Donghae´s POV

At the beginning of fall when the sun was setting and everything had the same colour, even the leaves, I was bathing in the golden glory. Crossing the vast sky from the mountains towards the capital city.

People seeing me up above either cried in horror or stopped moving altogether as the fear turned them into sculptures. I was watching the scene with pleasant smile on my lips. fangs were frightening the citizens and I was wondering, if I should set those wooden houses on fire just for fun.

I was in a good mood. Today I chose as the day I would eat the next successor of the kingdom. It wasn´t anything special, I´ve eaten already two before and my father about a dozen. It was a tradition decided by my ancestor, the legendary dragon residing in the mountains four hundred years ago.

As I was flying over a water tank, I saw my reflection in the water. Golden scales were shining in the setting sun and the expensive metal looked more glorious than ever. I was proud to be a golden flame dragon. But that also meant I had to continue the tradition of murdering young princes.

The royal family living in this country was born when the moon god descended on the land and started the dynasty with the royal princess. Since then every young boy born into the family is gifted by the power of illumination. It´s different for every child but they usually start showing those powers asfifteen years olds. This one, though, is still unable to create the moonlight and that´s why I let him live until now. But the longer I let him live, the less tasty he will become and so I decided to consume him this beautify autumn day.

I could already see the palace and the old maple tree standing in the garden. With much force and noise I landed on that tree, setting the surroundings quickly on fire. My nostrils still haven´t managed to cool down and I already saw the prince. I must have been lucky to land at the same moment the lad was walking around.

The boy was already eighteen so I should probably call him a young man. He was slender and elegant. His exclusive clothes were soft and sewn together with a silver thread. The silky black hair was tied at the back with a white ribbon that flew away when I blew some hot air into the palace. Prince´s skin was porcelain white and lips parted. Of course he was surprised and I noticed his long fingers holding onto a servant´s sleeve.

I grinned and then laughed darkly and the maple tree shook heavily, the leaves burning. It didn´t take long before all the guards retreated and the only ones left was the prince and his servant. I watched the white fingers fist the brown sleeve tightly but it was to no avail. His servant wasn´t planning on staying by his master´s side any longer. He shoved the prince aside and disappeared inside. I was almost sure that I would have to chase the young man all over the palace but I was pleasantly surprised.

“Aren´t you going to run, moonlight prince?” I asked when I saw the man take a deep breath and recover his royal stance in front of me.

“It isn´t possible to avoid fate, is it?” He asked me back with a small smile on his lips. He was scared and he was also sad but he was a true royal. I have never met any better prince before.

“No, it isn´t,” I confirmed and lowered my long neck down from the maple tree, “I´m glad you decided to keep your honour.”

Dragons are strong but a little narrow minded beings. The reason we kill young princes is for a mere grudge. Their powers aren´t dangerous, not at all. There is much simpler reason for this whole bloodshed. I wonder, if you even want to hear it.

Some centuries ago my ancestor was on hunt at night. He wanted to catch a fairy that kept escaping his fangs. It could have been done only at night and when the moon was covered by clouds. For that dragon´s impenetrable skin has one big disadvantage. It´s flashy and dragons love to promenade in the sunlight when the rays make their scales shine brightly. But at night, when they want to be as unnoticeable as possible, the slightest moonlight hitting the metal scales can give them away.

And that´s what the ancient moonlight prince did to the dragon. Dripping him into the shower of silver light, he warned the fairy of the dragon´s presence. The dragon could never hold back the grudge against the prince and decided to sentence all his children to death. With humiliation only princesses then could continue the bloodline and had to marry more influential husbands from other families.

And now it´s my turn to kill the prince and ensure that my own hunts would be successful. This time I was more than pleased by the prey. The most beautiful man with gentle eyes and wonderful smell was standing under the maple tree and watching me with expectation.

“My name is Eunhyuk and I shall ask you to not make any further damage to the city as I am prepared to die with the deepest respect for you,” the prince said and I nodded my head.

“Of course I have to grant you your last wish, remember in the afterlife that the glorious dragon that devoured you was Donghae,” I answered with as much respect as I was given. Now then.

I grasped the tree branch hard with my claws and shifted closer. I lowered my head until I was almost breathing on the prince´s face. But that was the time when things stopped going well. Ritual death is all about aesthetics and although the man in front of me is one of the most handsome royals in the world, I couldn´t but become worried.

The prince´s face began changing its expression. He bit his lower lip and closed eyes. At first I thought he was after all frightened but at that moment his face turned into a dried persimmon like shape. And then that beautiful being sneezed so hard that I thought, I´ve never seen such an ugly thing in the world. Eunhyuk´s eyes were red and filled with tears. The white skin was also at least pink by now and a horrible snot was coming out of that cute nose. I was flabbergasted.

“I´m sorry,” Eunhyuk said and sneezed one more time. And again. I quickly realised that I shouldn´t have set the maple tree on fire because the smoke and strong scent was turning my elegant prey into a troll.

“What am I supposed to do now? Are you aware that this is absolutely intolerable?” I scolded the prince horribly.

“I apologized,” came as answer followed by a sulking troll copy-cat.

“This won´t do!” I immediately decided. I lost all my appetite! But it´s not like I could just leave Eunhyuk here, not after the scene I just caused. But I couldn´t ruin the palace either because I gave my word.

And so in my panic I couldn´t think of anything better than kidnapping the royal. I released my long tail from the maple tree and rounded it around the prince´s waist. Then I roared loudly and puffed a small hot cloud of smoke. Leaping, I flew up into the air with the shocked moonlight prince behind. I overheard a piercing scream and shot a glare at the man holding my tail. Eunhyuk quieted down right away.

It was somewhere behind the city, still quite far from the mountains, when the sun finally set and we were crossing the night sky silently. To my annoyance the moon was shining brightly and reflecting on my scales. I looked behind me at the prince and, indeed, the latter was bathing in the silver rays. I even considered letting him fall down but then he would break into a bloody mess and that I definitely wouldn´t want to eat.

“Aren´t we there yet?” Eunhyuk after a while whined. “It´s uncomfortable.”

At first I wanted to lash out at him but once I twisted my neck, I saw the prince holding tightly onto my scales. His face was red and his satin robe kept slipping so he had hard time hanging. Still I couldn´t help myself but to throw a nasty remark.

“It´s because that stupid moon is making me shine like a torch. I have to fly carefully and watch out properly,” I huffed and tightened the hold on his waist. It would be harder to breathe but at least he won´t keep slipping.

“It´s that issue again?” I didn´t look but I could imagine him rolling his eyes. Does he think I´m childish because I hold the ancient revenge in my heart? Looks like I will eat him in a dreadful way after all.

“So if I make you invisible, will you fly faster?” He asked me and this time I had to look at him. I was curious. Making me invisible?

“You can perform magic? I was sure you couldn´t, that´s why I let you live until now. And all you, moonlight ants, can do is wave around with shining fingers anyway,” I huffed so irritated that a small cloud of smoke puffed from my nostrils. What a joke this kid.

“Oh, but I can do magic,” Eunhyuk smiled, “for a long time already, I thought you came for me because you finally realised,” he smirked and I really just wanted to let go and make him crash against the rocks.

“I don´t think you should provoke me like that,” I warned.

“I apologise,” Eunhyuk then relaxed and raised his hand, “and as a gift I shall show you what all the previous golden dragons missed to catch on.”

And then he put his hand on my body and I slightly panicked because it could be a trap. Magic we didn´t know about? Is it dangerous? Is it strong? Did the day come when the moonlight royals would return the blow? I gritted my teeth but had to relax right away in amazement.

Eunhyuk´s white long fingers picked something thin from my body. It looked like transparent fabric, so delicate than maybe only spider could create such a masterpiece. I watched as he pulled onto the silver fiber and the moonlight began unravelling like a robe. Eunhyuk was picking the silver thread and turning it slowly into a skein. In a few moments all the moonlight disappeared from our bodies and the only proof of it being there was the illuminating skein in the prince´s hands.

But even that wasn´t going to stay for too long as the young man turned the skein into a small ball of moonlight and with a pleased expression pushed it into his mouth. I watched him in awe devour the ball with greed and then bring a smile to his lips. Eunhyuk smiled gently and my body shivered in anticipation.

“Now I hid us from the moon so could we, please, go faster, great dragon?”

“As you wish, your majesty," was all I could breathe.

And that was the moment where a new legendary dragon was born. Dragon called Donghae that would be by his successors known as the great dragon that kidnapped the moonlight prince and never let go until they both died of an old age.

Since then a new tradition began. Young dragons would pick princes from the royal palace sometime in the last warm autumn days only to make them their eternal allies. And as the proof of the contract between the two, they both had to bow in front of their mutual shrine. Shrine in which were the graves of the legendary dragon and even more famous moonlight royal. The only shrine with a big silver gem that no thief would dare to steal.

Eunhyuk and Donghae were sleeping there in that glorious place, side by side.

The End

Hello! I had to finish the story that I had half-written for a long time because it´s going to be hallooween soon and I will have to think of a suitable story (although we don´t really celebrate it in my country). I hope you liked the legend that I totally made up :D Thank you and take care! - PandaHero