The Forbidden Mountain Of Love (Cursed!King!Malleus Draconia x Reader)
(Warning- Angst ahead Inspired by @ventique18 's post! 💕)
…How he loathed you. Loathed your touch, your eyes, your flesh…how he despised how much it made him erupt with an untameable warmth in his chest, threatening to consume him whole. He was squinting at you- how relaxed you were, the little human, sitting at a chair at his dining table chatting away with an attendant or two as though it was the most natural thing in the world to you. How he loathed…how much he desired you, yet knew he could not have you.
How had you happened upon him, again? You had been exploring and spending your day walking about in the forest. That is, until you happened upon a patch of jet black, ivory thorny vines that twisted up towards the sky and acted as a wicked looking fence. A fence that soon parted the way for you and you only. Parted the way for you to behold his grandiose castle atop the dark mountain. He should have killed you then. Perhaps his obsession would have been stopped. But nooooo. He let you go, wanting to see what a good little toy you could possibly be to play with. Feelings of positivity were…foreign to him, long gone with the passing of his one and only friend…nay, family in this world due to old age. Yet his blood burned and boiled with the desire to continue his bloodline…that spirit that cursed him was a wicked one at that, making him so undesirable that he knew he wouldn't even be able to force someone to love him. To love someone so…wicked. No, they'd rather die than be forced to lay with him to bear his offspring. Many lives were lost. Yet…you looked at him differently. So…he would stop at nothing to have you.
“...Malleus, is this a ring in my stew?”
“Hm?”
Malleus lifted his head slowly, biting down the wicked grin that was threatening to tug at his lips upon the sight of you finding the ring he had left for you in your meal.
“Why, isn't that peculiar? Is that a word spelled out in it as well?”
Your eyebrow perked up as you used your spoon to part the way through the broth to read what the vegetables within were spelling.
“...Uhh…m…a…r- marriage?”
Malleus’ eyebrows and eyes slightly rose and widened in unison- as though he was feigning shock.
“My oh my. You know what that combination means in the olden texts, don't you, dear?”
“Uh…no?”
“It means you must marry the first person whose eyes you lock gazes with after reading it. And that appears to be…me.”
Your eyebrow rose a little higher at his words. You had somewhat gotten used to these weird antics of his by now- they were a ritual, by now.
“...Uh huh. Where's the book?”
Upon seeing Malleus’ eyebrow faintly twitch and listening to him clear his throat…you could tell it was yet another…antic.
“Oh, that doesn't matter, does it-”
“Uh…yeah, it does. And you're not fooling me, your Highness.”
“...Tch. Cheeky little beastie…”
You watched him evade your gaze and mutter under his breath. How long would it take for the next one?
“...When did he have time to set all of this up-”
Not long. Upon exiting the dining hall to begin to make the trek back to the room you had essentially claimed as your “home away from home” one, you could see that the hallway was littered with flower crowns, sheets of paper carefully penned with the words “marriage contract” at the top, mistletoe overhead…and multiple variations of rings. You slowly turned your head to look behind you- Malleus had darted behind a pillar by then so he would not be spotted. You knew he was there. The rule of this was simple- don't let your foot or finger or any portion of your body touch any of it. So, you began to traverse carefully throughout the hallway. Malleus allowed his gaze to narrow as he watched you. He whisked his finger, a marriage contract soaring in your direction- until you ducked to avoid it. His lips curled into a faint snarl. Why were you so good at that-
…And then again when you went to bathe, he lurked-
“Is it warm enough?”
“-You're lucky that the water is covering me fully. Yeah, it's fine-”
“Mhm…did you know that rose petals are a symbol of lo-”
“Yes, Lord Malleus, I know what roses are a symbol of.”
“...Ah. Well, did you know that lavender roses are symbols o-”
“You mean the lavender rose I took out of the bottom of the tub and placed over there before I ran the water?”
You pointed to a barrel that was nearby. Malleus followed your gaze. The lavender rose was settled upon the top of it. He frowned.
“...Mhm.”
“Uh huh.”
You sometimes would wake up in the middle of the night to find him within your room. Sometimes, he would be gazing upon you and your form silently. Other times, he would be at your window, watching the moon in utter silence. He seemed to be just as dark and sharp as those thorns that surrounded his castle…but, you were slowly starting to see beyond this mask of cruelty. He was…frightened. Frightened of being alone in this world. You had seen faint glimpses of behind the paintings in the grand halls, of what you presumed to be his parents and a general. Maybe…losing them made him lose himself. You did always note that he would stiffen and stifle what seemed to be a sniff upon spying a bat flying in the night sky. You…didn't dare ask.
You had arisen from your bed rather late that night. The night you found him, in the darkness. Your eyes trailed to a lone Malleus in his throne room. He was staring at it, gripping the arms of the grand seating- and that was when you saw it. The swirling black and dark pink energy. The energy…that began to speak.
“Oh deeeaaarrr. Did you fail to coerce them once more? Poor, lonesome king~”
“Can't you leave me be? You are not him. You will never be him-”
“I am him to you now. The general you lost with your selfishness. The father figure…the only one you cared for? How does it feel, my Lord~?”
You watched the king of faes shake and tremble at the sound of that deep yet teasing tone. How it twisted around him like a bind. The way his muscles tightened as he threatened to shatter the throne entirely under his grasp.
“You have been cursed since the moment you were born. You are meant for nothing but the darkness you bring…and that is all you ever will be…Malleus~”
“Silence…”
“Do you truly believe one such as they would ever hold feelings for one such as you?”
“...Silence…”
“Maybe you should have left instead of me. You remember my name, don't you, king? Lilia Vanr-”
“I SAID SILENCE!”
BOOM!
Lightning struck the sky, wood splintering under the king's mighty grasp, thunder roared outside. You could feel a cold air beginning to creep inside the room. You were forced to leave it as quietly as you came thanks to how swiftly the frost was building…lest you be frozen entirely.
Those next few days…he was kinder. The only “fee” you had to pay before exiting to go about your daily activities was…a smile. That was all he asked for. But now…you had something in mind. Something for the beauty beneath that beast that you were beginning to see in full.
“Hey, uh- Malleus?”
“...Yes?”
The king's head rose from the scripture he had been scanning, his eyebrow raising ever so softly. Your eyes lowered to the now empty plate of food that he had before him atop a table.
“I think something's wrong with your plate. Did you look at it?”
Malleus lowered the scripture. His brows furrowed as he began inspecting the plate meticulously.
“No…what is wrong with it, beastie?”
“Ah, you can't see it?”
Your expression shifted to one of mild concern as you met his gaze. His expression began to mirror your own.
“Can't see what?”
You motioned for him to pick the plate up and turn it around. He did as you said- and that was when his eyes widened and his brows rose. There was a jet black thorn beneath…that had been molded to have the appearance of a ring. A wedding ring. Malleus slowly lifted his eyes to meet your gaze, tears threatening to break free.
“Woaaahhh- you know the superstition for a ring made from thorns, right? Well- I guess that means we have to get married. You're okay with that, right?”
Slowly but surely…for the first time in years, Malleus smiled out of warmth, light, and love…and not of wickedry, pain, and mischief.
~End~
















