other than brooding, and the other was an angry kidnappee who kept breaking things and sneaking around the passages to elicit a reaction from Minho.
Suffice it to say, things were not going well by any means.
And they were just about to get worse.
It was the middle of the night, and you’d dragged yourself out of bed, hoping that the late hour would ensure you wouldn’t be discovered. Lighting only a small candle, you slowly crept down the passageways back to the large cavern where you’d first met the dragon.
Tonight was the night you got out of this weird castle-cave-hollow-mountain-thing.
You tiptoed along, pausing at every slight noise you heard. Shivers ran up your spine and the little hairs on the back of your neck stood up. You had the distinct feeling that someone was following you, and yet when you turned your head, there was no one there.
Nervously toying with your fingers, you finally came up on the enormous cavern that you’d entered weeks ago. Slowly, you made your way up a narrow ledge to where the bars that had once imprisoned Felix now lay.
You tore your eyes away and forced yourself to look at the other walls, scanning for the slight crack that had unlocked the little door earlier. Fingers scrabbling against the smooth stone, you searched silently, hoping against hope that you’d find the door again.
And then, your fingernail caught on something.
Tamping down a squeal of excitement, you placed the candle on a nearby ledge, letting to soft light wash over your hands as they searched for the hidden catch within the crack. Within a few moments you’d found it and clicked it open once more. The door swung open, revealing a stormy night.
You tightened your hands into fists. I’ve come this far, no turning back now. You shoved the door open and slipped out the door, hiding your nose in your sleeve to protect it from the biting wind. You struggled down the path, steep as it was, until you came up on the road below.
Disaster struck.
Suddenly the air was filled with the sound of howling.
Only this time it wasn’t the wind.
This time, it was wolves.
Some sixth sense told you to duck, and not a second too soon. A large gray wolf sailed over your head, fangs snapping exactly where your head had been not a moment ago.
A scream tore itself from your lips. You curled tighter in on yourself, surrounded on all sides by slobbering, slavering wolves who regarded you with a cruel yellow light in their eyes.
I’m going to die here. I’m never going to see my family again, or breathe in the fresh morning air, or hear the applause after a performance. I’m never going to—
A roar split the air, and then beautiful emerald fire burned in a ring around you. The dragon swooped down from the sky and swiped angrily at the wolves, ignoring the snarling, snapping fangs and claws that slashed his scales away. He curled around your prone form, swiping away a wolf approaching from behind with one sweep of his tail.
“Get. On.” You did as told, too shocked to respond in any other way. Dying at the claws of your scaly savior would probably be less painful than being eaten by a bunch of wolves.
One of the wolves leaped into the air as the dragon took off and sank his teeth into the dragon’s left foreleg. You could feel him shudder in pain underneath you, but he shook it off, flapping his leathery wings and making his way back to the mountain-castle.
Huh. From this height you can see the towers and ramparts that the ivy grew over and hid. It’s actually a really beautiful structure. Clearly, the shock was making you a little loopy as well.
The dragon sank down in a courtyard with high walls all around it, at the very tip of the mountain. You slid off his back, preparing to complain about the cold ride and the fact that he still wasn’t planning on letting you go even though it was completely useless to keep you trapped there!
Then you saw the blood, surprisingly red and warm, welling up on his paw.
He did save my life… I guess I owe it to him.
You immediately knelt next to him and pulled the bleeding paw into your lap. Grabbing the corner of your cloak, you wiped it gently, trying to see how deeply the wolf’s teeth had pierced his skin.
Behind you, a little crowd was gathering. The servants were all staring as you tried to stem the bleeding.
“Jisung, could you get me some hot water? And maybe some towels, and some alcohol for cleaning this?” you asked, not taking your eyes off the dragon. If they’re going to stare, might as well be useful for a change.
“Of course, we’ll get them to you right away. Changbin come on!” the little candlestick hissed, yanking Changbin behind him. They soon returned with the items you had asked for and left without another word.
You finished wrapping the bandages rather haphazardly around the dragon’s paw. He was more awake now, staring at you with those rich green eyes and making you feel like you could never hide a single secret from him.
Stupid dragon. Dying might have been better anyways. It’s not like I even know his name.
“Get inside. Do you have a bedroom?” you asked, tugging the paw that had been in your lap towards the wall.
“Down the west hallway. First door,” he rumbled, rising from his prone position and entering one of the corridors. You followed, unsure as to where in the castle you actually were.
The dragon nosed open one of the numerous doors lining that hallway and slipped inside. The room was large—it had to be to hold someone so large—and it had pretty green and gold wallpaper covering the walls. A large pit lined with pillows stood in the center of the room, and the dragon fell into this now, cushioning his head on one of them.
“Thank you for saving me.” Some unknown force compelled you to speak. “I owe you my life… I know it doesn’t mean much but I am grateful Mister Dragon.”
“It’s Lee Know.” The dragon’s voice was so quiet you barely heard it.
“Lee Know? Like… the verb?”
The dragon—Lee Know—simply blinked and closed his eyes. You shrugged and turned away as well, ready to go back to your own rooms… if you could even find them.
Maybe escaping could wait until tomorrow night, when you were a little less tired.
---
“Are you absolutely sure about this? You don’t let anyone into your collection!” Changbin asked worriedly as he toddled as fast as he could to keep up with Minho.
“They’re just sitting there and gathering dust. _____ likes music and dancing, almost as much as I—well at least they’ll be used this way.”
“If you say so…” Changbin trailed off. “When she messed up anything and gets all cross don’t come crying to me.”
“Don’t you have clock-servant things to do?” Minho hissed, flicking Changbin with his tail. “Go away.”
Changbin snickered to himself as he made his way down to the kitchen. The others would want to hear this.
Meanwhile, Minho came up to the door to your bedroom and tapped lightly against it with one claw. He waited for a moment, unsure as to what your response would be.
To his surprise, you smiled happily at him and came out into the hallway as well. “It’s really lovely outside today isn’t it?” you asked, closing your door behind you. “Is your paw doing better?”
Minho was quite taken aback. “It’s—it’s doing a lot better thanks. I… I was wondering if maybe… you’d be interested in something to distract you, so you don’t have to spend all your time here bored.”
“Finally! I thought I’d go mad from just doing nothing! Where are we going?”
A small smile almost appeared on Minho’s face. “It’s a surprise. Close your eyes.”
You shrugged and did as told. If he’d wanted to kill you, he’d probably have done it by this point, you mused as you placed one hand on his neck and let him guide you through the maze of hallways.
“You can open your eyes now.” Minho’s voice broke into your thoughts.
Your eyelids fluttered open and you let out an involuntary gasp.
The room was full of shelves of records and sheet music. A large piano stood in one corner of the room, while the other side had a polished floor and long mirrors covering the walls. The room looked freshly cleaned, as though it had just been dusted the night before.
“Do you like it?” Lee Know asked, tail swishing nervously back and forth.
You threw your arms around his neck in a quick hug before turning to the shelves. “You have so much music in here, it’s ridiculous! I didn’t know so many pieces were available over here.”
“It’s yours.”
“What?” You couldn’t possibly have heard him right.
“I—I don’t have any use for them. Once, I might have, but now? It’s better that you have them.”
You stood there, gobsmacked, as he turned and left the room.
What was it about that dragon that kept surprising you?
---
A few months or so had passed since your failed escape attempt and Lee Know’s subsequent gift of the dance studio and music.
You were… strangely enough… almost happy. The only thing that kept ruining things for you was your constant worry for Felix. Already regarded as somewhat… odd… by the other villagers, you hoped he was alright.
Today however, was a special occasion. You’d spent ages coercing the dragon into trying to do a dance with you, even if it was just swaying in time to the music, and yet he had refused every time. He would spend hours watching you play or dance and never say a word, just looking mournfully at you with those sad green eyes.
Something about his eyes reminded you of royalty.
It was probably nothing.
But at any rate, today was the day you were going to manage it. You’d sent Jeongin along to convince him to come to the studio (no one could ever say no to the little teacup) and you had everything set up.
And then, the door opened, and the dragon entered.
“Excellent. You’re here! Now come on, today’s the day you get over your fears and you start dancing. It’s not hard, anyone can learn how to do it!” You pulled him over by the paw. “Now then, let’s get started. Here’s how you do a basic box step.”
“____, I’m not dancing.”
You turned to him and stared directly into his eyes. Eyes that shone like stars.
“You are. And that’s final. You spend all your time moping anyways, it’s about time you do something useful for a change.”
He rolled his eyes but followed, unable to say no.
“Hit it Jisung!” you called out, and the candlestick moved the needle of the record player into position. The soft strains of music filled the room, lifting you up a little almost involuntarily.
There was something about dancing that just felt… freeing.
“Okay, now then, one step forward, to the side…” you frowned a little. “You could look a little happier about it you know.”
“_____. I’m a dragon. We. Don’t. Dance.”
“Says who!” you placed your hands on your hips. “New thing. Let’s just put on music and you just… move in time to it.”
“____” he whined. There was absolutely nothing he could do as you switched out the records and put on one of your favorite pieces.
“Now close your eyes, let the music wash over you, and just move. Don’t think.”
Minho did as told.
And before he knew it, he could feel his limbs moving in time to the music again. The skill he’d lost as a child slowly came flooding back and even in his dragon body the rhythm and elegance were clearly noticeable.
He’s definitely trained. He has to be. Lee Know, who are you? You wondered as you watched.
A light push on the back of your knees sent you stumbling towards him.
“Join in ____!” Jeongin giggled from where he was pressed against Woojin’s side. The teapot turned to shush him, but the teacup simply giggled and turned back to watch.
You slowly stepped towards the dragon, analyzing his steps to see where you should join in. Almost involuntarily you felt yourself catching the tune and moving as well, weaving towards Lee Know and then moving with him in perfect synchronicity.
You were spinning in and out of each other’s paths, comets in orbit, never crashing. Simply spinning, spinning, falling, staring at those green eyes.
And then, the record stopped playing.
“Bravo!” Woojin let out a puff of steam. “That was amazing you two!”
You blushed heavily, but Minho’s reaction was far more telling. He simply turned and left the room, not even glancing back.
---
“I’m doing it and you can’t stop me!”
“Well we can’t but Chan and Woojin can!” Changbin yelled, jumping up and down on Minho’s back. “You can’t let your only chance at a normal life walk right out of here!”
“I also can’t keep _____ captive forever. They don’t deserve this life. I’m giving them the mirror and the ring.”
“On your own head be it!” The door slammed shut as Changbin stomped down the hallway.
Minho stroked a claw against the glass case that held the witch’s iris. The flower was dying, and he could feel his own strength deteriorating with it.
It was for the best.
---
You woke up to sunshine streaming into your window and warming your face as you lay in bed lazily. Something tells me today is a good day.
As you looked around, you noticed a small tray with two items resting on it sitting on the front of your dresser. You swung your legs out from under the covers and padded over, picking up the note that lay with it.
Put on the ring and say the name of the person you wish to be with three times, and you shall be with them. Say the name of the person you wish to see three times and blow lightly on the surface of this mirror, and you shall see them.
With these, I hope you always live happily.
Your freedom is yours, your life your own.
Thank you for giving me music again.
Prince Lee Minho, or as you better know me, the cursed dragon Lee Know
You sat down in shock, wondering if this was all simply a dream. My dragon was a prince? He gave me magical items that would get me home? What do I do?
Putting on the ring and slipping the mirror into your pocket, you whispered Felix’s name three times. A gust of wind swept around you and you closed your eyes tightly against the chill.
And when you opened them, you were home again.
And you could hear screaming in the yard outside.
“I’m not crazy! _____ has been captured by a dragon! Why won’t you people listen to me?” Felix yelled, fighting against the two men holding him steady.
I knew he needed me. I knew they would hurt him. Time to see if this mirror works.
You pulled it out and whispered “Lee Know” three times before blowing on it.
Nothing happened.
“Maybe you need to say Lee Minho,” came the piping voice of Jeongin from inside your pocket. You gasped and reached inside, pulling him out and setting him in front of you.
“How did you get here?”
“I snuck in when Prince Minho left the tray, and then I leapt into your pocket while you were reading. I wanted to see the world! Woojin never lets me do anything fun.” The little teacup pouted adorably.
“Well, first things first, let’s get my brother out of there. Show me Lee Minho!”
This time, the mirror worked as said.
Minho’s dejected face and sharp claws came slowly into focus, and you grinned to yourself. Perfect.
“Will you all shut up!” You yelled, pushing the door of your cottage open and holding up the mirror. “Felix is telling the truth! There is a dragon in the mountain, but he isn’t evil. He’s kind and sweet, and he’s the one who let me go!”
You waved the mirror around, showing everyone the image inside it.
And then, the mirror let out a howl. Minho appeared to be screaming in agony of some kind, barely able to stand as the pain wracked his body.
He sounds like he’s being tortured. What could have happened in just a few hours?
“The dragon!” “He’s evil!” “Look at him, screaming for blood!” “He must have bewitched these two!” “We have to kill him, to protect our children!” “To reclaim the mountain!” “Kill the dragon!”
“KILL THE DRAGON!” The crowd’s chant rose into a roar, and the mob shoved you and Felix inside your cottage before barring the door.
“We’ll deal with you later,” one of the younger men hissed, picking up a pitchfork.
Felix whirled to face you. “What do you mean, he’s kind and sweet? He was ready to imprison us!”
“Felix, you don’t understand!”
“Well, make me understand!”
You began relating the whole sorry tale. Your attempted escape, his gifts, the way he’d simply let you go at the end. As you spoke, Felix’s eyes softened.
“Maybe he isn’t so bad. But why is he screaming all of a sudden?”
Jeongin piped up from your pocket. “Woojin said Prince Minho was cursed. And that he had to get someone to fall in love with him, or else he’d DIE. Do you think he’s dying ____?”
You exchanged a look with Felix. He knew you better than anyone; he could tell what you weren’t saying.
“Fine. I’m coming with you though.” He reached out and took your hand, and you whispered Minho’s name to the ring.
A gust of wind later, and you were standing in your bedroom again.
“Wow, this is fancy!” Felix exclaimed, moving over to the window. “How come you got a cool room and I got a cell?”
“You were the one who got captured, dork.”
“Carry on.”
“We need to find him, the ring only brought me back here. I don’t know where he could be!” You slumped into your chair, head in your hands.
“I’ll go tell the others to prepare for an invasion!” Jeongin jumped down from your pocket and toddled outside. “Maybe Jisung or Changbin knows what to do!”
You turned to Felix. “Let’s start looking then.”
The castle was unreasonably enormous. Every other corridor seemed to branch off and leave more doors to be searched. Jeongin found you again with the others in tow, and upon further questioning it turned out that they too didn’t know where Minho was.
Hours had passed in vain, searching for the dragon of the castle, when a large thump sounded against the walls, shaking them.
“They’re breaking down the door!” Jisung yelled. “Come on, we’re going to hold them off. ____, it’s up to you to find the prince.”
You nodded and went the opposite direction. The flower… the image in the mirror… maybe he’s in the west wing? Or the tower? We hadn’t gotten there yet.
Taking the stairs two at a time, you clambered up towards the tower. Your breathing came heavily, forcing you to slow down if only to be able to breathe.
Outside the highest window, you could just make out the prone figure of the dragon lying curled up on the balcony. His head and arm lolled off one end, limp and lifeless.
“Minho! NO!” The scream was torn from your lips as you sank down next to him, pulling his head into your lap. “Please, wake up! You have to wake up!”
Minho’s eyes fluttered open, the emerald flames that had always sparkled within them almost dead.
“I’m done for _____. I love you you know. And if you love someone, let them go.”
Tears you hadn’t even noticed dripped onto his face.
“So I let you go.”
And then, the spear came sailing out of nowhere, and lodged itself in his heart, slipping underneath his arm. Even the balcony hadn’t protected him against the force of the blow.
A little puff of steam rose from his nostrils, and then you could feel Minho’s steady heartbeat fade away.
Sobs spilled out of you uncontrollably. “I can’t do this Minho. I love you too! Only I’m not going to let you go.”
And then, green curls of magic seemed to float up around him.
The swirls of smoke curled around the dragon, pulling his head off your lap and into the air above the tower. Below you the mob of villagers seemed to suddenly calm themselves, no longer in a murderous frenzy.
The air exploded with bright green light, and you flinched away involuntarily. What is going on?
And when you opened your eyes, a dragon no longer lay in your lap.
No.
The figure in your lap was a prince, wearing a simple green tunic and black pants. An emerald and silver crown adorned his head; thin green leather boots graced his feet.
And then, he met your eyes.
A tiny gasp escaped your lips. His eyes weren’t the emerald of the dragon you’d grown so used to seeing. They were warm brown, the color of chocolate, but the stars that had lain dormant in them before now sparkled in full glory.
“Well, ____, you can’t take it back now. You love me hmmm?” A lilting laugh escaped the prince as he sat up. “You broke the curse.”
“I might have done it sooner if you hadn’t been so rude!” You quipped, the reaction almost a reflex now from the hours spent bantering with him.
“You cured me of that too I guess.” He lowered his face a little closer to yours, and your eyes fluttered shut as he pressed his lips to your cheek gently. “I owe you my life, my love.”
You sat there, dumbfounded as Minho laughed a little at you again. He pressed another little kiss to your nose. “You fell in love with dragon me… I wonder how you’ll handle the craziness that is human me?”
Something inside you told you that it would be just fine.
Absolutely perfect in fact.
Anyone who could learn to love a dragon would probably have no issues dealing with a human. Even if he was a prince.
And so, our little ensemble lived happily ever after.
---