Chapter Text
Drusilla crouched in the dark place, behind many boxes of all different sizes. Her tarnished knight had failed her, siding with the nasty, sticky slayer instead of their Daddy. She'd made him go away, playing delightful games with others but not with him. Then, she'd gone to the city of sparkling towers and black glass where her not-Daddy lived. Grandmummy was there, only she was all warm and fragile. She'd been so happy to find a problem that she could make go away like that.
Angel had been very cross though, and had tried to burn her and her grandmummy-daughter to little bits. Miss Edith had told her that things would soon become very bad in Daddy's shining city, so she'd left. Her poor Spike had been all caught up in the nasty golden web of the Slayer, repeating all their daddy's mistakes. It hurt too much to see it dancing over him, so she'd left again. She'd hidden in the dark place inside the shining white bird, and laughed as it had taken to the air, carrying her away from all her problems on shining wings, safe from the sparkling deadly sunshine.
But what was she to do now? She needed someone to be with her, a dark lover to keep her days from being dull, someone to keep her company when Miss Edith was bad. Not her Daddy, and not her Spikey. She needed to find someone new, someone deliciously dark and wicked. She would find him at the end of the flight, she would be able to taste his darkness, feel the pull of his tarnished soul and go to him, make everything quiet inside, like her daddy had done for her. He would be hers, not daddy's, not the nasty Slayers, all hers. She would be his princess, and he would be... not her knight, her knight had failed. Maybe he would be her dragon? Oh, the idea sounded wonderful.
There was a bump as the shining bird landed, wrapped in the fingers of night. She waited until the people had opened it up, pulling out boxes and bags before she slipped out, knowing that this was not the time for a nibbly snack. Her tummy was all twisted up from being so high in the air. If she put anything inside, it would start heaving and squirt nasty bile from her mouth. Ugh.
The stars whispered in her ears, speaking too quickly for follow, about snakes and secrets and death. Whispering about potions and shadows, pain and secrets. She could feel a tug to the west, and began her journey, knowing that in the end, the tug would lead her to her new lover, her new Dragon Childe. He was full of secrets and pain, wrapped up in shadow until nobody could see his real self anymore. But she would find him, she would see the truth that he tried to conceal. Then, she would strip away the wrapping, and he would be there, all gloriously tainted with pain and evil and death�
Finally, she found him, lurking in the trees, one hand holding a basket while the other held a knife. He was gathering mushrooms by the moonlight, and they glimmered and glowed. Like magic and secrets� Oh, he was a magic dragon, and he could use the mushrooms to make strange and wonderful things!
�Hello, luv.� She spoke to him, confident that she would be able to move fast enough to keep the knife from hurting her.
He stood up slowly, looking at her with eyes like pools of pain and ink, the secret sorrows and fears written in letters so tiny that they filled his eyes, making them all dark and unreadable. His hair was shadow, wrapping around him, almost blending with the long dark robes that swathed his body. All hidden away from the world� When he spoke, his voice was like poisoned honey.
�I don�t believe that we�ve met. Should I know you?�
Her smile was delighted as she walked closer, locking eyes with him. �You don�t know me yet, but you will. Look inside, see inside me� we are both twisted by pain and shadow into the playthings of the night� Come away with me, and I can make it all quiet.�
Once she�d caught him with her eyes, it was a simple matter to strike, knocking him over the head and carrying him away. Just in case, she brought his knife and basket of mushrooms. There was a little house, all empty of life, nothing but dark memories and green shadows. The snake-sorcerer had struck, and nobody would return for fear of his poison� She found the basement, and after pulling away his clothing, managed to get enough rope to tie him up. She would have preferred chains and manacles, but there were none to be found.
Smiling, she picked up the knife, tracing her finger over the curving blade. It wasn�t steel, the metal was almost golden, whispering of ancient ritual and long ago secrets. But it was sharp, and she hissed in delighted pain as the blade opened her finger, the deep red blood welling up. �Yesss� he will be wonderful.�
She had also very carefully placed the slender stick far away from him. It wasn�t a stake, too slender and lovingly polished, humming with power. She had the feeling that he needed it to work his magic, and she didn�t want him magicking himself away before she could make him hers.
His heartbeat became a little stronger, a bit faster, and he stirred slightly, coming awake again. His eyes opened, and he looked around, frowning. �My clothing� where� why have you brought me here?�
She clapped her hands in delight. All naked and tied up, and her brave snake hissed at her, defiant and proud. �I have taken them away. You have spent too much time hiding who you are, and Princess is going to find the secret snake inside all the shadows. You won�t be able to hide from me.�
�Secret snake�� He looked at her, as if trying to pull her secrets from the air.
She walked over, running her fingers over his lips, the knife trailing over the mark on his arm, a skull and a snake, burning with nasty magic. She could feel the nasty spells that bound her Dragon Childe to the snake sorcerer. �We shall have to get rid of that� no skulls for us, we shall be eternal like secrets and moonlight. I will not share you with the broken snake. You will be mine. All mine.�
With that, she dug the knife into his arm, carving a line of blood through the skull, smiling as he hissed the air out between his teeth, refusing to scream. Leaning forward, she licked the blood from his arm, delighting in the explosion of flavor on her tongue, secrets and pain and power� oh yes� �My brave serpent, my dragon childe. We will be splendid together.�
Dru sang cheerfully as she made a few other slashes in his body, trying to see if he would scream for her. But he didn�t scream, just hissed his defiance. No screams from her dragon� he would be good at protecting his Princess. �I think you are ready, my dragon. You must understand� to be born requires blood. If there is no blood, there can be no life.�
He glared at her, his dark eyes whispering threats as he hung there. He didn�t even scream as she sank her teeth into his throat, drinking deeply of his pain, his secrets, and his lovely blood. He was too weak to do more than murmur a few words as she untied him, lowering him to the floor before slicing open her breast, letting the blood flow onto his lips. �Drink up, dragon childe. Mummy�s going to make you all strong.�
It wasn�t long before he went still, all silent but for the snapping of the spells that bound him to the snake-sorcerer. His heart had stopped, letting the quiet flow through him instead, the quiet and the older power of her blood, her power and claim spreading through him, pushing away the last traces of snake venom. He would be hers alone.
She decided to have a tea party with Miss Edith and another doll, one named Clara that had been waiting her for her little girl to come back. But Clara�s little girl would never come back, the snake-sorcerer had killed her and her mummy and daddy many years ago. Once her dragon childe awoke, the games could begin.
�Mother, dearest, when can we go out? I seem to be ravenous.� His voice sounded almost darker, smoother than before. Her dragon stood in the doorway, once more dressed in his dark robes, his eyes now golden, his dragon fangs out.
�Oh, things shall be very splendid now.� She clapped her hands, delighted by her new childe.
End Brave Snake Hissing