A Rose Amongst the Dragons, page 12
part #1 of A Rose Amongst the Dragons Series
Thelton slid his hand over the knobs and uneven slabs of lumber, looking for the familiar ridged hole. The door was uneven pieces of pine that looked like it had been stuck together by a child. There was no door handle; such a thing would suggest that all were welcome to enter. No, the medicine woman was too private for that.
Thelton felt around until his finger dipped into the ridged hole on the door. He pressed his finger inward, it unlatched the hinge and with an ear piercing creak, the door fell open. The medicine woman glared at the intruder. The bright sun behind his silhouette made it impossible for her to see who had come a calling.
Her anger boiled inside, “How dare anyone enter unannounced,” she mumbled.
Thelton walked into the main room of the small cottage while the smell of cumin, hemlock, and mildew danced on his nose. The cottage was dark and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the light change. While he stood at audience for the medicine woman, the door behind him closed. He did not turn to look at it, but stood facing the back of the room. He knew she would be there, in her tattered straw bed.
The eerie silence was broken by a cackle and whoop of delight from the shadows in the back. While Thelton’s eyes continued to adjust, he felt the force of a figure thrown upon him. An ear piercing squeal accompanied the assault.
“My child, you have come and remembered an old lady. I so have missed you.” The medicine woman wrapped her bony arms around Thelton’s waist while plastering his face with wet sloppy kisses. Her breath reeked of rotten boar. Thelton was the only person in the world that could call upon her without an invitation. He choked on her stench while pushing her away.
Shapes began to transform into images as his eyes adjusted. The medicine woman looked two hundred years old. Her eyes were squished tight with little slits. Her face was prominently wrinkled, with a big nose crinkled in the middle. Her ears were almost the length of her face with wild little hairs that escaped from their openings. Each time her mouth opened, a vapor of stink escaped, showing her bare mouth with only four pointed rotten teeth left. Thelton was sure that it was her elixirs that kept her alive so long, for she looked like death. Her clothes were tattered and dirty, and everything about her made Thelton uncomfortable. His visits were always to give her dragon scales or other dragon parts, and he tried really hard to keep them short. She was in his debt for she needed the things he had to sale. This time was the first time he came looking for a favor from her. Thelton gazed around the small cottage. It was cluttered and every corner was stuffed with her collection of weeds, grasses, bark, powders, cloths, and many other items.
“Oh Thelton, you are so late. I was called upon by the Duke of Frantro. I hate the guy, but he had a devious plan for which he needed my help. I only agreed because I liked the chaos he was planning. When I went to mix his position, I was embarrassed, for there were no dragon scales left. I tell you, I would have so liked to have helped, not for the spineless little man, but for his plan, it would have caused great destruction. Hurry, my love, give me your scales.”
The medicine women greedily held out her knobby withered hands. The skin was pulled so tightly on them that they looked like they would tear open. She was drooling and shaking at anticipation. She depended on Thelton.
Thelton slightly bowed, “I am sorry. I am not here to sell anything toady.”
“What?” the medicine woman screeched so loudly it hurt Thelton’s ears, and he had to place his hands over them to block off her shrillness. “How must I make my medicines if you have nothing to give me?” The medicine woman began running around her cottage in a fury while her flailing arms knocked clay pots off the shelves.
Thelton grabbed her and steadied her.
“I didn’t mean to disappoint. The king has held me in the castle for some time, because of that I have not had a chance to hunt. But my Lady, I go on the biggest hunt today, and for this time I will clear the forest of all dragons. If I meet success, I will have over fifty dragons worth of scales to bring to you.”
The medicine women stood still, panting heavily. “Fifty dragons you say? That would be enough scales to see me through many moons.”
“Yes.”
“So, why are you here?”
“I need your help.”
The medicine woman’s heart leapt, because never had Thelton needed her for anything. Her blood began to warm her cold extremities. Her clammy hands captured Thelon’s.
“What may I do for you?” She asked with pride.
“Two things. First, I need something to help me bring them down. I will need powerful magic if I am to succeed.”
The medicine woman began laughing hysterically. She released Thelton and fell to the ground because she was laughing so hard. “You are looking to cheat. The great dragon slayer is going to cheat.” She continued laughing.
Thelton did feel a little sheepish about his plan. Nonetheless; he really didn’t want to take any chances. Without any defense, he stood there and endured her ridicule. The cottage was humid and muggy, he struggled to breathe. He hoped she would settle down and help him soon, because he was beyond ready to leave.
When the medicine woman found composure, she asked. “And the second thing is?”
“I have a dilemma. The king is insisting that I take forty men with me. I do not hunt with others. I need a diversion to rid myself of their presence. Any ideas?”
The medicine woman became extremely serious. “Oh, I have just the thing. Luckily for you, it doesn’t require dragon scales to make.”
The medicine woman ran to a pile of dried weeds and began madly rummaging through them. Little pieces of stalk dropped all around her because she was not very delicate. Thelton stood watching. She turned to him and grabbed his hand.
“You sound to have a busy day. Come; rest on my bed while I make your order.” She dragged Thelton over to the crumpled pile of bedding in the back of the cottage. As they approached it, a rat dived behind the bedding. Fleas were jumping around on the bed and there was rotten food crumbled all over it, he cringed at the thought of touching such a disgusting piece of furniture.
“I decline,” he said.
“Nonsense, you need your strength.” The medicine woman shoved a bitter film in his mouth, instantly it dissolved.
“What was that?”he demanded. Thelton’s mouth burned at the thought that she had slipped something in. He started spitting all over her floor in attempts to rid his mouth of her unwanted gift.
“Don’t worry, dear, it is just a sleeping agent. It’ll give you robustness for your hunt. I am like the king. I want those dragons, and for that, you must be well rested and strong.”
Thelton’s vision went hazy, he quickly lost consciousness. Despite the medicine woman’s small frame, she was able to lower him to the bed. She returned to her dry weeds while Thelton slept. A piece of yellow paper slid under her door.
When Thelton awoke, it looked as if the princess was sitting on the corner of the bed. He sat up in a hurry, he was confused.
“Princess?” He asked.
“I can be,” she replied. Thelton scanned the room to gather his bearings. It all came back to him, remembering that he was at the medicine woman’s cottage. Her now soft hands ran up his arm.
“There is no way you are the princess. Who are you?”
“I am whoever you want me to be.”
Thelton suddenly caught on, he knew who it was. “You are the medicine woman, but why did you make yourself look like the princess?”
The beautiful girl stuck her lip in a pout as she handed him the king’s proclamation.
“Thelton, I will be whoever you want me to be. But, it looks here like the princess is your type.” Thelton looked at the king’s proclamation announcing the marriage of his daughter to Thelton.
“Listen, I am a lone man. I travel alone. I will never marry the princess, of course I won’t be telling the king that just yet. You can undo your ridiculous spell because I assure you, she is not my type.”
“What is your type, my lovely? I am old and ready to settle down. Can you believe that I too have never married? I’m changing in my old age, I am getting lonely. I will be whoever you want me to be.” Her attempts of affection made Thelton physically sick.
He put his hands on the medicine woman’s shoulders. “I want you to be you. I will call on you and make visits, but I will never settle down with a woman. Not even a beautiful medicine woman in her own natural beauty.” Thelton winked at the medicine woman, he knew how to play people when he wanted to.
“Oh well, it was worth a shot. After you kill those fifty dragons, I might put a spell on you to change your mind.”
“All right,” Thelton said. “We shall see. I must be off now. Do you have the potions ready?”
…
A small army of men gathered in front of the castle. Many of them were farmers, but most of them were peasants. The king had chosen commoners because he felt they were expendable. If something happened to them, it wouldn’t be detrimental to the kingdom. At first he had thought about using his soldiers, but he felt their services were better used to guard the kingdom, and besides, his army of soldiers was small since he had always reigned in peace. They were costly to maintain and if something happened to them, he would have to put out more money to train more soldiers. He felt confident that Thelton would be safe, because in his eyes, Thelton was invincible. He was well skilled and he would lead the men to success! As the men waited for the king’s orders, their excitement elevated. Never before had they had a chance to serve the crown. Now was the time to prove their abilities. They were about to make history. Their anticipation peaked as the king walked out on his balcony. The men quieted and turned and bowed. With his permission, they arose and awaited their leader.
“Thank you fine men for assembling on such short, and yet, very urgent notice. Today is a monumental day, one that will be recorded in the history books. Today we rid our kingdom of dragons! No more will farmers watch those beasts destroy their livelihood. No longer will our animals be carried away. We end it today!”
The crowd cheered in acceptance while their adrenaline surged and elation rose. The king was stroking their already burning internal flames. They were up to the king’s task.
“As you go off into battle, I have secured the finest leader alive; Sir Thelton of Andleburg. I expect you to follow him and obey his every command. He is the best.”
The men cheered. Most of them revered Thelton. He had been an icon in the kingdom for several years now. Each man there had their own agenda. They saw themselves getting on first name basis with the hero. They would toast a flask of ale with him. Jokes would be shared. Here was their chance to work side by side with the legendary dragon slayer. It was happening, it was real.
Thelton walked out onto the balcony and took his place on the right side of the king. The men went wild with excitement while Thelton basked in the praise. He liked the honor; however, he looked at the men with a sour taste in his mouth. He had no desire to work with them.
“As Sir Thelton leads you, there is another great person that will guide you. I want you to meet the man that accepted the king’s challenge and found the queen dragon. Without him, there would be no hunt. Flance of Candleshaw, step forward.” The men parted below the balcony and Flance took a few steps through the crowd and bowed to the king. When he arose, he glared up at Thelton.
“I have one final man to offer for your hunt. Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor. He comes to represent me. You will watch over him at all costs, for we cannot afford to lose him as a kingdom.” The men cheered heartily when Trevor walked out with the king. Most of the kingdom had heard about Trevor’s kind heart. They were all convinced that his utmost intentions were to serve the people.
“Thelton will lead, Flance will guide, and Trevor will advise. Good luck men.” The king turned and went into the castle. Thelton scowled back down at Flance, what was he doing alive? Things just got complicated.
…
The hunting party had everything in order; there were three wagons filled with food, weapons, tools, bedding, tarps, and clothing. The morning air was still chilly and the wind rushed through all layers. The men wiggled a bit as they waited to start the expedition. Despite the brisk air, they had the thrill of the hunt to keep them from freezing. They waited for Thelton to join them and give them orders. While they lingered in miserable frigid conditions, Thelton seemed to be taking his time in the castle. The men grew anxious and annoyed. They were cold and ready to get started. Flance saw this as his chance to ditch Thelton and rule the men.
“Fine men; how noble of you to leave family and friends and be on the king’s errand. I and I alone know the way to the dragon queen. I say we proceed and serve our king.”
“We must wait for The Dragon Slayer,” a man yelled out.
Flance put his left hand on his son’s shoulder. “Aw, it sounds like a good idea, but where is Thelton? While we are outside freezing he is in the castle eating with the king, drinking ale, and staying warm, not once caring about the fact that we are out here getting frost bite while he is inside peeling off layers of clothes. He has no regard for us. I have personally met him and he did that to my arm.” Flance pointed at his missing right arm. “Yes, your hero took my arm from me. He is not one of us. Thelton is not the hero that you think. He is conceited, arrogant, and he doesn’t care about any of you. He will use you and spit you out. The king has appointed me as a leader as well. Let us start now, forget Thelton. I will lead you to battle.” In his excitement, Flance inhaled the frosty air. It penetrated his lungs and sent him into a coughing fit. The men just stood by, unmoved by his inability to breath, they began turning their backs to him. His son looked up at his father in fear.
Although Flance had respect of the men, they didn’t know or trust him, no one forgetting that he wasn’t even from their kingdom, he was from Candleshaw. They were unsure of his true motives. Thelton was their own and always had been. Their alliance remained firm with him.
When his coughing stopped, Flance raised his sword in the air and began walking to the direction of the Vegus Forest. The men parted out of his way. Flance took a few steps but could sense that he was alone. He turned and faced the men, not one had followed him.
“Brave men, why do you not follow? Do you not know that I have slain several dragons? I am a warrior fit to lead. You heard the king recommended me for the task. Let us begin.”
“Ahh, shut up,” someone yelled.
“Dear men,” he tried again. A half eaten apple flew out of the crowd and hit Flance on the side of the head. His face reddened as his blood boiled. He was not winning the men over. He decided to shut up. He didn’t want to drive them away. He would be quiet for now. As they traveled, he would use what every measure he could in order to win the men away. He had a few ideas in his wagon.
As the sun broke through the horizon, the air began to warm. The men’s breath was still visible, but at least they could feel the sun’s rays on their skin. Their extremities began to thaw and tingle. A few birds awoke and could be heard in the trees. Finally, Thelton walked out amongst the men. They all gathered around, waiting to hear a victory rally. Instead, they received nothing; Thelton didn’t even look at a one of them. He stared forward, passed them and began to walk away from the castle. The men grabbed their things and fell behind.
Alone, Thelton could make it to the Vegus forest from the castle in a full day. As he walked, he could feel the men dragging him down. His anger built. He was not going to spend idle time waiting for them. He was resentful to be stuck with them. They weren’t going to be helpful. Already they were dragging him down and getting in his way.
He didn’t look behind to keep an eye on them, for he just kept trekking along. The more he walked, the more he could sense that some were falling behind. When he had a quarter of the journey to the forest left, he felt someone yank his shoulder. Thelton swung around in anger.
“What?” he barked.
“Sir, it is an honor. My name is Freelone, please sir, the men are tired and need a rest. Food for the belly would also be nice. A rest is in order.”
For the first time since they started, Thelton looked at the men. Only half had kept up. He looked over the valley and saw the rest of the men scattered behind pretty far.
“Then eat.” Thelton said and turned around. Freelone yanked harder on Thelton’s shoulder. He wasn’t afraid of a fight. He was considerably taller than Thelton and his muscles were twice as round.
Thelton grabbed Freelone’s hand and crushed it in between his own. “Don’t touch me.” Tempted to fight back, Freelone restrained himself. He still saw Thelton as a childhood hero. Freelone was twenty and had spent his teen years trying to be just like Thelton.
“Sir, you are our leader. The men are behind, they are hungry, and they are tired. We all need a break. It is your job to lead us. As a leader, you must stop.”
Thelton got right in Freelone’s face, “I mustn’t do anything. I don’t need any of you. I have slain more dragons than all your dreams combined. I don’t need any of you here. So all of you go home and leave me to the ‘real’ hunt.”
Freelone’s eyes tightened, “We will do no such thing. We are in the service of the king. We are not in your service, you must remember that. The king knows you need us, and that is why we are here. Thelton, you have been given the mantle of leader, don’t spit upon that. Lead us. If you don’t, we will take you out.” Freelone couldn’t believe he was using such aggression on his hero.
Freelone and Thelton stood eye to eye. The air grew quiet and tense. All the men remained still as they watched the two men battle their wills. Finally, Thelton stepped around Freelone and he sat on the ground. Without saying anything, he pulled out his side pack and produced a chunk of bread. He ate in silence. He’d put up with them for the time, but in the end, he would succeed while they would fail. He would make sure of that. Relieved for the break, the men gathered around. The stragglers caught up. Flance wore a huge grin because he thought Thelton was making things easy. As Thelton pushed the men away, Flance would easily swoop in and win their loyalty.
