Monday, June 11, 2012

Chapter 1: In Which Ico Mounts a Dragon


"He's magnificent," Icovellauna breathes in awe as the dragon soars above the distant hills, "I wonder what it would be like to ride one."


"How can you tell if a dragon is a he or she?" Jennicor asks with a giggle.

"I'm not sure you'd want to get close enough to find out," Auberon says, lifting his sleepily from Tania's lap. "Do dragons even have gender?"

"They have magic," Tania says, "I can feel it. As for the rest...we know nothing about them. Are they intelligent, or are they no more than beasts? I've seen them hunt, but they never let our kind get close enough to learn anything about them."


"Isn't that a sign of intelligence? That they're aware enough to avoid us?" Ico says.

"Rabbits flee from predators," Jennicor says, "Are you suggesting they have intelligence?"

"But we aren't predators," Ico says, "No beasts flee from us. Except the dragons."

"You could always track him, Ico," Tania suggests, her voice sweet and teasing. Auberon shoots her a concerned look, but says nothing, "Discover his lair and talk to him. Perhaps he'd even let you ride him."


"I will do just that," Ico proclaims, and dives into the water. This pond is fed by the mountain streams that lie in the same direction the dragon was flying. Icovellauna cannot take to the air, but water is her element, and she can travel through it as swiftly as a dragon flies.


"Be careful," Jennicor warns, watching her friend swim away.


"What game are you playing, my love?" Auberon asks in a whisper, drawing Tania's head down close to his. "Why did you send Ico to look for the dragon?"

"Game?" Tania asks innocently, "I did not ask her to go, that was entirely her decision."

"Do not seek to fool me, Summerdream," he says, "It was a decision you influenced, an idea you engendered. What are you hoping to gain by sending our Ico into such danger?"

"We need to know more about the dragon kind," Tania answers, "Everything in this world is ours, except for them. I mean to change that."

"And what if Ico is hurt?"

"I will not see her harmed, my love," Tania promises.


The dragon sets down in a tarn beneath a waterfall, and seeing no creature about to witness his magic, he transforms into his other form, the form that none but his own kind are ever permitted to see.


Her senses alert for any sign of the dragon, Ico felt him in her waters the moment his claws touched down. Moving swiftly to the source of the disturbance, she emerges from the water directly behind him.


"Fairy," he says, for what else could she be? "You should not be here."  She has seen his secret form, and she will have to die. That is the law, but it's a law that has never been carried out, for the dragons are too careful to be seen. Aymeri is the first of his kind to get so close to one of the fae, by his own carelessness, and he will be the first to kill one.

"I am Icovellauna, and all waters are my waters," she says, smiling as she teases, "It is you who trespasses on my domain."


As a dragon, Aymeri has killed many times. But it's always prey that fall to his dragon's claws. The fairy are not prey, they are not dumb beasts to be taken down and eaten. But a law has been broken, no one may see a dragon's secret form and live. He'd never questioned the law before, but now faced with enforcing it, he has doubts. It's not her law, after all, or her fault he chose a bad place to transform.

"Am I breaking your laws, being in your waters?" he asks her, thinking he'd rather submit to whatever punishment the fae dole out to lawbreakers than carry out his own law here.

"My waters are for all to enjoy," she says, moving closer to him, "I welcome you." She didn't see the dragon transform, but she felt his magic in her waters. Already, she's learned more about his kind than she ever expected; they have magic, they are intelligent, they have more than one form. And they are remarkably beautiful. At least, this one, her dragon, is.


Just one touch, his fingers grazing lightly over his arm, and Aymeri knows, he's not going to kill her. He couldn't, not even with all his kin gathered to demand it of him. He'd die protecting her from his kind, if it came to that. "I have never seen one of your kind come to this place," he says, "What draws you here today?"

"I was tracking a dragon," she says, smiling, teasing him with a knowing glance, "I saw him, soaring above the mountains, and I was taken by the desire to ride him. So I followed, and came to the waters where he landed."

"Tracking a dragon? That is dangerous business, Icovellauna of the waters," Aymeri says.

"You don't seem so very dangerous," she says, still smiling, still teasing, not knowing how close he'd come to ending her.


"I am no danger to you, beautiful fairy," he says, pulling her close to him, "But my brethren are another matter. Promise me you will not pursue any other dragons."

"I have captured one dragon, I have no desire to pursue any other," she answers, caressing his face, his chest, with her cool wet fingers.


He lifts her up into his arms, pulling away the bit of fabric wrapped around her waist with one firm tug. She wraps herself around him, legs and arms, bending her head down to meet his lips to hers.

"My dragon," she whispers, laying claim, "Will you let me ride you?"

She doesn't even know his name, he thinks, so he cannot blame magic for this pressing new urge he feels for her. It's no spell of binding that allows her to mark him as hers, no sorcery that forces her will upon him. Of his own will, of his own desire, he's giving himself to her, breaking the laws of dragon kind, betraying clan and kin, all for love.


"My name is Aymeri," he tells her as he lifts her onto the bank, supporting her against the moist earth as he enters her, "And I am your dragon."


"You are not so different from us," Ico muses as she takes him onto the right bank, mounting him for another ride.


"What has happened between us must remain secret," Aymeri says, "It could mean my life if my kin were to learn what I've done."

"What do you mean?" Ico asks, suddenly afraid of his tone. She thought she'd learned all about dragons this afternoon, but there is still so much she doesn't know.


Tania meant what she said to Auberon, she would not allow Ico to be harmed on this mission to track her dragon, so she kept her mind open to her, and at the first sign of fear from her friend, she comes to her assistance.


Whatever the source of Ico's fear, it is immediately evident that she faces no imminent danger, and at the same time. Tania discovers the source of the other, more pleasant sensations Ico had been experiencing earlier. "Excellent work, Ico," Tania laughs, "You've mounted and tamed a dragon. We'll sing songs about your victory for ages to come."


Aymeri springs up at the sudden interruption. "Deceitful fairy!" he yells, "This was a trap all along! You meant to ensnare me with your magic!"


"No!" Ico protests as he turns away from her in anger, "That was not my intention at all!" She reaches out to take his arm, to make him stay and listen to her explanation.

"Quickly, Ico," Tania cries, "Bind him before he gets away."

"Quiet, Tania," Ico pleads, but the damage is done. He'll never believe that this wasn't a trap now.


Aymeri turns to face her, but it's clear from the fury in his eyes that he'll not hear anything she has to say. He grabs her wrist, pulling her hand away from him.



"I should have killed you before I ever let you touch me, fairy," he growls.

Ico reels back away from him in horror.


Ico drops to her knees as he turns and walks away, back into the tarn.


"He's got quite the temper," Tania observes as the watch him swim away, disappearing beneath the water. "Why didn't you bind him?"


Ico turns on Tania in anger, "I will not bind him, Summerdream! He came to me freely, and I gave myself to him for love. Why could you not leave us alone? Because of you, I have lost him."

"Nonsense, Ico," Tania smiles, "He is not lost. You can still track him. Even better than before, because you have joined with him. There is nowhere he can go that you cannot find him, bound to you or not."

"I can follow him," Ico agrees, "But you heard him, he wishes me dead."

"He is angry," Tania says, "But I think you could soothe him, Ico. If you love him, as you say you do, then you should not let him go."


Angry as she is with Summerdream for spoiling things with Aymeri, Ico must admit there is truth in what she says. Her dragon's love is like a beacon, a flame beneath the waters, blazing a trail she can follow, to pursue him to wherever he lives. She will not lose him so easily to this simple misunderstanding, she will calm his rage and make him know her love is real.

47 comments:

  1. *ponders* Dragons all have a human form, then? Like, born with it?

    I like Tania's new pointy ears, and look forward to some stories with her and her sister.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, that's what I'm rolling with. There's only so much photoshopping I can do with dragon pictures from other sources.

      I decided to go with pointy ears this time since I have the sliders. They all (the fairies that is) have them, but only Tania's hairstyle so far has shown them. The dragons are round eared, like the humans, who we haven't seen yet.

      Delete
  2. I forgot Tania had a sister >_> *Cough*

    If Aymeri was born with that human form than Dragons must carry the "damn sexy" gene. Cause seriously. DAMN he is sexy. (I'm done, I swear. I will TRY to keep fangirling to a minimum.)

    Actually, screw that promise. Ico seems so innocent and I really want to punch Tania in the face... but if I did she'd probably turn me into stone a la other Cecilia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tania's connection to the Tricou family was how this all got started. But I've gone way off canon in how I've depicted Jennicor here.

      Dragons are inherently sexy, yes.
      And yes, I'd be careful about punching Tania.

      Delete
  3. Wow! Off to an interesting start! The fairies and dragons each living within their own means and under their own rules now united, though secretly, under Ico and Aymeri's mating.

    I hope she can talk to him and convince him she wasn't trying to ensnare him. Though hearing Tania, it's going to be a very hard sell!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So far the dragons have managed to keep themselves apart from the fairies, but all that is about to change now that Ico has seen one up close. Really up close, lol.
      Tania really did screw things up, it will be some work for Ico to get Aymeri to listen to anything she has to say. Dragons have really bad tempers.

      Delete
  4. I am so excited for the return of Aymeri. I've missed him so. I like Ico here. She's not...bitter like I remember her from some of the other chapters. Although, she did turn out to be kind of fun too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks heaven! Aymeri was hands down the most loved character in my legacy. I missed him, too, which is why I'm doing this.
      To be fair to Ico, by the time of my legacy, she had a lot to be bitter about.

      Delete
  5. Well so far I do like Jennicor,Aymeri, Ico and Auberon...I'm undecided about Tania....she doesn't seem to have a care about how another feels, only about the outcome she will receive, I may be wrong but it's what she seems like here. Looking forward to more=)...edenz~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, edenz! You are pretty much right on about Tania, she's manipulative.

      Delete
  6. Great start! I don't have much else to add to what everyone else has said, other than I *love* what you've done with the water scenes. It's so cool how they actually look like they are swimming in the pond/river. Very creative! =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Colleen! I really loved doing the water scenes, and building the waterfall.

      Delete
  7. ~ I loves the Fae folk,& the ears!
    ~ I love this & will be reading about,Dragons & Fairy folk,YES!
    ~ I hope she can right the wrong that Tania has done!
    ~ I love it & want more! (",)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Karima!
      I love dragons and fairies, too. =D
      Tania showed up at a bad time and really messed things up for Ico. I won't give any spoilers, but Ico is following Aymeri back to where he lives, and that should prove to be pretty interesting for her.

      Delete
  8. Going to love this :)
    Beautiful pictures and sims :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautiful, colorful pictures.
    I wonder if the dragon is going to forgive Ico? You can tell that she truly cared for him as she did not bind him. Too bad it looked bad for her when Tania showed up.
    I'm interested to find out more about the other characters!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!
      Tania does have a way of messing things up for people. Probably intentionally.
      There will be more about the other characters coming around later, too.

      Delete
  10. Love the fairies and can't wait for more! The new expansion pack could really come in handy since they are finally giving us magic and Fae :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!
      I'm looking forward to seeing what the new will add to this world, too. =D

      Delete
  11. Looks like you've created a colorful world here! One chapter in and I can tell that Tania is probably not good news heh. Good start and I look forward to more!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Aeon.
      You are very right about Tania, she's a troublemaker.

      Delete
  12. Oh, I hope everything goes okay for Ico! I'm hooked already...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Chasing dragons can be dangerous. Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am not a big fan of fae but I like this story.

    Sex right off the bat, cool.

    Now I want my own dragon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, the whole fantasy fairy thing isn't for everyone. But I do offer lots of sex, right off the bat, lol.
      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  15. Wasn't sure which story to start with, but since I love fairies I started here. Though it seems this is continuation from another story?

    At any rate, clever play on words for the title. lol. Can I say I love Aymeri! He is seriously good looking! Is he available for download anywhere? :D I am also glad you gave Iso a nickname! Wonderful story---

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Nirar, thanks for reading!
      This isn't really a continuation of another story. If anything it's a prequel, but that's not really accurate, either. Many of these characters first appeared in one of my Random Legacies, when my second generation heir got romantically involved with a guy that was part fairy. This story takes place thousands of years before that legacy, and you don't need to have read the legacy at all to get what is going on here.

      Aymeri is probably my most popular character ever, lol. On the Random Legacy blog sidebar you can find a link to the Random Legacy blog list and character uploads. Aymeri isn't there, but if you look in the section for the Foster Enmity Random legacy, you will find a download for a Wolf Roman. I used a clone of Wolf to make Aymeri, so you can get his genetics that way.

      Delete
    2. Ah, that makes sense. Some of the comments confused me. Which admittedly it doesn't take much to do. :P

      Wolf Roman, I love that name. I'm off to find him, thanks!

      Which legacy of yours was Aymeri a part of? I'll add it to my To Read List. I'm starting off with the shorter ones first, some of you guys have REALLY long stories. lol

      Delete
  16. You weren't kidding when you said this wasn't safe for work! ;) Those are some sexy sims doing sexy things!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I told you, I'm never safe for work, lol.
      There might be a few chapters in here where everyone keeps their clothes on. Other times, it's a fairy orgy.

      Delete
  17. Oh, I just found your story through your post on the random legacy challenge thread on MTS3. I can't read any further tonight but I'll look forward to reading more tomorrow night, I love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kathleen Anne, I'm glad you are enjoying it so far. =D

      Delete
  18. Oh, man! Ico was doing so well with sexy dragon man. I hope she can find him again and that he won't be so pissed off at her. Ico's friend could not have said anything worse, especially after the dragon already thought it was a trap.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is easy to rile up a dragon into anger. And Tania certainly didn't help anything with her big mouth.
      But, there's a strong attraction between Ico and Aymeri to help them overcome these obstacles.
      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  19. I can see why Aymeri would be upset, especially when Tania said he should be bound. Yet he and Ico seem to have formed an instant connection, and that too is magical, I hope he realizes that. I understand some of the references you've made in the Brannons story now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Misty! Thanks for reading. =D
      I have really tried to keep the Brannons and this story separate enough, but there are a lot of references that crop up there.
      Ico and Aymeri did form an instant connection, and it did certainly feel kind of magical. Aymeri did get really upset at the thought that he had been tricked, but once he cools down, maybe he'll realize the truth.

      Delete
  20. Well Ico didn't waste anytime. lol. I wonder what will happen now?

    Btw- did you see dragon valley in the preview? I will be adding dragons into my next gen on my fantasy story I think.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, my fairies aren't the shy types, lol.
      I did see the dragon valley preview and I'm really excited for this world. I'll be able to use the buildings and hopefully there will some cool fantasy/medieval clothes and objects, too.
      The dragons, though, they are cute but probably won't fit into my story, just because my dragons are born in their human form and don't learn to transform until adolescence or so, so baby dragons don't work for me.
      But I look forward to seeing them in other stories.

      Delete
  21. I'm a summerdream virgin and this was my first chapter. I'm liking it a lot so far! I'm so happy you have the character index and the history up top that will help me for sure. Now that I have my summerdream cherry popped, I'm off to the next chapter! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Amanda, I'm so happy you are enjoying the story. And that the character index helps!

      Delete
  22. This is my first time reading summerdream but I love it already^_^ Good luck with your series! Hopefully she'll get her man (or dragon) back:)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Just started this story. Zhippidy recommended it :)
    A very interesting start, can't wait to see what happens next.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Dutchy Sim, I hope you enjoy the whole story/ =D
      And that's really sweet of Zhip to recommend it.

      Delete