'I know you're there, Bane,' I said, my voice rumbling deep in my chest with suppressed amusement. I took another step forwards through the snow, keeping most of my body tucked behind a leafless tree. 'You can't stay hidden forever.' The white powder crunched beneath my claws - the only sound, aside from the whistling wind, that I could hear.

'Come out...'

All of a sudden, the slim green dragon exploded from her hiding-place behind a snow-covered boulder and sprung towards me, front claws extended to grab my throat. I saw the grin on Bane's face even as I whipped away and leapt into flight, the downdraught from my wings showering her in snow.

'Can't catch me!' I shouted over my shoulder, the wind tearing my voice away and carrying it across the empty landscape that was all around us.

A cackling laugh from just a few feet behind made Bane's presence known. 'Are you challenging me, little Prince?' she asked, words thick with uncontrollable mirth.

(continued...)

I heard the heavy flapping of her wings as she followed, chasing me higher into the cold winter sky, and instead of trying to answer, I just threw a grin back at her and increased my pace. Together we thundered through the drifting snowflakes and took to the open sky, where we glided effortlessly over the crest of the world - the only living creatures from one horizon to the other. The world was ours, and it was glorious.

Bane drew level with me, and beyond the smirk that curled up her toothy jaws, I saw a glitter of true affection in her amber eyes that made my heart, already pounding at above average speed, pound even faster.

For a moment I thought she was going to say something. I watched her mouth open as she prepared to speak, but then, slowly, it closed again. Shaking her head a little, she grinned and tipped her body forwards into a steep dive, giving me no choice but to pursue.

(continued...)

The icy wind screamed in my ears as we flew side-by-side at a breathtaking speed, finally coming to a halt, slipping and skidding, on the white-blanketed ground. I shook the snow off my wings and turned to observe Bane. //What did I do to deserve a friend like you?// I thought absently.

'Hey, Draorture.' I cocked my head curiously as Bane suddenly spoke up. The odd note of unidentifiable emotion in her voice caught me off-guard, and I wondered what she was going to say next. '...Your coronation's tomorrow, isn't it?'

I dropped my head and sighed heavily, watching the snow beneath me melt as my hot breath curled against it. 'Yes,' I said reluctantly. 'Tonight is my last night as a free dragon... without the burden of responsibility on my shoulders.'

Bane was quiet for a while, watching me through half-closed, thoughful eyes. 'You know, maybe it will be easier than you think,' she replied. 'You'll be the //king,// Draorture! Think of all the things you'll be able to do.'

(continued)

'I... I know that. I have always looked forward to the day of my coronation. But now that day is approaching, I'm afraid. Afraid it won't be anything like what I expected.' I gazed up at the sky, squinting against the heavy snowflakes that landed on my muzzle, my throat convulsing with the effort of holding back tears. 'I'm scared that I won't be a good King. When I'm out here with you, Bane... I'm the happiest I've ever been. And when I'm crowned... We might not be able to see each other anymore.'

Comprehension suddenly dawned on the green dragon's face. 'So that's what you're worried about.' It sounded like she was talking to herself more than me.

I kept my eyes focused on the faint glow of the waning moon hidden behind a veil of dark-grey clouds. 'It's only a few hours until dawnbreak,' I said. 'I don't want tomorrow to come. I want to stay out here with you forever - and leave all my responsibilities and fears behind. Is it really wrong to wish for time to stop moving?'

(cont)

'Does it make me a bad person?'

Bane eyed me uncertainly. I could barely see her expression out of my periphical vision. '...What makes you a bad person, Draorture?' she finally asked.

I raised a black-clawed paw and waved it to indicate the landscape around us; the snow-covered hills, the empty grey sky, the snow that fluttered down from above, settling softly on our heads and backs. 'This,' I said, growling in frustration when I couldn't find the right words to describe how I felt. 'Everything, Bane. I just want it all to //stop.// I want this night, this moment, to last a lifetime. I'm scared of becoming King... and I'm scared of losing you.' I hung my head, almost ashamed at my emotional admission but knowing deep down that Bane wouldn't judge me for my weaknesses.

A moment later I felt the warmth of another tail touching my own, and a paw reaching out tentatively to rest on my shoulder.

(continued...)

'I won't let you rule this country alone,' she said quietly, and my heart seemed to rocket upwards at her words. 'Even if it causes a scandal, even if every single person in the Tribe tries to break us apart... I'll be with you for as long as you need me. I swear.'

My breath shuddered unevenly in my chest, matching the tempo of my thumping heart. I swung my head around to look down at Bane directly, our muzzles almost touching. 'Say... say that again,' I commanded hoarsely.

'I won't leave you; I swear it.'

I didn't even think before I acted, stretching out my wings and wrapping them around her body in a warm embrace, pulling her closer to me desperately, feeling like this was the last time I'd ever get to feel her scales against my own. Bane hugged me back, a rumbling growl-purr rising in her throat.

Without pulling away, she whispered, 'Are you going to be OK?'

I growled a little, looking up using my snout to push a bit of snow off Bane's muzzle.

(continued)

'Yes,' I managed to say past the emotion that felt as if it were choking me inside. 'Tonight is my last night as a free dragon, but I will not resent it. Tomorrow at noon, I will be crowned Dragon King of the Tribe and my free life will be over... but I will never let go of you, my best friend.'

Bane lightly brushed her muzzle against mine and smiled. After a moment, I found myself smiling back. 'Love you, Prince Draorture,' she said - a little sarcastically, but affectionately all the same.

'I love you as well. No matter whether I'm a prince, a king, or a forgotten servant... I will always want you at my side. Thank you, Bane.'

The snowflakes continued to fall around us as we stood there, lost in a world of our own, and just for a while, it felt as if time had stopped.

The End

oh
god
so cute

Ahh, this was so sweet and sad..!! And it was beautifully written as well - I am jealous of your writing skills, girl! x) Great job!