Chapter Eight – Eyrl

After several hours of being on the planet, Eyrl had finally set everything up for the prisoners to come to volunteer to take part in the program he was developing. Once he was at that point, he sought out Lily and brought her to meet with a few of the prisoners that he had developed a relationship with. Hani was a dragoness with a social background who had stolen a shipment of fresh vegetables meant for a mining colony and redirected it to crash into a maximum-security prison planet. Junas was a Justice Keeper who had attacked another dragon who was accused of beating his offspring, but against whom there was no evidence.

"We are pleased to meet you, your Ladyship." Junas bowed over Lily's hand. "It is an honor to have your interest in our fates."

"Thank you." Lily kept herself pressed into Eyrl’s side, something that he couldn't help but like. He loved the way she kept glancing at him, as though to reassure herself that he was there. He wasn't sure where these feelings were coming from, but they almost made him feel . . . heroic.

Eyrl cleared his throat as he handed his friends fresh fruit. They eagerly took the food. Hani pressed hers to her nose and sighed.

"We've been trying to start our own gardens, but we don’t have an agriculturalist to help us," she said. "It's been a long time since I've had fruit. We get all our vitamins and floral needs from vegetables," she added, looking at Lily. "Fruit has sugars in it that aren't technically needed."

A dragon that Eyrl didn't know inched closer to them, his eyes on the fruits. Eyrl reached to hand him one, but the dragon dew back with a snarl.

"You're trading our consent to your experiment for these luxuries, are you?"

"You don't have to consent to anything to have the fruit," Eyrl replied. "Or anything else I bought. It's up to you and your leadership how you distribute it among yourselves. I bring supplies based on population, not how many have signed to possibly be part of my program."

"And the human?" the dragon eyed Lily. "Did you bring her here so that we could use her DNA to reverse our infertility?"

Eyrl's fires leaped a little higher and his arm tightened around Lily's waist. He had to bite back a snarl, even though he knew that it had been a simple question. And one that wasn't exactly out of order. There were plenty of dragons around here that had been rendered infertile because of the disease that had plagued them. And since they were prisoners, they were given no reversal.

"I'm to be married to Eyrl," Lily said. "However, if I can provide tissue samples to help with your problems, I will be more than happy to."

The dragon's eyes widened. He glanced at Eyrl and then back at Lily before bowing. "My lady. I appreciate it. But would we want to bring children to this existence? We would not."

Eyrl's hand slid down her arm to grasp her fingers. His fires burned hot inside him as he smiled proudly at her. She had handled that well.

"I would like to be able to explain my program tonight," he said. "For now, I have something I wish to show my lady."

Grasping her hand tighter, he pulled Lily away. His fires leaped and danced, a feeling of excitement building. It had been so long since he allowed himself to feel this way . . . He took a hovercraft and headed into the forest, Lily sitting on the seat next to him. When she asked him where they were going, he told her that it was a surprise.

Soon enough she would find out.

He stopped in a large clearing and helped her out. "Are you ready?"

"For what?"

Eyrl took several steps away from her and shucked off his robe. Her eyes widened, a blush rising in her cheeks, but she hadn't seen anything yet. Closing his eyes, he let the change come over him. His scales hardened, wings sprouted from his back, and his fires burned hotter. When he opened his eyes again, he looked down at Lily through his beast's eyes.

For a wild moment, he was frightened. What if she ran away, terrified at what he held inside? But she didn't run. She clapped her hands and danced around him, her hands running over his body. They felt small and warm, and he resisted the urge to lean into her touch.

"You're beautiful!" She ran to his face and wrapped her arms around his muzzle. "So beautiful. Can we fly together?"

Eyrl glanced at her lack of wings.

"I mean, can I ride you? Or is that not done?"

He considered it for a moment, then nodded and lowered himself to the ground. He couldn't help but smile as she squealed in delight and clambered onto his back. Rising carefully, he pushed off from the ground. The wind brushed against his scales and Lily held tight to his neck. He grinned as they flew over the trees.

***

Bonfires lit the night. There was no moon on this planet, so the stars shone bright and clear. The ambient temperature cooled rapidly once the sun sank beyond the horizon, but the fires kept them all warm. Food was roasted and enjoyed, and Eyrl sat and laughed with his friends. It was the only place he could be so free, yet there still was the occasional disapproving look.

Quom quickly went off into the bushes with a dragoness, and Eyrl had to shake his head when he saw them slipping away. It was always the same female when they came here. His manservant claimed that he had no attachment to her, but it was clear to anybody with eyes that there were feelings there. But the only way for them to ever be mates was if Quom decided to live here forever.

He set those thoughts aside when Lily and Zaner arrived. After their flight, Lily had been freezing and exhausted and went straight to bed, Zaner scolding the both of them for taking such a risk. She was bundled up with a thick cloak now, though, and beamed as she made her way to him.

"There's my dragon," she purred, sitting in his lap. "Have you made your announcement yet?"

Eyrl gripped her hips and almost kissed her, but there were too many people watching. "No, not yet. Would you like to help me?"

"Help you how?"

"Stand with me and tell them your thoughts on the matter."

Lily squirmed a little, that familiar blush rising in her cheeks. "But I don't have any statistics or anything to back me up."

"I heard some of what you said to Zaner. You could repeat that."

"Um . . . No. I'll stand with you, but I don't want to talk."

"Fair enough."

He pressed a quick kiss to her hair before standing. Gripping her hand in his, he led her through the crowds and fires to where the food was being handed out. There, he found a tall stump and lifted her onto it before climbing up next to her.

The chatter all around died down. Faces turned to watch them. Mostly prisoners, but the Justice Keepers that had come with them, too. Sometimes Eyrl felt safer there than he did on the streets of his home planet, but he could never forget that these were prisoners. If there might be assassins lurking behind him on Bronæl, then there could be assassins lurking here. And if there was even a failed attempt on his life here? All his plans would be over.

"My mate and I have a keen interest in the social development of Bronæl and her colonies," he started. "We have a strong grasp on science, but there are many things still lacking. I am in the early stages of developing a program to help those who have offended Justice to have a chance to be reintegrated into society. This includes training for jobs and an examination as to why each individual did as they did. This is still in the early stages, and I need participants who are willing to take part in it once it's been approved. I do not want anybody to be pressured into agreeing, and there are no guarantees that it will work or that you will be allowed off the planet. If you are willing to join in this experiment, though, I will have several booths set up for you to complete permissions and applications tomorrow."

He paused a moment to see what reaction his statement had gotten. Everybody understood what he was here for, and there were several hopeful looks. Lily cleared her throat.

"And I . . . " She squeezed his hand. "I would like to learn more about yours lives here. I'll be going through your settlement tomorrow, and I'd love to talk to you. To get a true look at what your life is like."

A few smiles answered her. Eyrl nodded and stepped from the stump, then lifted her after him. Her hand sought his out again and she flashed him a trembling smile.

"You're shivering again," he noted.

"It's because I'm not full of fire to keep me warm."

He took off his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. As he did so, a white-haired dragoness stepped up beside them. Her back was hunched, her eyes rheumy, but she smiled.

"You will be a good king," she whispered. "And you have chosen well for your mate."

Eyrl nodded his thanks. As they moved back through the crowd, there were hushed murmurs of thanks, and a few took Lily's hand, kissed it, and welcomed her to their homes. Lily was graceful and poised, promising to make time for each of them, and directed Zaner to get their names. She was shivering from head to toe by the time they got back to the ship, though.

"They're right," she said, stuffing her hands under her arms. "You are going to be a great king."

Eyrl couldn't stop himself. As soon as they were in their room, he closed the door and leaned her against the wall, kissing her deeply. It came as no surprise when she kissed him back, deeply, passionately. She let out a soft moan as he picked her up and carried her to the bed.