[michime]

"Devan tried to trap me to bring to a girl he wanted to marry," Livian gave a sly smirk then reached over and patted Darius' hip. "He did manage to trap me only to be caught by pirates. We spent a lot of time together and in the end we realized that we needed each other. We became a team and took over the ship. By the time, we got back to land, well there were a few more dragons in the world."

[Regifortis]

Tobias felt his imagination filling in details as quickly as Livian spoke. "That's quite the story! Maybe you should write a book about it; I know I'd read it cover to cover!"

He felt his stomach settling and filling. "I guess it's my turn, then. I needed some lumber for firewood, and the southern queendom in the valley I used to live in started making claims in the area. I got nervous and wandered into an abandoned forest...which so happened to be his territory." He nudged his King light-heartedly. "He came up to me in this form and started yelling at me to stop going after his trees and leave, but I didn't know a thing about dragons, so I just ignored him. Then he went away and came back in his real form, I just about pissed myself, and I got captured and brought to his home to be punished. I went along with him as best I could. And then...well, long story short, we worked out our differences a lot faster than I thought we would!"

Tobias finished his glass and poured himself a second one. "Let me know if I'm taking too much. I could eat someone out of house and home if they let me."

[michime]

Livian leaned forward and gave Tobias' knee a little pat. "Don't worry. Eat as much as you like. I'm sure you haven't had food all day. Plus this is a dragon home. We have plenty of food. And if this one started a farm when I told him to, he would have been prepared for a mate." She stuck her tongue at him when he scowled at her.

"He's very territorial about his forest. I'm surprised he told you instead of just burning you. I'm glad he didn't though."

[Regifortis]

Tobias couldn't help a bit of a smug smile. "Not to brag, but I think he was preoccupied with what he saw. He went from angry and wrathful to filling me with his seed in less than an hour. It wasn't my worst Thursday night, to say the least!"

He rubbed his King's back affectionately, enjoying the feel of his thick and powerful back muscles through the wool shirt. "I'm sure we'll start a farm soon enough. But everything did happen very quickly...I don't think he was expecting to live with a mate anytime soon." That same sadness from before irked Tobias. He pulled his King a little closer, trying in some small way to make up for how lonely he must have been.

[michime]

Darius went willingly into Tobias' hold before he laid his head on his mate's shoulder. He breathed in the scent of his lover.

Livian raised an eyebrow at that. She hadn't seen her brother act like this in a very, very long time.

"Has he shown you the library yet?"

[Regifortis]

"Huh?" Tobias nearly went into a daze with his mate's attention. "Oh, yeah, briefly. But I only picked one book out of there and didn't even finish it before we had to come here. It wasn't that we were rushed so much that, er...we weren't reading it very seriously. I'm eager to get back there and start reading up, though."

Tobias cut himself yet another serving. He knew the first book he wanted to read was the same one he was reading and...well, 'lost' before he could finish. "You wouldn't have any recommendations, would you? Maybe there's some stories about you in those books; I'm sure they're fascinating."

[michime]

Darius chuckled at the sight of his lover's little side of attention. He loved making Tobias do that. "We were reading about our time with Alexander. Tobias got the point where we conquered the city and the locals submitted to dragon's reign. He has a lovely reading voice. He'll be reading so much since it won't be long before his belly is too big." He bragged.

"I would read the beginnings," Livian answered with a smile. "It tells of how dragons came to be and how Kings are chosen. My stories are boring compared to the King's."

[Regifortis]

"Oh, don't be like that!", insisted Tobias, trying to focus in spite of his King openly bragging about him. "A tale of pirates and bonding under duress and rescue: that's exciting stuff! I'm sure...wait a minute."

He felt gears turning in his mind. "If Devan wanted to bring you to his lady friend, but you both got captured by pirates, where did all that even take place?! How did you get captured? Did my King know about any of this while it was happening? And most of all..." He took a deep breath and plunged ahead.

"What's a 'pirate'?"

[michime]

Darius and Livian shared a small laugh before Darius leaned in. "Pirates are people that steal, murder, and do very bad actions on the high seas. Livian was taken hostage and kept on a ship."

"And Devan's lady friend wasn't much of a friend. She wanted him to prove how much he loved her by having him capture a dragon. He's lucky he got me instead of someone else. I didn't eat him at first sight." She happily exclaimed.

"You wouldn't have children if you ate me, dearest," Daven came in with several baskets in his arms. "Here's your supplies," he handed the baskets over to Darius then sat by his wife.

[Regifortis]

"On the high seas..." Tobias couldn't even imagine it. He figured a lot of water was involved, but people actually traveling across it seemed beyond him. Hell, it was a lot to ask of him just to have him fly here.

Baskets of food sat next to him and his King. So they'd be able to make all this with their own farm, huh...? His whole world was changing very quickly, and he just had to keep up as best he could.

"I hope we didn't unnerve you too much earlier, Devan," Tobias offered to the farmer. "I'd like to get to know both of you better and not have you worrying about things like...that. Thanks for your help, too, this is great!"

[michime]

Devan glanced at his wife out of the corner of his eye before he shook his head. "I was more surprised to see a human with him. When he comes here, he's alone." He answered with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "It's good to see him with someone. Livian would never admit it but she worries about him."

"I do not!" She exclaimed with a playful swat of his arm. "But it is good to see that someone finally decided to claim him as a mate."

[Regifortis]

Tobias never thought of it that way. He always saw it as his King claiming him, but then again, it was Tobias that took the initiative and let his King impregnate him. He guessed...that he really was the claimer and not the claimee after all. Meanwhile, with how mild Devan seemed and how assertive Lilian clearly was, he guessed that she claimed him during their misadventure. Then again, he couldn't really know without being there himself.

He grinned a little. "What can I say? He's everything I never even dreamed of! I had to snap him up!" He wasn't sure about shifting the tone between him and his King, but the atmosphere of teasing seemed comfortable to him. He gave Darius a kiss and subtly squeezed his thigh. He considered groping his rear again, but that might have been a bit too far, not to mention inappropriate.

His stomach definitely felt better. "So how long have you two been married, then?"

[michime]

Darius rolled his eyes at his sister then whispered into Tobias' ear. "I did the claiming. Don't listen to her. Dragons always do the claiming and humans are always the claimee." He decided to prove his point by easing Tobias up and setting the human on his lap but made sure to cup Tobias' butt while he was sitting.

"Two hundred years," Devan answered with a grin.

[Regifortis]

Tobias patted his mate's arms around him. "You sure did, hon." He honestly didn't care. It was just interesting to think about how exactly this all happened. Whether his King was completely right or just wanting to keep him relaxed and plaint in his touch, all it really meant was that Tobias would be stuffed full of dragon cock for years and years to come. Which they both knew already. He leaned into his lover's touch and enjoyed the whispering nonetheless.

"Two hundred years? Damn, I've only been a dragon's mate for a day, and I feel like a new man! I can't even imagine what two centuries from now will feel like. Except for the obvious, of course," he suggested with a kiss to his King.

He looked to his fellow man, both having their lives extended by the magic of their spouses. The kind of life that countless men and women would kill for - true longevity - and having wonderful people that loved them on top of that. The weight in his belly felt almost profound at the thought that more dragons would be in the world, now. He wanted as many people as possible to know the joy that he and Devan had, if at all possible.

[michime]

Darius let his hand roam over his mate's backside enjoying the feel of the bubble globes under his hand.

"Most mates live very long lives especially if you stay on the King's Land. It's why we stay here in fact," Devan explained before he sat back in his chair. "So much magic here. It's hard to believe the entire world once lived in it."

"I think it's time for us to leave, cherished," Darius purred into Tobias' ear. "You can soak in the spring and read your book after you eat."

[Regifortis]

"S-Sounds good to me." Tobias finished up his last serving quickly. It was just as well that they were leaving since his King was getting him hot and bothered again. Those warm and powerful hands rubbing his big fat rear like that...!

They got up and prepared to leave. "It was great getting to meet you two! I'm sure we'll see each other again soon!" He wasn't sure how soon, but they'd find time to visit before too long. As tempting as getting dicked by the King of Dragons day in and day out was, he wanted to meet more of his mate's family as well.

But for now, he had a bath and a book with his name on it! Speaking of...once they left the house, he mentioned: "Since you're shaving me eventually...I guess it makes sense to do it along with that bath. Hell, you could do it while I read. I figure so long as I don't make a contest out of it, I can actually finished the damn thing."

[michime]

"Don't eat so fast you choke," Darius warned as his mate downed the last of his food. He helped Tobias to his feet then stood up himself. He gathered the baskets and said his thanks to the couple. "I'll be back soon when we need supplies again."

Darius helped Tobias to the clearing then shifted to his dragon form. He adjusted the saddle so his mate would be comfortable then gave the human their supplies. He took to the air as soon as they were ready.

[Regifortis]

Tobias wasn't too sure about handling the baskets along with being saddled with his King mid-flight. But it seemed to work out well enough. If anything, having everything packed in so tight made sure everything stayed put. The baskets got in the way of any repeat of his second seeding, though. So he had to make do with what he could see past the woven fibers and just enjoy the thrill of the flight.

One thing did occur to him just before they landed near the entrance of their home. "Now that we're not in their company, my King, I really am curious how a man and a dragoness could conceive children. If you wouldn't mind telling me, or at least tell me where I could read about it, that'd put my mind at ease."

[michime]

The King looked at him oddly before he answered. "They had sex much like we did." He blinked a few times trying to figure out why Tobias would ask such a question. Then he shook his body. "Let's get back to the caves. I can't wait to get you back in the spring and watch you read."

[Regifortis]

Tobias narrowed his eyes at the way his King responded. How was he to know what 'having sex' between those two would work out? Was he to just assume the obvious? Or maybe...oh, no, it wasn't the way he worded it, was it? That was just silly!

"I meant who carried the children, my wise and parsing-challenged King. Believe me, I am familiar with the notion of sex leading to children," he added, spreading his arms wide to either side of his wide belly. "So please give me a little credit when I ask questions that confuse you. I don't mind clarifying, but don't make me out to be foolish."

He looked into the baskets, confused as to why they didn't get soap. And then he saw some tied-up plants and bars of soap. Huh. Devan thought of everything, it seemed. He got out and left the baskets in the saddle, walking alongside his King back into the winding corridors of the caves.