Panghur

@cr0ws (Thank you for your patience! Their story came out longer than I intended but I hope you enjoy! And I'd love to write more of them in the future tbh-) ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
The wind was howling that day, screaming against the mountain as it rushed past. Overcast skies and thick snow obscured Luuk’s vision as he climbed to the entrance. Though this weather was not uncommon in the realm of Ghost’s Edge, a clan he had started to frequent in the recent months. The tunnels ran deep here, obscuring the secrets that lie beyond every twist and turn. Luuk had been searching these tunnels for seemingly hours now, thus he was surprised when the smooth rock abruptly turned to jagged ice. The air here was far colder than the rest, his lungs burning as he dared to go deeper, and that’s when he saw him.

The Warden.

He had heard passing tales of this sentinel, the hulking Imperial that hid under his hood, stowed underground to guard the prison of this clan. Luuk couldn’t help but marvel at the dragon, the frost that curled on the edge of his wings, form shining in the soft glow of the ice.

“Who are you?” the Warden murmured from under his cowl, voice a soft hum.

Luuk smiled, padding over to the Imperial, “I’m Luuk, a diplomat from a clan in the Plague flight. I was hoping to meet you actually!”

The Warden titled his head, looking down at this visitor draped in silks and twinkling with previous metals and fineries. He had never seen the sky or anything close to it, yet this stranger shined like everything he thought it might be. “Is that so?” he rumbled.

Electric blue eyes greeted him, ringed in a dark kohl, only making them shine even brighter, “Yes, it is! I’ve heard of you in my past visits here, whispers here and there-”

The Imperial scoffed, narrowing his eyes, “Whispers and gossip are nothing I’m interested in. I’m not an oddity to gawk at for your amusement.”

Luuk recoiled from his harsh glare, large whiskers curled in a growl, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

The Warden held up a paw, shaking his head, “If you have nothing to inform me of, you may leave, we’ve made our acquaintance. I don’t wish to become the pawn of more stories.”

Luuk’s wings drooped, frigid emblems dulling at the response, “I understand, I shall leave if that’s what you wish.” The Nocturne turned away, walking back the way he came, head low.

The Warden’s heart tugged as he left, but it was best not to get attached to a curious stranger. They had done him no good in the past anyways.

It had been another month before Luuk had dared to venture down to the prison again. He always looked towards the tunnel each visit since then, but always got pulled away by another acquaintance asking about his home or trade deals or anything that pulled him away from the tunnel that always blew a soft wind his way, the cold licking at his scales. Now though, he finally was able to get away to glide down the tunnel once more.

The Warden stood in silence, the laughs and whispers of those beyond the doors taunting him to let them out or perhaps just indulge in conversation; just a few words wouldn’t hurt, wouldn’t bite. Their lies are something he may have believed in his youth, the tortured cries of the supposed innocents that plead for just one more dragon to add to their list of betrayals. He shook his head, ears perking at the soft rustle of fabrics and clinking of jewels as they rounded the corner.

The Warden was just as beautiful as Luuk remembered, draped in thick cloths, edged in frost, the kiss of the Icewarden on his brow with the halo that framed his face in an attempt to brighten his features under that dark hood. They stood across from each other, the air hinged on unspoken words as the Imperial peered at his visitor.

Luuk took a deep breath, fumbling with the silks in his claws, “I believe we started out on the wrong foot last time,” he moved closer, nervously avoiding the Imperial’s gaze, “I was hoping to start over, apologize for my offense. I wanted to bring you these as a gift, perhaps they could add a bit of softness to your days here.”

Luuk presents the Imperial with gossamer armbands, the silvery fabric seems to glow in this light, almost slipping through his paws as Luuk hands it to him. It’s expensive, he has no doubt, its smoothness is a comfort he hasn’t felt since his younger years. His heart raced at the gift, he’s never had anyone give him a present, especially nothing that is just for decoration, for the simple pleasure.

“Ah let me put it on for you,” the Nocturne hums, claws skimming the Imperial’s scales, clicking the simple fastenings into place, “There, much better!” He smiles, clasps on his horns twinkling at the movement, eyes soft as he looks up at the Imperial with adoration.

The Warden is deathly still as silence overtakes them, Luuk internally panicking, wondering if he truly went too far, before a hushed, “T-Thank you,” reverberates through the cavern, the Imperial stunned by the simple display.

Luuk beams, clasping his hands together, “You’re most welcome! I hope you’ll enjoy them, I honestly guessed the sizing when I made them-”

“You sewed this? For me?”, the Imperial murmured, mouth ajar, “After how
I treated you last time you were here?”

Luuk laughed softly, taking the large paw into his, “Of course, I couldn’t leave our meeting like that. I’m sure it’s hard down here enough as it is, you deserve to have nice things as well, not just those on the upper levels.” He smoothed over the calloused scales, thumbing over them, “I was hoping to catch your name at least, leave you a gift, even if you never wished for me to return.”

“Panghur,” the Imperial whispered as if he could scare the other dragon away, “It’s Panghur.”

Panghur had lived a long life, seen the endless flow of prisoners, sparse visitors, but none had ever treated him so tenderly as Luuk did. It had been so long since he’d seen such open kindness and warmth in this frigid land. The way his eyes brightened at the revelation, claws gently tightening around his paw, the quiet way his body exuded a barely constrained joy. It was all so, pure. Unrestrained. Free. Without the shackles he’d placed on his heart long ago.

“Panghur,” Luuk chirped, testing the way it rolled off his tongue, “What a beautiful name.”

Panghur felt heat rise to his scales, hoping his cowl hid the flush. Luuk released his paw, glancing back towards the tunnel, a frown dusting his face.

“I’d love to stay Panghur, but I must leave before the next snowstorm comes in,” he regretfully looked back towards the Imperial, his satins knocked askew at the movement.

“Don’t fret, I shall be here when you return Luuk,” Panghur smiled gently, adjusting the satin scarf around Luuk’s neck without thinking, scales soft under his touch. The emblems on Luuk glowed a little brighter, eyes shining at the prospect. He went to hug the Imperial, feeling the body tense under his touch before relaxing as he felt a large paw on his back, a content hum coming from Panghur’s chest. Luuk purred back leaning into the embrace, before looking up at the Imperial, gently pulling away.

“Till we meet again, Panghur,” Luuk purred with a playful smile, gliding back up through the tunnel, heart pounding in his chest, leaving the blushing Imperial behind until next time.