*Warning there are mentions of bullying/harassment and depressing/suicidal thoughts, those who take issue read at their own risk* (but it's all pretty low key & vague)

[m/n] = male name

[m/g/n] = mean girl's name

[r/n #1] = random name #1

[r/n #2] = random name #2

Narrator's POV

[m/n] carefully made his way towards the village from deep within the forest. Now, you may all be wondering why he lives out there, and so I will tell you.

Long ago, dragons roamed free and worked with the people of the land, working together to survive and enjoy life. The people saw dragons as symbols of hope, and treated dragons with great respect, some bordering worship. Great temples were erected for these dragons who brought them peace by chasing away enemies and by helping people find the resources that they needed.

But not all things are meant to last.

Though dragons lived long lives, they were still hunted and killed by those who foolishly thought they were being heroes. But the biggest problem was this; the dragons could only reproduce with their desired mate. So this meant that unless both dragon and mate truly loved each other, a child could not be born.

Another problem was that there were few female dragons to begin with, so that left un-mated male dragons with only one option; mate with humans.

Now many saw this as a chance for their daughters to become great and for the families themselves to become great, while others were not so sure as to what would happen and if any offspring could be reproduced. But their fears were put to rest after a dragon successfully had offspring with a human.

Now then, what could this possibly have to do with [m/n] you ask. Well, the answer is simple; he is a human who was chosen as a mate for a dragon. A very powerful and well respected dragon who dwelt deep in a cave, in a mountain, deep in the woods.

However, there was a big problem with this situation; the dragon was male and so was [m/n]. Therefore no offspring could be made, meaning that once the dragon, Lord Mattias, died, the village that [m/n] had grown up in and that Mattias had cared for for centuries will be left defenseless and will be likely to die out or be conquered. It is for that reason that poor [m/n] was considered the outcast of the village.

Now, onwards with our story.

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[m/n] walked through the forest, keeping his hood up to keep him hidden from view. When he finally reached the still waking village, he knew he had to be quick.

He knew he was hated by many, even by those who once called him a friend, but [m/n] could not help it. He doubted Mattias could've helped it either. They just were what they were and they learned to accept it, so why couldn't the people?

'Simple,' He thought to himself as he hurried down the streets. 'They are all scared of the dangers of being unguarded, unprotected.'

Soon [m/n] reached his destination; the baker's shop. He had known Alfred for years and Alfred was the only one who didn't shun him or treat him cruelly.

[m/n] hurried through the back door and into the kitchen. Alfred looked over and beamed.

"[m/n], it's good to see you dude, and don't you worry, I have exactly what you wanted." Alfred said, pointing over to a covered basket. [m/n] smiled gratefully and placed a small bag filled with coins on the counter.

"Thanks again, I know Mattias will love this." [m/n] said, grabbing a hold of the basket filled with some sweets that Mattias was always fond of. Alfred waved his hand.

"No worries dude, I know it isn't poisoned with anything neither." Alfred said with a laugh. He then shook his head. "Anyway, you'd better be off before people realize you're here, especially [m/g/n]." He warned. [m/n] paled a bit at the thought of his biggest tormentor.

"Y-yeah..." [m/n] said. He then shook his head. "I'd best get going. See you next month Alfred."

"See ya dude, and be careful!" Alfred said cheerfully. [m/n] carefully exited out the back door again and walked along the edge of the village, hurrying as fast as he could without looking suspicious.

He finally reached the path he had come from and let a sigh of relief out. But he knew he could still be in danger. He quickly darted down the path, praying that he wouldn't be caught, but luck wasn't on his side.

Standing in front of a large stone and blocking the path was the queen of torture herself, [m/g/n]. She was the most beautiful lady in the village, everyone, even [m/n], admitted that. Everyone had high hopes that she would be the one Mattias would pick, but on the day the village presented her to him, he refused. It was soon after that he met [m/n] by accident and fell in love, choosing him as his mate.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Lord Doom-bringer himself," She said in a sweet but venom laced voice, making [m/n] cringe even more by saying that horrible name. She sauntered up to him.

"What's in the basket Lord Doom-bringer?" She asked sweetly, but he knew she was just a snake waiting to strike.

"Some pastries Lord Mattias wanted." [m/n] answered softly. She smiled up at him and snapped her fingers, making two cronies appear behind [m/n].

"Oh really," She said. She then cocked her head to the side. "I bet he'd be pretty mad if he didn't get them, right guys?" She asked. The others snickered.

"Actually... he doesn't know about this, I wanted to surprise him..." [m/n] said softly, hoping they'd spare the sweets because he knew how much Mattias craved them.

"Aww, isn't that sweet?" [m/g/n] said out loud. [m/n] knew it was coming, and he were right; she hit the basket out of his hands as her cronies came from behind. One hit [m/n], knocking him to the ground as the other kicked him right in the gut, causing [m/n] to cough.

The two continued to beat [m/n] up badly, avoiding his face, knowing that Mattias would see the wounds there more easily. After what felt like an eternity, [m/g/n] whistled, causing the two to stop. She walked up to [m/n] and crouched down before grabbing a large chunk of his hair, causing him to whimper a bit.

"Pathetic," She spat out. "You don't deserve to be with someone like Lord Mattias. You should just go die." She then smashed [m/n]'s head into the ground. She stood up and turned towards the village with her snickering cronies. But before she left she looked over at the beaten form of [m/n] on the ground.

"Do us all a favor and die trash, then Lord Mattias can finally be with a gem like me and have offspring who can protect the village." She said, hurting [m/n] in a way she hadn't before. She then walked away, leaving [m/n] to his thoughts as he struggled to stand.

'... She's right... Mattias needs another, someone more deserving, someone who can give him a kid... unlike me...' [m/n] thought sadly. He knew how much Mattias loved children and he knew Mattias would make a great parent.

'Maybe I should...' [m/n] started but shook his head. 'I can't deal with this now. I have to get back to Mattias.' He thought.

He staggered over to the basket and lifted the blanket, letting out a sigh of relief as he saw that most of the sweets were, for the most part, unharmed. Although, the piece of cake Mattias had wanted was now smoothed.

'Not much I can do for the cake, but at least the other stuff in alright.' [m/n] thought to himself. He then walked on the path, wincing with every step he took. When he finally reached the entrance of the cave, a good two hours had passed and now the sun was high in the sky.

[m/n] rested against the cool entrance wall for a moment, taking a deep breath, only to begin a large fit of painful coughing. When it was over, [m/n] was not surprised to see blood on his hand. He sighed and looked down, spotting a very familiar plant; Deadly Nightshade.

It was a plant that, though it looked elegant, it was deadly, very deadly. It could easily kill a human. Suddenly, [m/g/n]'s word's rang through his head;

'You don't deserve to be with someone like Lord Mattias.  You should just go die.'

Feeling overwhelmed, [m/n] carefully took a small amount of the Deadly Nightshade and placed it a handkerchief before putting it securely in a secret compartment in his cloak. He then staggered inside the cave, traveling through the labyrinth to a small open area that was exposed to sunlight and had a small pond and a great tree growing there.

[m/n] walked over to the tree and stored the Deadly Nightshade within a secret hole in the tree that only he knew about. He then went though another cave and into the area that he and Mattias called home.

It was a large space, with treasures here and there, a fire pit that was currently out, food stuffs for them to eat, and a large bedding area where the two spent time resting. [m/n] sighed as he placed the basket on the table, his head beginning to ache and throb.

Just as he was taking his cloak off, the world began to spin for him. [m/n] fell to the ground, black spots appearing in his vision as he began to cough again, more blood spewing forth. He felt numbness beginning to envelop his body as his consciousness began fading away.

'Mattias...'

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Mattias had been out in his dragon form, helping some farmers scare some wolves off when he started to get a bad feeling. He looked towards his mountain, feeling it coming from over there when a dreadful thought hit him;

'Is [m/n] in trouble?' He thought to himself. He decided to check. He raised his wings and took off, flying towards his mountain.

He quickly landed in the one opening on the mountain which had a pond and a great tree, as well as his cave where he lived. One whiff in the air and he felt his heart speed up.

'Blood.' He thought to himself as he transformed into his human form and hurried into the cave, gasping at the sight before him; in a small pool of blood was [m/n].

Mattias ran over and knelled down, bringing [m/n] into his embrace. He panicked, feeling that [m/n] had grown cold. He quickly placed his head onto [m/n]'s chest, praying for a heart beat.

One second... Two seconds... Three seconds...   'thump'.

Mattias breathed a sigh of relief, he had made it in time. He hurried over to their large bed and placed [m/n] in it. Mattias quickly stripped his mate of his cloak and shirt and was appalled by what he saw.

Bruises, cuts, so many wounds, both new and old, littered [m/n]'s torso and back. Mattias was shocked.

'How could anyone dare to harm my precious [m/n]?' Mattias questioned as he began tending to the wounds. He was horrified to find that [m/n] had a broken rib. Using what little healing magic he knew, he quickly healed the rib, but that was all he could do for now.

With his mate's wounds cleaned and wrapped, Mattias turned and used a bit of magic to clean the blood on the floor away. He then lit the fire in the fire pit in hopes of warming his beloved up. He turned to grab a bowl and pitcher when he spotted the basket.

He went over and opened it to find it filled with sweets that, though slightly damaged, were still edible.

'Someone from the village must've attacked my mate while he was getting these.' Mattias thought as he let out a growl. He shook his head and grabbed a bowl and a pitcher, hurrying outside of the cave to get some cool water. He brought them inside and placed them beside the bed, grabbing a cloth and dipping it into the water. He placed the damp cloth on his lover's head.

"Don't worry [m/n], I'll protect you." Mattias said in a loving tone. He carefully laid down beside his mate and brought [m/n] into his protective embrace, hoping to warm his lover's body up. Mattias wrapped the blankets around both of them.

He cracked a small smile as he saw [m/n] snuggle into his chest, a sign that he was getting better. With that, Mattias closed his eyes, resting and deciding to ignore his duties till his mate was better.

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Two days had passed and it was now night and everyone in the village was worried. Nobody had heard from Lord Mattias in those two days and any who dared to try to go near the mountain he dwelt in fled back to the village, saying that they feared the energy surrounding the place.

As for Mattias, for two days he stayed by his lover's side, keeping true to his decision to ignore his duties. He carefully tended to [m/n]'s wounds and gave his mate water and warmth, praying that [m/n] would finally wake up.

Just as the moon had peaked in the sky, [m/n] began to stir. Slowly, his tired eyes fluttered open, his body feeling so weak and so numb. [m/n] was surprised to find himself in the bed. He turned his head slightly to see Mattias with his back to him, looking as though he was preparing something. [m/n] closed his eyes, feeling exhaustion overwhelm him.

He felt something cool and damp press against his forehead as Mattias lovingly caressed [m/n]'s cheek with his free hand. [m/n] slowly opened his eyes again, this time to see the relieved face of his beloved dragon.

"Oh thank the gods you woke up." Mattias said as he placed his forehead against [m/n]'s, letting his tears finally fall. He pulled back and stared at [m/n] with teary eyes. "I-I thought, for horrible m-moment, that I lost ya." Mattias said as he began to sob. [m/n] felt horrible.

"Mattias..." He said in a weak whisper. "It's okay... you would've been fine without me..." [m/n] said in a quiet whisper, but Mattias still heard it, causing him to gasp.

"No I wouldn't!" Mattias yelled, sadness and anger being clearly heard in his voice, making [m/n] flinch weakly. "You're my mate, my chosen, the one person who I love and who loves me as Mattias, not the lord nor the dragon, just plain old Mattias." Mattias said. Tears stung at [m/n]'s eyes as he looked away.

"I'm sorry..." [m/n] said quietly. Mattias shook his head and grabbed [m/n]'s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. Mattias pressed a soft, love filled kiss to [m/n]'s lips, making them both feel the spark they always felt when they kissed. Soon though, Mattias pulled away and wiped [m/n]'s tears away.

"Don't be sorry," Mattias said. He then gave [m/n] a serious look. "Tell me what happened."

"Hmm?" [m/n] softly questioned.

"Why did I find you on the ground, unconscious and injured?" Mattias questioned. Suddenly memories of what happened came back to [m/n]. His eyes began watering again. Seeing this, Mattias kissed the corners of [m/n]'s eyes, kissing away all the tears.

"Shh, I know you don't want to think about this but I need to know so I can prevent this from happening again." Mattias said. He then grabbed a hold of [m/n]'s hand and held it tightly. "I don't want to lose you..." Mattias said in a grieving voice. [m/n] gave a weak squeeze to Mattias's hand.

"Alright... just please stay by my side." [m/n] said softly. Mattias smiled a happy smile and gently nuzzled [m/n]. [m/n] took a deep breathe and explained how he had gone to visit Alfred to pick up some sweets for Mattias and on his way back he was stopped by [m/g/n], making Mattias growl a bit. [m/n] also explain how she attacked him and said all those awful things to him, making Mattias gasp.

"How dare she?!" Mattias bellowed, flames starting to come out of his mouth. [m/n] just gave Mattias's hand a squeeze, getting him to calm down a bit. When he was calmer he placed his forehead against [m/n]'s.

"[m/n], I'm so sorry, but don't worry, I'll protect you from now on." Mattias said in a gentle voice. [m/n] gave a weak smile.

"I know," He said, his voice still weak. Mattias went over to the table and grabbed a glass of water, bringing it over and giving some to [m/n]. Afterwards, Mattias stroked the fire and then got into the bed beside [m/n]. He carefully moved [m/n] into his embrace, letting [m/n] rest his head on Mattias's arm.

"Goodnight my precious [m/n]." Mattias said, pressing a gentle kiss to [m/n]'s forehead. "Jeg elsker dig." [m/n] let his eyes flutter shut as he moved closer to Mattias.

"Goodnight Mattias... love you too..." [m/n] said in a sleepy voice letting himself relax in his lover's warm embrace.

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A month went by and during the entirety of it Mattias stayed by [m/n]'s side, only leaving for a few moments to get water. When [m/n] was finally all healed, Mattias made sure that he would be safe while he went to the village.

The villagers were overjoyed to see their protector, that is, till they felt his anger. When Mattias began lecturing the villagers in his dragon form, they realized the seriousness of their actions towards [m/n] and felt bad but none admitted to it. The only one whom Mattias wasn't mad with was Alfred, who actually treated [m/n] nicely. When the bulk of lecture was over Mattias moved onto the punishments.

"[m/g/n], you and [r/n #1] as well as [r/n #2], step forward." Mattias growled out. The three stepped forward.

"You all will be severely punished for what you did. As punishment, I banish thee from this land!" Mattias said, voice booming. [m/g/n] just stood there with her mouth open, her face turning red with anger.

"Why the hell should I be punished for trying to get rid of that stupid Lord Doom-bringer?! He's going to be the death of this village, he can't even-"

"SILENCE!" Mattias roared in anger, causing [m/g/n] to quiver in fear. Mattias brought his head down to her level and glared at her.

"Let me be clear: I don't care if my mate can or can not give me offspring, I only care that they love me for me and that is exactly what [m/n] does and you had never done. Now leave this land and never return." Mattias said in a deadly voice. Alfred snickered quietly as he watched the three haters board a ship and be sent away.

Afterwards Mattias went back to care for [m/n] with Alfred tagging along to visit. While visiting, Alfred recounted what Mattias did, making [m/n] smile.

From that point on, things only got better for [m/n] now that his tormentors were gone and the people at least acted civil towards him. He and Mattias spent many happy and blissful years together, loving each other and supporting each other through thick and thin, even managing to adopt a young orphaned dragon who brought the two so much joy.

~ Fin ~