a/n: Salv4tions asked for dragon tam x dragon hunter keefe au, and I had the idea for a fairytale au, so i mashed them together! 

edit: i started writing this in july '22 and it's now jan '23. i'm gonna cry this is nearly 6k words whyyyyyy

ONCE UPON A TIME, a pair of twins were born, a girl and a boy. Though they were only children, the nobility often heard rumors told of how they were blessed with ethereal beauty—of silky, raven-dark hair and the brightest eyes of silver. But glimpses of these twins were few and far between, hidden away at home by their parents from prying eyes.

Their beauty and grace only blossomed as they grew up, changing from children to teenagers, and whispers were heard throughout the land of potential suitors and arranged marriages.

However, one fateful day, calamity struck them, sharp as an arrow.

The boy, renowned for his sharp wit and charm, had encountered a fate most terrible—to be eaten by a dragon, gone forever.

The girl, lost without her twin, went mad with grief. She disappeared soon after without a trace.

Their parents desperately searched, but their efforts were in vain, their children lost forever.

And as a decade passed, story turned into rumor, and soon they were nothing more than mythical figures, fact turned to fiction.

And this legend sprung up around them, of the disappearing twins and the infamous dragon.

ONCE UPON A TIME, a prince-turned-dragon-hunter and his friend would learn that not everything is as it seems...

...and all legends have a kernel of truth.

*

Linh Song would say she had an ordinary life. The usual taking care of her garden, playing with ducks in a pond, and being captured by a dragon.

Oh, right. Had she not mentioned that?

Linh Song lived in a tower with a dragon as her constant companion.

She could see that very same dragon now as he circled around the tower. The moonlight reflected off of his dark scales, making him shimmer with an inky brilliance.

As she leaned out the window, the dragon blew a plume of blue and white fire into the air, changing direction.

The dragon flapped his wings, heading straight for the window of the tower, and a moment before the impact, he transformed.

The momentum from his flight sent him barrelling through the window in his human form, and Linh barely caught him, the two of them tumbling to the floor.

"How many times have I told you to be careful, Tam?" Linh chastised.

Tam gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry!"

Linh rolled her eyes and pushed him off, tossing a robe at him so he could cover himself.

Tam pulled it on and knotted it around his waist, then turned to look at her. "By the way, Linhie, I spotted the lanterns of a pair of adventurers heading our way."

She barely glanced up from her little ducklings. "Here to save the girl or slay the dragon?"

"Not sure, I couldn't see them well through the tree cover. When they get closer, we'll see."

"Hm." Linh picked up a duck, showing it to Tam. "What do you think?"

In his spare time, Tam brought Linh to meadows to pick flowers, some of which she sold at the nearby town's market. She had delicately braided some flowers into a mini crown for the duck, whose name was Sir Webby Quackster the Third.

Tam scrutinized the duck, then smiled at Linh with sharp teeth. "I think Sir Webby Quackster number three looks great."

"Glad you agree. Now, what shall we have to eat?"

Linh was vegetarian, but ever since Tam became a dragon he had to eat meat, so that was often a large part of his meals.

After eating their respective dinners, Tam stretched and yawned, his mouth open unnaturally wide.

"Alright, goodnight!" Tam walked over to his nest, transforming as he went. Then he, as a dragon, curled up into a ball.

Linh extinguished the lights and laid next to her brother, his wing resting lightly on top of her, keeping her warm.

With a feeling of contentment, she fell asleep, safe in her brother's wings.

The morning chill awoke her before the sun did, and she looked around, blearily rubbing her eyes.

She frowned when she saw Tam's naked butt at the window.

"Tam-" she started to say, but scales rippled across his skin mid-sentence as he transformed, leaping out the window.

Linh yawned, rubbing her arms before pulling on a cloak, and then she went to bake something.

Every day was the same.

*

The scent of crisp morning air was refreshing and invigorating to Tam as he flew through the air.

He pumped his wings, going into an updraft and peacefully soaring above the tower that he called home.

The golden sun had just started to rise, and it looked like it was split in two by the tip of the spire.

Tam floated in the air for a moment, taking in the view like he did every morning. The top of the sky was still streaked with the dusky hues of night, but the horizon was littered with pinks and golds.

A cloud drifted past the sun, almost ominously, and Tam finally cast his gaze down to the forest below.

He circled around the tower, and closed his inner eyelid to protect himself from the streaming air as he swooped closer to the treetops.

Where exactly had he seen those travelers? The Hill of Horses? The Cloudy Trees? The Flower Rock?

His eyes finally alit upon a bend in the path where the travelers had set up their tents.

He circled back to where he couldn't be easily seen, then pulled his wings close to his body and dove into the forest.

As soon as Tam cleared the tree cover, he transformed back into his human form, and his vision instantly changed with all the world's colors losing their vibrant potency.

His small, human body was tossed about by the leafy branches, the world spinning as he tumbled, and his bare skin stung with small cuts.

He finally fell through open space and landed on the ground with an impact that left him feeling breathless as he stared up at the sky.

When his lungs started working again, Tam scrambled to his feet and took in his surroundings.

Based on where he dove, he should be at least a half-mile or more from the humans' camp.

He slowly spun in a circle, his eyes darting from place to place. He saw the undergrowth of the forest with its flower bushes and berries, butterflies fluttering by, and spooked squirrels darting into a tree. For a moment he considered hunting them, but decided not to.

It was better hunting as a dragon, anyways.

Then he closed his eyes, focusing on his other senses. There was the gurgle of a waterfall off to his left, a fly noisily buzzing in his face, and the faint sound of a twig snapping.

From his right was the scent of canvas cloth, of firesmoke and meat.

From his left was fresh water, of wet paint and a mix of salty sweat and sword metal that could only come from a human.

He instantly turned towards the left. There was a human there, one with a sword.

Perhaps they were here to slay the dragon after all.

Tam's footsteps were silent in the way that a human's could never be—he practically glided across the ground, taking care not to crack any twigs.

His footsteps were slow, and though the walk seemed to take forever, he knew that it paid off to take his time.

The peculiar mix of wet-paint, sweat, and metal grew stronger, and Tam knew he was heading in the right direction.

The trees and undergrowth gave way to a clearing where a waterfall spilled down, making a fine mist form over the pond.

Tam froze behind a clump of bushes when he saw the human, and quickly ducked down and peered through the leaves.

His pupils slitted as he adjusted to the brighter lighting to better glimpse the human.

He wore gear ill-suited for traveling with its fine textures and threads, with the blue color perfectly complementing his eyes. On a finely-adorned belt hung a sheathed sword that fared better as a decoration than for combat.

The human was entirely focused on the canvas and the scene in front of him, and it made Tam smile. He liked having the advantage of surprise.

He appeared to be... painting? Yes, he was using the paints, mixing the colors and arraying them in such a way that he managed to perfectly capture the waterfall.

Tam barely dared to breathe as he crouched hidden in the leaves. He had seen Linh paint before, abstract swirls of color or sunrises, but this was a different level of skill.

He was transfixed by the beauty of it.

The painter dipped a paintbrush on his palette and added more paint to the canvas, and Tam wished he could show the human all the hidden colors and vibrancy that he was missing.

The bushes rustled as Tam moved slightly, and the human suddenly snapped to attention, slowly glancing around.

Perhaps it was just a sixth sense of warning or perhaps he saw the gleam of Tam's eyes in the shadows, but whatever it was, the human was scared.

He slowly set his paintbrush and palette on the ground and stood, slowly backing away. When he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, Tam let loose a low growl that rippled through the forest.

He could hear the human's heartbeat quickening as he turned tail and ran.

Tam set off in pursuit of his prey, and felt a flash of amusement as the human tried to run between trees and foliage to hide.

It was as if he was a little mouse running from a cat.

The human would never be able to hide from Tam, because he breathed so loudly as he crashed through the trees, and now that he was closer, Tam could easily track him by his distinctive scent.

As fun as the chase was, Tam soon found their little game tiring. He wished to end it already.

He finally put in effort, and he sped up, nimbly dodging between rocks and trees and slowly herding the human to what he knew was a dead end.

The human stumbled into a clearing ringed with dense foliage, and turned in a circle, clearly lost.

His confusion was just what Tam needed, and he sprung forward, easily trapping the human.

Tam wrapped a hand around the human's throat, holding him aloft. He gave him a smile filled with too-sharp teeth.

"Hello there, little mouse."

The human's ice blue eyes were filled with fear as he struggled to escape Tam's grasp, but his grip was too strong for it.

Tam could feel the vibrations of sound as the human started to speak.

"Let- let me go! You don't want to kill me, you know. I'm a prince, my name is Prince Keefe! I'll give you anything!"

Tam raised his eyebrow, amused. He leaned closer, his voice barely a whisper. "Anything?"

Prince Keefe nodded eagerly, his messy blond hair ruffling with the motion. "Yes, whatever you want! Money, jewels, anything!"

Tam smiled—though it was less of a smile and more of him baring his teeth—and the prince stilled his nodding and useless rambling.

He could practically sense his fear, from his damp sweat, fast heartbeat, and the way his nails were digging into his palms.

Good. This useless prince seemed like he needed a healthy dose of fear.

"What I want," Tam lowered the human and released his hand, "Is for you to leave. Run away from here and never come back."

Keefe stepped back, keeping a hand on the hilt of his sword. "That's all?"

Tam nodded, flicking his hand in a go-away motion. When Keefe stood there with a frown, Tam was irritated, like he was trying to chase away a noisy fly.

Or rather, a mouse.

Tam finally released a rumbling growl, and that was enough to make the human run off.

With a sigh, Tam transformed and flew off to protect his Linh.

*

Linh had just finished rolling out the dough when she spotted a large dark shape blotting out the sky.

To most people, that would inspire fear, but instead she leaned out the window, waving at her brother as he flew past.

The stones of the tower creaked slightly as Tam settled his serpentine body around the top, letting out a loud roar that sent pebbles tumbling from the roof.

Meanwhile, Linh hummed as she put the apple pie in the oven, which was heated by Tam's ever-burning dragonfire. She then set a timer and headed over to the lounging area, where she had strewn papers across the table.

As she sat down on a chair, she picked the papers up and leafed through them. The news had nothing about their forest or dragon, which was good. However, it had an interesting story about a runaway prince which Linh decided to save for later to tell Tam.

She reached for the next paper, but was then distracted by the sunlight glinting off the silver tips of her hair.

"Ugh, where did I leave it? Oh, here!" Linh pulled out a leather cord from her pocket and used it to tie her hair back, settling back down.

"What should we buy this week..." she mused as she stared at the blank paper, counting their coins.

She wrote down the items they needed before putting the paper aside with a sigh, before picking up a book.

She had nothing else to do, so she read. The sun sank lower in the sky, her time calm and peaceful with absolutely no interruptions whatsoever.

At times like these, she wished her life was more exciting.

The smell of baked fruit made her take the pie out of the oven, and then she finally busied herself with making some dinner.

By the time that the moon had begun to rise, Linh had already eaten and was now simply waiting. Watching, and waiting, and staring out the window.

She stood as the dark shape of Tam's body blotted out the sky. He turned, heading for the window.

Linh winced, knowing her brother was going to fly full-speed and tumble into her, but instead he flew slowly, transforming to gently alight upon the window.

"Hey, you'll never guess what happened!" Tam grinned as he pulled on a robe.

"Are you finally letting me get a cat?"

"That's still a no. Anyway, those adventurers from earlier are more stupid than I thought. They're still making their way here."

Linh had to suppress her smile at the thought of something as exciting as that.

She passed Tam a plate of food as they sat at their small dining table. "Are you worried?"

His teeth flashed in a smirk. "I've been itching for a fight."

Linh leaned forward. "Do you think they'll put up a good one?"

Tam bit into his food and gulped it down, thinking for a moment before answering. "The boy barely knows how to handle a sword. He'll be scared off easily enough. From what I could see, the girl can actually fight."

"But no one can fight against a dragon."

"Oh, obviously." Tam grinned as he stretched, rolling his shoulders back and yawning.

Their conversation soon lapsed into silence, and then Linh glanced over at the news. "Oh, by the way, did you know that there's this runaway prince?"

Tam barely seemed interested, picking at his nails. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, supposedly went off to kill a dragon or whatever. His name is, uh, Prince Keefe. Sounds like an idiot."

Her brother looked up at the name, his eyes narrowed. "Yeah, he is an idiot."

"You've met him?"

"Earlier today, yeah." Tam said, lost in thought. "Can't say it was pleasant."

Linh frowned at those words. Before she could ask more about the encounter, Tam pushed his chair back with a screech and started walking to the window again.

"Wait, where are you going?" Linh stretched out a hand to tug her brother back, but he simply let the robe slip off his shoulders. He turned slightly, scales creeping on the edges of his eyes and his pupils becoming slitted.

"If he's coming to hunt a dragon, then I've got to stay vigilant, don't I?"

*

The night air was crisp on Tam's scales as he flew, and he let his clear inner eyelid close to better protect his eyes. He flapped his wings, angling them to better catch an updraft, and soared in wide circles, his shadow darkening the forest beneath him.

After another circle around, he noticed firelight flickering in the woods at the base of the tower. So they were already getting close.

Well, the only thing he could do now was stop them.

Tam tucked his wings to his body and dove, wind sharply whooshing part him. He unfurled his wings before reaching the treetops, flapping for a moment to stabilize himself in the air and letting out a roar.

He saw the two figures exit their tents, frantically running around, and felt a flicker of satisfaction. He didn't want to hurt them, not really, but scaring them?

Absolutely.

Tam felt the heat burning in his chest and summoned that energy, letting out a thin stream of crackling flame. For a moment, a tree caught on fire, and he heard one of the humans scream before they ran off in opposite directions.

Good. They were splitting up.

He used his wings to smother the fire so it didn't burn down the forest, and then turned to follow the humans. But then he paused for a moment, conflicted.

The other human he hadn't encountered yet, the girl, was traveling closer to the tower. To where Linh was.

But Keefe...

For some reason, Tam wanted to follow him instead.

Linh will be fine, he reassured himself, swiftly changing to his human form to continue the chase on foot. He moved silently through the trees, following the trail of broken branches.

When the trail led him back to that same clearing with the waterfall and pond, Tam froze, his thoughts moving rapid-fire. Where-?

He heard a crackle of leaves behind him, but before he could react, a sword was pressed to his throat.

"Who are you?" A voice demanded. He could feel warm breath on his neck, the fine fabric of a prince's tunic rubbing against his bare skin.

Tam told himself that the only reason why his heart was thumping like this was because he had been cornered. Better change that, then.

"I thought I told you—" A flick of his wrist, a sword hilt in his hand, "To run away."

Tam now held Keefe at swordpoint, and yet... the prince didn't look afraid.

Keefe grinned, moving forward to make the sword bite into his neck. "I've never been good at following orders."

Tam's eyes followed the bead of blood as it ran down the lines of the sword, dark red against shining steel.

He brought his gaze back up to Keefe's face, to his ruffled blond hair illuminated by moonlight, his ice blue eyes filled with steely resolve.

And for a moment, Tam felt his heart flutter traitorously.

He shoved that thought away, glaring at the prince in his grasp. "Do you really mean to kill the dragon?"

"Me? A dragon slayer?" Keefe laughed. "Absolutely not. Now tell me your name."

Tam turned and began walking away, and he could hear Keefe following him.

"Am I getting my sword back?"

Tam pretended not to hear him.

"Why are you always naked? It's a nice view, but still. Do you live in these woods or something?"

"Something like that." Tam shrugged, tilting his head to get a better sense of the smells in the area. When he found the smell of their camp, he headed that way.

"So if you're not going to kill a dragon..." Tam ducked underneath a branch, "Why are you here?"

"Well, you know, I figure if I run away and tell my father I'm off to kill a dragon, and then never return, he'll assume I died and won't come searching for me. It's a win-win!"

Tam glanced back, eyebrow raised. "Aren't you a prince?"

"So what? I can have bad parents, too."

Tam hummed in response, his thoughts wandering. "My parents were the same."

Before Keefe could say anything, Tam turned and gave him a mock-bow. "We're here, Your Highness."

"Oh, do shut up."

"Well, I've never been good at that. And if it bothers you so much, then I'll wear some clothes next time."

"Next time?"

Tam turned over his shoulder to give Keefe what was not a flirtatious grin whatsoever, and then ran off, Keefe's sword still in his hand.

*

Linh peered out of the window, hearing the sounds of something below her window. On the ground was a woman, her blonde hair fanning out behind her as she paced around, occasionally kicking at the ground angrily, sword in hand.

Linh ducked back inside, and she herself paced around for a moment. She didn't know what to do—Tam would've told her to keep hiding, but did it really matter? No one knew who she was. When she visited the nearby town at the edge of the forest, she was always in disguise.

Maybe for once, she could take a risk.

Linh leaned her body back out to look down, just to find the woman looking up at her. She froze.

"Hello there!" the woman called, "Might you tell me who you are?"

"I, um," Linh cleared her throat, "People don't usually come out to these parts, so I think the better question is who are you?"

The woman sighed, putting her sword back into her scabbard, and then tilted her head upward to face Linh. "My name is Sophie Foster of House of Ruewen, otherwise known as the prince's best friend."

Linh thought back to the news she had picked up from the town earlier that week, the one she had read out to Tam that very day. "By prince, do you mean the runaway, Prince Keefe?"

"How do you know of him?"

"He's, um, in the news."

At that, Sophie's face went paler than it already was, and she swore in frustration before looking up at Linh again. "By any chance, have you seen a dragon around here?"

Linh gulped, her heart pounding. They were planning to hurt Tam, and that couldn't happen. Maybe she could throw them off his scent, though.

"Yes, I think I saw one over that way." She vaguely pointed in the opposite direction to where Tam had flown off, and those words made Sophie's stiff posture relax.

"Glad I don't have to kill a dragon, then." She smiled, and Linh felt her heart pound for an entirely different reason.

As Sophie began to walk away, Linh finally decided to throw all her caution away. "Wait!" she cried, and Sophie turned. Linh took a deep breath, and then told her, "My name is Linh."

Sophie smiled, and gave Linh a small curtsy. "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

Linh waved cheerfully as Sophie disappeared from her sight, and then turned to tend to Sir Webby Quackster the Third. As she was about to feed him, she heard the whoosh of wings flapping outside the window, and there was the sound of metal hitting the floor.

Linh turned, petting her duckling. "Hi, Tam!"

He was focused on securely tying his robe around himself, but when he looked up to greet Linh, he frowned and stared at her. "Why is your face all red?"

Linh froze again. "Why is your face all red?"

Tam didn't respond, except to tug on his bangs and glance away.

Linh chuckled, turning her attention back to Sir Webby, but then Tam spoke again.

"By the way," he said, "Do I have any other clothes?"

*

Tam, in fact, did not have any other clothes.

This led to Tam begging Linh to make him some clothes, which she refused ("I'm not doing anything for you, you needy child!"), which led to them fighting ("Ow! Linh, stop—!"), which led to Tam losing and having to apologize, and now they were here.

"I don't want to wear a dress." Tam pouted, crossing his arms.

Linh sighed. "First of all, you can't wear just a robe when going into town, it's indecent. Second, you have literally no other clothes. Third," she tossed the dress at Tam, "I don't care."

Though he grumbled and complained about it, the dress was more comfortable than he expected. It reminded him of his robe, except far longer and meant for someone with a larger chest than him.

"Also, even though I altered it to fit your shoulders, don't try running in it or anything, I'm worried it could rip."

Tam's frown deepened, but he gave Linh a twirl. "How do I look?"

"It actually looks quite nice on you, I'll be honest. Now, are you ready to go?" Linh tucked her coins into her purse impatiently.

"Fine, whatever." Tam rolled his shoulders back, jumping out the window, and let the transformation happen. For whatever reason, his clothes simply transformed with him, and would be there when he turned back.

He landed on the ground with all four feet, letting out a soft "oomph" as Linh jumped onto his back. Then he flapped his wings and flew off.

At the clothing shop, Linh practically piled clothes into Tam's arms and pushed him into a changing room. He quickly discovered that he wasn't used to actually wearing pants.

After finding a few outfits he liked, paying for them, and exiting with the bags in his arms, Tam walked with Linh through the town. After a decade, it had changed quite a bit from the Choralmere he remembered.

The House of Song had originally built this town and been the richest family there, but after Tam and Linh disappeared, the family fell into ruin. As far as Tam knew, any mentions of him and his sister were nothing but stories and rumors.

No one remembered them, which was a blessing, though many gave them strange looks due to their silvery-white bangs.

Tam let his gaze travel around the town plaza. There was a delicious-smelling bakery, an equally-delicious-smelling butchershop a few streets away, and staring at him was a certain blond pr-

Tam froze, staring.

"YOU!" Keefe shouted, pointing. Standing next to him was a blonde girl who Tam guessed was the other traveler.

"You!" Linh pointed at the girl.

Tam turned to Linh, at the same time Keefe's friend turned to Keefe.

"You know him?!"

"You know her?!"

There was a long moment of silence where the four of them stared at each other, and then Tam broke the quiet.

"How about we take this somewhere else?"

That "somewhere else" ended up being the bakery, and Tam finally was able to try their delicious-smelling pastries.

As he stuffed one into his mouth ravenously, he noticed Keefe staring at him.

Tam swallowed and frowned. "What?"

Keefe startled and said, "Oh, um, you've got something on your face."

Tam wiped at the spot that Keefe was gesturing at. "Got it?"

"No, it's—" Keefe huffed. He grabbed a napkin and leaned over the table, fingertips brushing Tam's cheek as he wiped it. Then he dropped the napkin on the table.

Tam stared at the crumpled napkin, trying to ignore the way his heart was pounding.

He heard a soft snicker from next to him and turned to glare at Linh and Sophie, who were whispering about something.

"Anyways, now that we've eaten—"

"Now that you devoured like seven ripplefluffs, you mean."

Tam sighed, irritated, and turned to stare at Keefe. "I will literally bite you."

The blond tilted his head, a smirk flitting over his lips. "Maybe I'd like that."

The thought of that—of Keefe actually enjoying that—made Tam blush a fiery red. He thanked the skies above that Linh had the courtesy to interrupt them, making him stop feeling pinned under Keefe's stare.

"If you two have stopped flirting," Linh grumbled, and the two obediently shut up.

The rest of their—Tam wanted to call it a date but it really wasn't, right?—went by quickly, the sun sinking into the horizon as they all introduced themselves. Tam and Linh shared their story of how they lived out in the forest, but left out Tam's dragon curse.

Tam snuck a glance at the star-tinged sky. "We should probably get going."

"Yeah, let's." Linh and Tam started walking off in the direction of the forest, freezing when Keefe and Sophie started to follow.

"Did you two forget that we're staying in the forest, too?" Sophie laughed, and Tam noticed the blush on Linh's cheeks.

"Walk with us, then." Tam suggested, coyly nudging Linh towards Sophie, and falling into step beside Keefe.

"So why are you two here?" Linh asked. "I don't think you've explained that yet."

"I suppose you haven't heard the full story yet, have you." Keefe rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, and Tam's eyes followed the motion, taking in his every movement.

"My father is the king, and as his son, I'm expected to someday take over the kingdom, marry a woman, and, y'know..." His voice trailed off. "Produce a heir."

Tam glanced over at him. "And you don't want to do that because?"

Keefe turned, crossing his arms over his chest, a biting edge to his voice. "Maybe because I don't—" He froze for a moment, then continued. "I don't even like women."

"Oh." With that one word, Tam felt his heart beat faster, and he tugged on his bangs to avoid looking at Keefe. "Good to know."

He wondered what Linh and Sophie thought of that, but when he turned to look, they were already far ahead, heads close together as they whispered.

"Anyway," Keefe continued, "To escape my royal duties I decided to run away and claim that I'm hunting a dragon."

"But you're not, right?"

Keefe looked over at him, eyes wide. "That dragon could easily kill me."

"I- the dragon wouldn't—" Tam stammered, "It wouldn't kill you."

"Well, has your camp been attacked? How would you know?"

Tam frowned and tugged on his bangs. "I've lived in the forest for nearly my entire life, so just... trust me on this, okay?"

Keefe sighed, and they walked in silence for a few minutes before he playfully bumped his shoulder. "By the way, you look..." he let his eyes trail up and down Tam's body, "Really nice."

Tam smirked and bumped Keefe back. "You look handsome too."

Keefe stumbled and let out a squeak. "H-handsome?"

Upon seeing just how red Keefe's face was getting, Tam decided to continue his teasing.

"Oh, very handsome. And strong, too."

"Alright, now I know you're joking. You're the one who literally chased me through the woods and nearly choked me."

Tam winced. "Sorry."

"It was kinda hot, actually."

Now it was Tam's turn to blush as he looked over at Keefe. They had stopped walking now, the two of them standing in the forest.

The silence felt suffocating, so Tam said the first thing that popped into his head. "Didn't know you were into that."

Keefe grinned, taking a step closer. "I like a lot of things. Like you, for example."

Tam let his glance flicker down to Keefe's lips for a moment. There were only a few inches separating the two of them.

Dragons do not blush like this, they don't. And yet, he could feel his face heat up. Why was flirting so much easier than a confession? How was Tam supposed to respond to that?

"I'm a dragon." he said.

That was definitely the wrong response.

Keefe's eyes widened. He nearly stumbled as he took a step back, hand reaching for his sword for a moment. Then he froze, slowly bringing his hands to his sides.

Keefe opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then closed it. He nodded, once, then frowned. "How?"

Tam sighed, tugging on his bangs. "When Linh and I were children, someone—we still don't know who—tried to curse us. I shielded Linh from most of it, but it still made both of us have silver tipped hair. And, um, the curse made me turn into a dragon?"

"Hmm."

"And since, well, our parents weren't the best, we made a plan to run away. Linh pretended I was eaten by a dragon, and then she ran away after. And then the Song family fell to ruin, so no one remembers us now."

"The Song family? I've heard about you before, I think." Keefe ran a hand through his hair, "So you've just lived out here for the past decade?"

Tam nodded. "More or less."

They were both quiet, and then Tam asked something he had been fearing. "Does it... scare you?"

"What, that you're a dragon?" Keefe sighed. "I mean, I wish I had known earlier, but it doesn't change my feelings. Unless that was your way of rejecting me."

Tam took a hesitant step forward. "I was just worried..."

Keefe matched his step forward with one of his own. "About what?"

Tam avoided Keefe's gaze. "That you might see me as a monster, and—"

Keefe took another step forward until they were inches apart as they had been before.

"Though people may call dragons monsters, I don't fear you. You're protective, and caring, you love your friends and family."

Keefe brought his hand up to cup Tam's face, holding him gently, as if he were the most precious thing in the world.

"I could never fear you." Keefe whispered, to which Tam playfully bared his sharp teeth.

Keefe glanced at Tam's lips for a moment, the movement so fast that Tam barely caught it. Then he asked:

"May I?"

Tam let his mouth curl with a smile, responding by pulling Keefe closer.

Their kiss felt like a sigh of relief—it was Tam being able to lose himself in his feelings, it was hot dragon fire making his blood sing more, more, more, it was everything he wished it would be.

He pulled back to take a breath and then kissed Keefe again and again, each kiss burning across his lips as he pinned Keefe against a tree.

Keefe pulled back then, but barely, the two of them still so close that Tam could feel Keefe's breaths ghosting across his cheeks.

"Ow," Keefe muttered, "I'd rather we not kiss against an uncomfortable tree. Maybe somewhere else, like your bedroom." He ended his sentence with a wink.

"I—" Tam's words froze in his mouth as he remembered he didn't exactly have a bedroom. Sure, Linh had her own room, but he often slept as a dragon. And Keefe probably wouldn't appreciate where Tam slept.

After all, he was a prince.

Tam cleared his throat. "Yeah, um, we might have to discuss that more when you actually see the tower."

Keefe frowned, no doubt confused, but Tam was not about to explain that he slept in a nest.

*

After that, the time passed quickly. Keefe wasn't too irritated by the nest situation, instead laughing and calling Tam adorable.

Sophie and Linh were getting along as well as Tam and Keefe did, if not better. The two of them soon were inseparable.

And the matter of hunting a dragon? Of Keefe running away from his kingdom?

Can you see that shadow in the distance? Of a black and silver dragon with a prince on his back, lit up by the setting sun?

Those two will soon find themselves in the kingdom of Candleshade, ready to tear down the king and queen.

Those two are off to find their happy ending.