Iron and Fire

With both hands chained up against the wall and being permanently stuck to it, Ceto Gawain was not going anywhere. The chains had been rubbing his wrists raw and holding his upper arms above his head. His thighs were chained to a couple of places in the floor. He should have been strong enough to break the chains, but the iron kept him from doing anything. With his head hung, he was trying to recall how he had gotten in such a sticky situation.

Should have never believed her. How could I have been so stupid? Head hung in shame, Ceto let out a breath, a literal breath of fire. The chains were fireproof, no surprise there. His hair covered his white eyes as the chains burned him a bit more as he tried to shift position. Iron chains on a dragon was weakening, even with his strength and youth. He tried not to move too much as a door opened.

"Well dragon, didn't think you would get soft. Not after so many centuries of your kind getting killed." Ceto said nothing. He listened as the footsteps started to come towards him. The man came in front of him, grabbing his chin firmly to make him stare at the man's face. Or where Ceto could tell where the man's face was. "One of the few dragons left and look at you."

Ceto held back a growl.

"Tertius, enough." Another voice rang in the darkness. "It will soon mean nothing. Our quest to eliminate the dragons will be over. Enough messing with the prey." Ceto felt his chin be released.

"Oh, come now Jacomus. This is not much of prey. A weak and blind dragon is hardly prey. Why not just put it out of it's misery?" Ceto let out a billow of smoke. Jacomus and Tertius had gone dead silent, which sent all of Ceto's nerves on edge.

"You know our rules, Tertius." Jacomus said after a few silent and tense moments. "Either follow them, or get kicked out. We still need the dragon, whether you like it or not."

Tertius growled and stormed out of the room. Jacomus sighed and was about to leave when Ceto finally spoke up.

"Why not kill me then?" Ceto moved the chains that were keeping him to the wall. "You know I won't tell you where the other dragons are."

Jacomus gave a more cruel smile. That's what Ceto could feel. "Oh you will. And I won't take the kill away from the knight who captured you."

Ceto pulled against the chains, a snarl coming from him. Pain shot up his arms from the iron, causing him to ground his teeth. "She comes near me, I will kill her."

There was silence for a few moments before Jacomus started to laugh. The anger started to boil in Ceto.

"Sure dragon. You are as weak as a kitten by now." Ceto let out a puff of smoke from his nose. "I trained her myself, dragon. She has already brought you here so easily." Ceto held his tongue. He didn't need to have more ammo put against him. "I would try and rest, dragon. But then again, you might not wake up."

Ceto grounded his teeth. The knight outside had started to talk to Jacomus who hadn't closed the door yet. Ceto only caught the words "dragon" and "fire." Ceto felt Jacomus's harsh gaze.

"I see." Ceto missed the next few sentences, but heard the other knight get up to get something. Ceto tensed. "Well dragon, guess you are not as weak as you seem."

Jacomus stepped out of the room as the other knight came in. The knight came close and started to tighten the chains against the wall, pulling Ceto taunt against it. Ceto hissed at the slight pain to his arms and legs. Then the knight grabbed his hair to tilt his head back. All Ceto could see was the bright light above his spot.

"Muzzle him." Ceto's eyes widened as he tried to protest, an iron cage-like muzzle coming over his mouth and under his jaw.

The top of it went over his nose and locked onto his head from behind. Ceto growled and tried to shake it off. His mouth shifted between the human and dragon jaws. His serpent tongue slid out and fire licked the roof of his mouth. The iron started to burn and sting his snout, forcing it back to normal. The knight backed away as Ceto hung his head, tears stinging his eyes. Jacomus ordered the knight out and Ceto grounded his teeth in pain.

"Soon, all the suffering will end." Ceto's eyes turned and started to glow.

"You think this will work?" Ceto hissed in pain.

"Oh sooner or later, that iron will make it worse. And you won't be able to do a thing about it." Fire blew out of Ceto, but it heated the iron the muzzled him, causing more burns and stinging. "Sleep tight."

The dungeon door slammed shut, leaving Ceto in a more tense mood. It was 20 minutes until Ceto could relax when he thought no one would be coming back. With his arms strewn up and him muzzled, Ceto knew sleeping was not an option. But he had stayed quiet and tried not to move too much.

He couldn't tell how long it had been until the dungeon door opened. Seconds, minutes, hours? The light steps caused him to tense. The smell, so previously sweet, now pungent in his memory. His eyes flicked angrily under his hair. He tensed as her smell came towards him.

"Ceto?"

Don't talk to me, human girl. Ceto let out a growl as she came closer to him.

"Ceto, please listen to me."

"Stay away from me." He growled again. Ceto pressed his back against the wall. She reached forward to the muzzle and Ceto turned his head away. "You brought me here. Why should I trust you?"

Fire flicked off his tongue as he talked. She gently grabbed the bottom of the muzzle to turn his face back toward her and started to undo the muzzle. He grounded his teeth slightly. With the muzzle removed, she gently grabbed his face. He held his breath as she pulled his face up. He couldn't see her, but the way she was holding his face was a shock. Why in the world was she being so gentle?

"You shouldn't trust me." She sighed softly and brushed his hair from his eyes. "But I made a promise. Don't you remember?" Ceto's eyes flicked to and fro in confusion. "A knight keeps their promise, Ceto."

Ceto growled at the mention of the knight promise until she leaned forward, crushing her lips against his. His eyes bugged at the sudden kiss. Part of him wasn't even sure how to respond. This was his girlfriend from the university. The girl for such a few months had brought him a lot of happiness. But then again, she had brought him here. He let a lick of fire slightly burn her lips and cause her to pull away. Ceto's eyes narrowed at where he thought she was.

"A promise that will lead to my demise. You stupid human." He growled. He grounded his teeth, setting his jaw.

"Ceto..." He heard her try to come closer, his mouth turning back to snout with smoke filling his nose.

"Don't come near me Rose. Or whoever you are." Ceto felt the burning fire in his throat.

He barely heard her say, "But I am Rose. I'm still me."

"Get out of here!" Ceto heard no shuffling of movement. Rose had sighed and shifted towards him.

"I don't care if you don't trust me, Ceto." He heard the buckle hit the metal of the muzzle, causing him to turn his head toward another wall and growled. "But I'll get you out of here. I'm still the Rose you know."

Ceto grabbed the chains just above his hands, pressing himself against the wall again. His arms were straining above his head as she came closer to put the muzzle back on. He flinched and winced as the muzzle went over his nose and jaw again.

"I'm sorry." Ceto shut his eyes tightly and kept his face turned away. He heard her get up and start to leave. "Try and rest, Ceto. Try and remember what you asked of me."

She left, and Ceto became more and more confused.

"Try and remember what you asked of me."

What the hell is she talking about? He furrowed his eyebrows. A moment when she kissed him, he forgot for a moment of where he was. That they weren't already there. That they were back in the normal world. There were no knights, no dragons. Just... Normal. Ceto sighed, feeling the pain from the iron on him.

Why would she do that?