First Link in the Chain (AU - England+Romano+Sealand+Spain)

Lovino had already been lying down fully on the grass when that cruel hand grabbed him. At first, he was confused, feeling sudden pain coming from his skull in a way he had never experienced before. He cried out loudly and his body jerked in a weak struggle, but this movement only made the pain worse so he went completely still and hung there limply, eyes still skewed shut and mouth agape in panting gasps. The wizard growled at him, his taunting words still grating at what was left of his pride, but Lovino was hardly convinced that he was any more capable of doing what the man ordered now than he had been only a few moments ago. Why couldn’t this bastard understand?

When Lovino was released, he fell back onto the wet grass, catching himself with an arm to avoid landing on his aching torso. His limb trembled, and Lovino crouched there, whimpering quietly, still hoping that somehow this misery could finally come to an end. He felt absolutely powerless to do anything, and despite the fear and humiliation, he was still reluctant to try.

It was just then that the wizard’s spell struck the ground next to him, sending a jolt through his legs that caused them to spasm as Lovino jumped in shock. He went down, landing on his shoulder and rolling away from his enemy, moaning. This was nothing short of torturous. The dragon tried to brace himself for another attack, but his panicked mind was running in so many different directions that it was hard to do so much as think. There was an urge to hide, to retreat, but since neither of these was possible, Lovino could do nothing except battle the anxiety that was quickly conquering him. His last defense, the unbreakable resilience and stonehearted acceptance of the end of his life was fading.

The proud, bold beast had fled. Lovino was having trouble feeling the dragon within him now, and the thought of his true self vanishing completely terrified him even more than the wizard himself. How could he still be alive if his soul had been ripped from his body? How could his pride and determination abandon him at the time when he needed them the most? What would be left? The will to fight had already been stolen from him, and Lovino was becoming number and number to all feelings apart from fear as his spirit began to break and crumble. It made him feel like he was already dead.

“S-stop,” he choked, barely even able to force another word from his mouth. “I-I can’t…”

But the dragon understood that these words were useless. There was no way to win. Disobeying would gain him nothing except more torture. Doing as his enemy wanted would probably bring him closer to death, but even that was better than this suffering. It was time to put an end to it. The bastard seemed convinced that Lovino could do it- that he could rise up on these two awkward limbs and walk just as easily as any other human. As easily as a child. How long did it take their young to learn how to walk? Weeks? Months? Years? Lovino had no clue. He just knew that however long it took for anyone else, he was expected to perform the same feat right now, at this very moment.

Lovino pushed himself back onto his hands and knees reluctantly and studied the wizard, beaten body still trembling from pain and fear. His enemy looked weary, but somehow he was still standing, making it appear so easy. What was the secret to it? No tail for balance, flat feet encased in hard skins…The dragon looked back at his own human foot, moving it experimentally and curling his toes. Could such short digits possibly grip the ground? Would they help him stand without anything else to help him keep his balance? There was only one way to find out.

His legs still ached from the shock as Lovino shifted his weight back on them, kneeing on the ground just as he had been a moment ago. He winced, afraid the wizard would grab his hair again and subject him to the same pain as before, but when no hand came, the dragon hesitantly pulled one leg in front of him and planted the foot flat on the ground. He pushed up, shifting the other leg below him and trying to keep his balance…and then falling promptly onto his back.

The dragon looked up at the sky for a moment in confusion, but quickly brought himself up again, fearful of the punishment that would surely come if he stopped trying this ridiculous maneuver. His body protested the entire way, but he got himself on his haunches again and pushed. Down he fell. Up again. Down again. Lovino snarled in frustration, but felt more panic than anger. He needed to try something else. Pushing himself off his belly, he tucked one knee to his chest. Tears trailed down his face as the pain from his middle shot through him. It was so difficult to concentrate, but Lovino had no choice but to keep pushing himself forward. He leaned far over the knee and pushed up slowly, keeping the other leg on the ground as long as possible, trying to find his center of gravity. Every time he leaned too far forward, he tilted himself back. When he was too far back, he pulled his torso forward. The dragon reached out to steady himself and found that spreading his front limbs helped. His shoulder ached from the movement, but he was able to balance a bit more easily and used this to his advantage. Slowly he rose up, higher and higher until the first leg was almost fully extended. He met the ground with his second foot and wobbled precariously, bending his knees and trying to keep himself from falling again. The dragon panted hard, heart thumping in his chest as he looked down at the ground below him shakily. He had done it. He was standing.

…Could he move? Lovino tried, sliding one foot slowly over the grass, but he was in so much pain, that he quickly lost his balance and landed on the ground once again. Too frightened even to curse, the dragon pushed himself up and attempted to get back on his feet. His mind was only focused on one goal at the moment- and that was to avoid further pain. He still wanted to die as much as before, but he couldn’t stand to be tortured like this anymore. Death would come soon enough. He just had to get to where it was waiting for him.

A half-step and Lovino was able to shift his weight without losing balance this time. He tried again, stepping further. His legs were still awkward and bowlegged but at least he was moving. The dragon held his arms out and stared down at his bended knees. His toes gripped the wet grass and sticky mud as he lifted a foot off the ground, keeping his balance on one leg before putting the foot down before him and shifting his weight onto it. There. Lovino staggered forward, still rocking his upper body back and forth to keep the balance and biting down on his lip to focus his pain on a different spot besides his ribs, which were still protesting against every movement he made. It felt like ages before he had covered any distance at all, and when he reached the boulder closest to him, he leaned against it heavily and panted, closing his eyes and leaking more tears at the thought of having to go any further.

If he had been able to feel any other emotion, the dragon might have been proud that he had been able to overcome his own limits and accomplished what had seemed like such an impossible task. As it was, he hardly felt like a victor. Every command he obeyed from now on would only be a further sign of his loss.

More protests, more stubborn insistence that he could not stand and walk. It was pathetic. The wizard sneered and wondered why so many magic users thought these beings deserving of respect, wondered why the fae that he had studied with had claimed them deserving of reverence. Take away their muscled bodies, massive wings, and sharp fangs and just look at what was left. A frail, pitiable being with more stubbornness than strength, more excuses than resolve. How could such a weak creature be the source of so much valuable magic?

He met the creature’s gaze, staring back into those bizarrely golden eyes with challenge in his own. Though Arthur still ached from his injury and still felt weak from the loss of blood, magic and adrenaline coursed through his veins, giving him the strength he needed to remain on his feet and resist even swaying from his fatigue. He would show no vulnerability in front of this creature. He would not bend and he would not show the slightest flicker of doubt. The dragon would know that there would be no mercy for him.

He had lifted his wand, ready to strike again when the beast finally began to move. Arthur stilled his hand, watching. It was a clumsy attempt at best, but progress all the same. It would have been comical to an onlooker – the gangly, naked man fumbling so awkwardly at just trying to stand. The dragon looked like a drunkard. Arthur was not amused, though. He was impatient. He watched through narrowed eyes as the dragon finally seemed to find his feet enough to stand, twitching his wand in his hand as if waiting for an excuse to use it again. Though of course, now that the dragon was up and moving, such a thing would be counter-productive for the time being. So Arthur waited, watching the dragon fumble and fall and get up once more. Night continued to gather around them.

At last, the dragon seemed to have gathered the basics of walking, though it was of course awkward and graceless, like the movements of a puppet with tangled strings. It would take them a full day to reach the bottom of the hillside with the dragon moving at this pace. Unacceptable. Arthur had little choice but to do what he could to ensure a timelier journey.

Letting the arm that had been draped across his wounded chest fall to his side, for he would not even show the faintest trace of pain if he could help it, he stepped forward, towards where the dragon was leaning upon the rock. Predictably, the beast cowered, clearly expecting more pain. Which was how it should be. The dragon should always look upon him and remember the fear and pain that the wizard induced. That would help in keeping him subdued.

“Stop your sniveling,” Arthur growled as he closed in. “You are doing what I ordered and I have no current need to punish you. But you are too damned slow and my patience wears thin. Be still and I will make this journey easier. You will suffer far more than I will if we remain on this hillside during the freezing night, particularly with your idiotic resolve to remain nude.” Narrowing his eyes threateningly at the dragon, Arthur reached out and pinned the dragon’s shoulder against the rock with the hand holding his wand, putting a firm weight upon it to keep the beast in place, but not really intending to do any further damage. He placed the flat of his free hand against some of the nastier bruises along the creature’s torso, those that had been inflicted by his own kick only minutes before, but now were impeding his progress. The dragon should walk more effectively if he could move and breathe properly. Keeping a watchful and threatening eye upon the dragon, Arthur began muttering the words of his healing spell, golden glow emanating from where his hand met the dragon’s olive-skinned torso.

Lovino pressed his arms tightly against his body for warmth while trying not to aggravate his injury. The boulder was cold, but he needed it for support. He touched it only with his hands, bracing himself while his knees shook beneath him. This new position was so awkward. Lovino felt as if he might lose his balance and topple over at any moment, but he stood stubbornly still and planted his feet, wanting to avoid further injury at any cost. He panted and shivered, too distracted by the pain and discomfort to care much about anything else.

Lovino of the Vargas Clan had lost himself. He was completely unrecognizable, inside and out. Everything that had once made him the dragon he had known was gone now, and only the weakest part of him was left, abandoned in this small, frail body that he didn’t even know how to control properly. He longed for it to end so that his unrelenting hopelessness and fear could be snuffed out quickly. The conflicting magic swirling around inside Lovino continued to nauseate him as his dragon blood combated with a force that was not meant to affect what he really was but was taking its toll on this body regardless. Useless…

And then that man was next to him again. Lovino shrank away, not eager to be punished again for something he couldn’t help. He had moved this far, but he had no desire to walk further in the condition his body was in. Everything hurt- even breathing caused him pain with the aching in his ribs and injuries along his torso. Lovino locked his eyes warily on the man’s hands and made no visible response to the wizard’s words, though his heart thumped nervously in his chest. He didn’t want to be hurt again, but his only real motivation to do as the wizard ordered stemmed from the desire to end his life. The sooner he gave the bastard what he wanted, the sooner this would all be over.

The dragon couldn’t help but whimper and squirm when the man touched him, however. Even in his dulled state, he didn’t want the bastard’s hands anywhere near him. He grabbed onto the wizard’s wrists weakly, unable to offer more resistance than that. His bare skin pressed against the wet boulder as the other pinned him to it, and the dragon shivered more violently, feeling as if his skin was being pulled to a smaller size over every inch of him. He hated how sensitive and vulnerable this body was. He felt the cold stone everywhere it touched and the wizard’s warm hand on his shoulder, gripping him tightly. He felt the wind blowing against his skin and the tickling of hair whipping over his face. He felt the scratchiness of the grass beneath his feet, and the wetness of the mud between his toes. Then, there was a glow from the man’s other hand, and Lovino experienced a painful tingling where it touched on his torso before the spot went numb. It was such a strange sensation. The dragon could feel a change taking place, and he grunted, eyes wide in fear as bones were mended and bruises soothed. A moment later, there was no pain, and Lovino stood still in silent shock, squinting down at his body. He had never seen a human do healing magic before, and to experience it firsthand was almost alarming. He was hardly in the mood to feel panicked over something like this, though. The dragon could do nothing but watch with a subdued expression as the other continued.

Lovino was relieved that the pain was gone, but knew that it meant he’d be expected to walk again. It was easier to breathe now, but he still felt pain on his shoulder where the lightening had hit. The dragon put a hand over it subconsciously and swayed. He shifted his feet uncertainly, no longer aching at an unbearable level, but still reluctant to move. The dragon knew he had no choice, however. The wizard didn’t look very strong, but he would probably be able to endure longer than Lovino, who had lost his will to even try. His enemy seemed determined to get them moving as soon as possible. Lovino stared at him coldly and pulled himself away with as much strength as he could muster, trying to put some distance between them. The cold caused him to sneeze, and he could feel something like water drip from his nose.

“Quickly,” he murmured almost too low to hear as he slunk along the rock for support. “I want to die quickly, bastard.”

And with that, he pushed away from the boulder and began to walk again- slow, unsteady steps, but slightly faster than before.

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