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ink-asunder · 4 years

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Dragon Hazel, Human Sacrifice - Doctor Strange Fanfiction

A/N: Here’s part two of the Dragon!Hazel-wants-a-human-companion-offering fic. ( @writer-deann )

Characters: Stephen Strange, the Ancient One, La Gaelik (Hazel) (female OC)

Setting: The Ancient One lives au, also there’s dragons au.

Summary: While reinstating a peace treaty with the Masters of the Mystic Arts, a reclusive dragon decides she wants a human sacrifice. For companionship, she claims. Though the conditions of such a task turn out to be more convoluted than anyone expected.

Word count: 1,702

Part 1 - Part 2 (here)

They finally found a volunteer from Kamar-taj. A strappling young man from the acolyte rank. He said his goodbyes to his peers and parents, then Wong and Stephen took him to the lair of La Gaelik. The dragon roused as they approached her and murmured some quick greeting so they’d be allowed to speak.

“We have brought our sacrifice,” Stephen gestured to the young man, who stood up straight and watched the dragon carefully. “Please accept our offering in exchange for your peace.”

She eyed the boy. “What is this?”

“What?”

She blinked. Stephen tried to be more polite this time. “I’m sorry?”

“This is a boy,” the dragon stated in a bored tone. “I wanted a girl.”

Stephen felt his jaw clench. “Then you should’ve said—”

Wong kicked his shin to shut him up and bowed his head to the dragon.

“Of course, ma’am. We’ll bring your companion soon.”

And they left before anything else could go wrong.

* * *

“She didn’t take him,” the Ancient One stated as Stephen met her by the window of the New York Sanctum.

“You knew?” Stephen asked. She didn’t look away from the window. “Of course you did.”

Her voice was oddly reserved when she spoke again. He hadn’t heard her speak in such away since their final confrontation before fighting Kaecilius. He had a mind to ask her what was wrong, but he knew he wouldn’t get an answer from her if she hadn’t already told him.

“Find a companion that suits her,” the Ancient One ordered. “Fulfill her orders. We need this treaty.”

* * *

Luckily, there were a number of novices and acolytes willing to volunteer, so Stephen and Wong had a selection to pick through for their discerning critic. They picked a young woman who was a novice and brought her to the dragon.

“You’re back,” the dragon glanced at them. Stephen gestured to the young woman they brought.

“Your sacrifice,” he offered.

The dragon straightened and inched closer to scrutinize the girl. At least she looked this time.

“Not bad,” she murmured. “She’s a little young, don’t you think?”

Stephen glanced slowly between the dragon and the woman, who gave him a mortified look.

“Would you prefer... older?”

“I don’t want to take a novice away from her studies, no,” the dragon pulled back and settled back on her ledge of stone.

“Alright,” Stephen nodded and pursed his lips before he said something he regretted.

The next woman they brought was a higher acolyte.

“Are you well-read?” the dragon questioned her.

“Quite,” the acolyte replied. “I love reading.”

“Mm,” the dragon hummed and tilted her head. “And are you able-bodied?”

“Yes. Whatever you ask of me, I can perform as well as any human.”

That was a statement of hubris, but no one questioned her. This was the third person Stephen had brought to La Gaelik, and his patience was running thin.

“Are you good at playing chess?” the dragon asked.

“Yes, ma’am. We had a club at my high school.”

“That’s too bad.”

Stephen slowly turned to glare at Wong.

“I don’t want someone who is good at chess,” the dragon dismissed. “Bring me someone else.”

* * *

Stephen’s patience was wearing thin. Amidst the tens of offerings taken to the dragon, she accepted not a single one of them. And with each companion, she gave another piece of helpful and progressively more specific feedback.

“Can you play erhu?”

“No...”

“Unacceptable, bring me another.”

The quest for a suitable offering became a draft. Instead of finding a volunteer, all masters and acolytes in the order were called forth and interviewed based on their meeting the convoluted criteria for the dragon. So far, they needed a female of acolyte or higher rank who was above the age of consent and preferably older, able-bodied, a skilled spellcaster, well-read, didn’t like playing chess, and could play erhu. After several days of struggling to find a suitor, a few people assembled group erhu lessons in their spare time.

Stephen and Wong brought the most suitable woman they could find. It would be a hard loss, but they were running out of options. The dragon leveled Stephen with an ill-amused look.

“This is a virgin, Stephen,” she snapped.

“How was I supposed to know that?” he demanded. He was getting tired of their game.

“I’m sure you will next time.”

Stephen had to kick a nearby bush once the three of them left the cave.

“Well, at least she’s not cliche,” he finally muttered.

So, now the requirements included someone who was sexually active, and Stephen did not let himself consider what that implied about this contract; he just kept looking. After that, the instructions got even more niche and unreasonable. Has an allergy to acetaminophen. Can ride horses. Is a dog person. Has had head trauma at some point in her life.

“Does she have to be cisgender?” Stephen asked after another rejection.

“Stephen!” the dragon straightened, shocked and offended.

“I’m just asking!”

Finally, they found someone who met the specific requirements. Anything based on opinion was altered—don’t like dogs? Now you do. Won a chess tournament? Now you have amnesia and don’t know how to play. Even then, it was so difficult. And Stephen was about to lose his damn mind.

Now, he stood to the side of the cave, turning a twig in his hands to keep them busy as they waited. The dragon observed the woman they brought, but Stephen had come to recognize her immeasurable, day-ruining disappointment.

“Have you ever seen Star Wars?” she asked.

“Yes.” There was no point lying. No doubt she’d be disappointed whatever the answer.

And disappointed she was.

“Alright,” she sighed. “You can go home now.”

Stephen snapped the stick he’d been holding in half.

“How do you even know what that is?” he demanded.

“There’s a drive-in movie theater some dozen miles from here,” the dragon replied. And that was all their was to it.

Stephen was close to giving up. As he, Wong, and the woman returned to Kamar-taj, they were met by the Ancient One. Stephen could barely meet her eyes. That was the last person in their order they could’ve found. If they wanted to appease the dragon, they’d need to branch out of their order, and who knew if they could do that safely.

They met with the Ancient One in her study, who avoided looking at them for a long time, like she was guilty of something.

“Now we need someone whose never seen Star Wars,” Stephen relayed the information in an exasperated tone. “That was our last potential candidate. If we’re going to fulfill our end of the deal, we’ll need to branch out. Though I don’t know how we’re going to do that safely and humanely....”

“No, we don’t need to do that....” The Ancient One looked up. Her expression was dismal. A grim pout. A guilty grim pout.

Stephen raised his eyebrows.

“I haven’t seen Star Wars,” she quietly admitted. Stephen leaned forward.

“And as for all that other stuff?”

The Ancient One pursed her lips. “I think she wants me specifically.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Stephen demanded. No, he knew why. She was the Sorcerer Supreme. She couldn’t just abandon her order and her duties to be some dragon’s pet. Perhaps she found it a better solution to ignore the possibility entirely.

Stephen gave a sigh of defeat, and the Ancient One sat up a little straighter.

“We’ll negotiate with her tomorrow. After you take me to her.”

Stephen nodded. This whole peace talk business was an absolute mess.

* * *

The dragon was lying down as usual with her back to them this time as they entered the cave. She called a greeting over her shoulder, but didn’t turn.

“We’ve brought your final sacrifice,” Stephen announced. “She meets all your criteria.”

The dragon scoffed. “Does she have green eyes?”

The Ancient One spoke this time. “Yes.”

The dragon twisted around as if startled. She stared with a face of awe and disbelief at her offering. The Ancient One stood before her, dressed in golden robes, a labrodorite pendant hanging from her neck. In that moment, La Gaelik thought she might tremble beneath the blessing of the other’s gaze.

The dragon then sat back and grinned.

“It’s about time you showed up,” she said. “What took you so long?”

“Well, not that you noticed, but I’ve been recovering from an injury,” the Ancient One replied. “I haven’t had time to come see you, Haalaan.”

“Oh, I noticed, Giin,” the dragon tilted her head, a mischievous look in her eye.

Stephen glanced at Wong, who leaned closer to him.

“Giin means ‘mine,’” Wong explained. “She’s accepted her.”

“Great,” Stephen muttered. When he looked back up, the Ancient One was already standing right in front of the dragon with her arms draped around the dragon’s neck. The dragon closed her eyes and flicked her tail contently.

“Now you’re trying to force me into early retirement,” the Ancient One mumbled against the dragon’s fur.

“There’s nothing ‘early’ about anything you do, Ancient One.”

The Ancient One grinned up at her. “How could I stay here when I have an order to lead? You’ve always been so self-indulgent.”

The dragon pressed her head against the Ancient One’s chest. “I only wanted to see you, Giin. Go back home.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

Not a day later, Stephen found the Ancient One in the courtyard with someone he’d never seen before. A woman with wild black hair was lying across the veranda with her head in the Ancient One’s lap. She seemed peacefully asleep as the Ancient One calmly brushed a hand through her hair.

“New recruit?” Stephen guessed quietly. The stranger spoke up in a lazy voice, eyes still closed.

“No, Stephen, I’m not here for mentorship....”

That voice! Stephen froze in his tracks, obviously flustered, as he looked between the girl and the Ancient One.

“That’s not—”

“I’m her companion, remember?” the Ancient One grinned. “This was the best negotiating we could come to since I couldn’t leave the sanctuary.”

Stephen stared at the dragon in human form draped across the Ancient One’s lap.

“This has to be violating our treaty in some way.”

Fin.

#my writing #my fanfic #doctor strange #doctor strange fanfiction #the ancient one #stephen strange #oc #hazel grace #the ancient one x oc #dragonverse #dragon!hazel #sitcom au #dragon girlfriend au #marvel #mcu

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