A Rose Amongst the Dragons, page 18
part #1 of A Rose Amongst the Dragons Series
“We found the other men in the cave. We cared for the ones that could still talk. Three more of my men stayed behind with the men in the cave.”
Flance counted the men below, there were eleven of them. Only Turkish was from the original forty. The other men were ones that had joined them at Firelake.
“You left six behind, where are the other three? Didn’t twenty of you stay at the lake?”
“They did indeed. While still back at the lake, Flint over there decided, we must get on with life. He worked hard at snapping us back into reality. We decided as good and refreshed as we felt, we could benefit the party by catching up with them. Later, we sent three back to alert the king of the massive tragedies we have encountered.”
“Please Turkish, cut me down. I know where the queen’s nest is.”
“I don’t know Flance. You betrayed the whole party. I feel you are where you deserve to be.”
“Listen, you have to get me down. I have to save my son. Thelton turned him into a tree. I must find Thelton to retrieve the antidote from him. I promise you I did not do that to the men, but most of all, I wouldn’t do that to my own son.”
“Listen, we will cut you down, but I still don’t trust you. I am doing it for your son. I have five sons and would to anything for them. When we travel, we will keep your one hand tied to your side, just to be safe. I am no executioner. I will leave that to the king.”
“Sounds good, sounds very reasonable.” Flance said.
Four men climbed up into the tree and cut Flance lose. He was so weak they had to bring him down. They laid him on the ground and brought food to him. He greedily ate it, filling his gut. He had eaten too fast and his stomach cramped up in pain.
The men dropped next to Flance and allowed him a break to build his energy. All the men took a nap except Rullan; he stayed up to keep guard.
After a good rest, Flance stood up. “I will lead you guys to the queen’s nest.”
“I thought we were going back to save your son?”
“Thelton is at the nest, the only way to save my son is to capture Thelton.”
“Oh no, I won’t help you apprehend Thelton.” Turksih said shaking his head.
“Fine, but we need to get the antidote from him nonetheless.”
…
Flance quietly entered the premises of the dragon camp. Everyone was careful and on alert. It didn’t take long to see that the lair was abandoned. There wasn’t one dragon left in it.
“He did it,” Flance exclaimed. “He caught the dragons by himself. How did he do it?”
The men spread out and collected all the proof they could. There were scattered scales, broken bones, left over carcass, and chipped claws.
“You know, Flance, if Thelton had killed the dragons, where is the blood? Where is the sign of struggle? If there were a hundred dragons here, surely there would be some sign of death.” Rullan pointed out.
Flance thought about it for a minute, Rullan was right. There wasn’t any sign of a battle or a fight.
“Maybe they killed The Dragon Slayer and moved camp.” One of the men said.
“But where did they go,” Rullan asked?
“Maybe they hated having a human know where their nest was. Maybe they left to establish a new camp.”
The men stood in a circle and discussed the many possibilities to the missing dragons. Flance left the circle and looked around. Something shined on the ground; he went over to it and saw Thelton’s emerald sword, golden sword, and the emerald dagger.
“He was here, “he silently said to himself. Flance looked over his shoulder and back at the men who were still deep in conversation. He dropped down and picked the sword up with his fingertips. It was difficult to do with the way his hand was tied to his side. He rubbed back and forth on it until the blade snapped the rope. Picking up the swords, he quickly shoved it down his pants. He took the dagger and stashed it in his boots. He stood up and rejoined the men.
Turkish turned and looked at Flance. “Your man is gone. He probably has already headed back to the castle. Somehow or other The Dragon Slayer has taken the whole lot of them. I say we get back to the castle and check in with the king. We will report the gravity of the situation and inquire on Thelton’s return. The king will help us.”
Flance agreed.
Chapter 13
Thelton escorted Indy into their room. She was very hesitant, the room was so small, she felt trapped because she was used to large open spaces. Once inside, she looked around at the modest set up. The floor was dirt with a bed in the middle, along the east wall was a fireplace, and a chamber pot to the back of the room. Thelton closed the door behind her.
Indy never really had been afraid of much, for dragons didn’t know fear, and living amongst dragons, the forest’s most vicious creature, she adapted their fearless lifestyle. She was brave and would fight anything. But standing in the tight, small room, she was experiencing a new emotion; fear. She didn’t like the way it felt. She didn’t know what to do. Things were out of her control. The room seemed so tight and cramped that it made her panic level rise as she was flooded with claustrophobia. Her heart pounded as sweat drenched her skin; she needed to get out of the room and into a wide open space. She became very fidgety.
Thelton, sensing her hesitation, led her to the bed and helped her sit on it. She sunk into the soft top. For the moment, she was distracted from her anxiety. The top of the bed was soft and bumpy. She rubbed her hand across it while she bounced up and down.
“Bed,” Thelton said as he patted it with his hand. He sat next to Indy. “Bed, bed, bed.” He said repeating himself. He touched Indy’s thick lips, “now you try, saying bed.”
Indy tried to formulate the words. “Bbbbed.” She stammered. It surprised her that she could make sounds like him. He used sounds a lot, and it seemed that they had meaning to him, each one he used.
Thelton jumped up on his feet. “Yes, you did it, you said bed.”
Indy patted the bed, with a big smile, she said, “bed”.
Thelton slapped his chest, “Thelton, dragon slayer.”
Indy blankly stared at him. Thelton hit his chest again. “Thelton, Thelton, can you say Thelton?”
“Teltn, “Indy tried.
“Good, good, good,” Thelton sang out.
It was obvious that her attempt pleased him. She tried again. “Teltn.”
“Yes, yes, I am Thelton. TH-EL-TON!”
“Teltn,” she said with a huge grin. She was proud she could sound like the strange creature.
Thelton went to the ground and touched it, “ground.”
“Goont,” Indy tried.
Thelton spent the night labeling things inside and outside of the room, and Indy tried emulating everything Thelton did and said. They both enjoyed the activity.
After awhile, Thelton could see Indy winding down. He led her over to the bed. She sat down. He tried to motion the idea of sleep. He put his hands to his face and closed his eyes. “Sleep,” he said.
“Seep,” Indy yawned as she said it.
“Yes, you sleep.”
“Seep.”
Thelton went over to her and pushed her back. She lay on top of the bed. “Sleep.” Thelton said. Indy sat back up, for she had no idea what he was getting at. Thelton pushed her back again. She stayed down. Thelton crouched down on the floor next to her. “Thelton, sleep,” he said.
Indy patted the bed. “Teltn seep.” She tried saying. It looked like an invitation to join her. As tempted as he was to sleep on a soft bed, he turned his back to her.
Indy lay back down. “Seep,” she said again.
…
In the morning, Thelton led Indy to the tavern. Both of their stomachs were growling loudly. They went inside to be met by a heavenly aroma. Eggs, bacon, and ham drifted in the air. Indy’s wild side sparked up. Savory fragrance never had permeated the camp before. The smell was so overcoming that Indy almost thought she was eating it. She spun around madly trying to find the source of food. Her stomach acid churned as she anticipated food.
There was a new crowd there, different from the night before. Although they stared, they didn’t seem as angry as the ones from the previous night. Thelton could tell everyone was staring at Indy and her strangeness, especially her wings. “Sit.”
“Sit,” Indy replied as she still stood.
Thelton tried again. “Sit.”
“Sit.”
He jumped up and pushed her toward the chair. She became startled at his forceful gesture. Instinctively, she grabbed his arm and pushed him to the ground. She was snarling. Thelton tried to stand up, but she pushed him back down again. Everyone in the tavern watched. They had never seen a show like his; here a woman was aggressive and making a fool of the man, and of even further interest, she looked like no woman they had ever seen before. Were those wings sticking out from her back? All eyes were on them.
“Thelton, Thelton, Thelton,” Thelton said as his head lay under her foot. He was trying to soothe her with the words that she knew.
Drool dripped out the side of her lip, her eyes looked wild.
Thelton gently pushed her foot away and slowly rose. He reached up and tenderly embraced Indy’s mammoth hand, every movement he tried to make as nonthreatening as possible. He held it carefully while he brought his other hand to it and began softly rubbing it, he needed to calm her.
Indy responded to the soft feel. The crazed look dissipated from her eyes. Her shoulders dropped, while she relaxed. Thelton slowly rose trying not to startle her. He quickly slipped into his chair. He looked around the room. He saw dropped jaws and wide eyes from the crowd.
He was angry that everyone saw him taken down by Indy. He knew he could have won , but he wasn’t going to fight her in the tavern while everyone watched. Indy continued breathing heavy still standing by his side. Thelton looked around again.
“Hey, can we get some food?” he yelled.
A nervous server came to their table. She really didn’t want to get involved in their lover’s squabble. “What may I get you?”
“Eggs, tatters, and flutties.” Thelton said. Tatters were a root and flutties were fruit like cake.
“And what for you?” she asked Indy.
Indy just stared at her. The human was different than Thelton. She had longer hair and used the throat sounds in a higher pitch. Indy reached up and grabbed the lady’s cheek. Startled by the unwanted touch, the server backed up. She didn’t trust Indy. She had seen what Indy had done to Thelton.
“She will have the same.” Thelton said.
The server quickly walked away. Thelton looked around and saw all eyes were still on them.
‘”Eat your food!” He yelled to everyone. Some looked away in embarrassment, others kept gawking.
When the server brought out the food, she couldn’t stop staring at Indy. Indy returned the stare. The server had never seen a lady so abnormal, and Indy frightened her. In return, Indy was mesmerized by the fabrics that the server wore. They were billowy and bright. Indy kept touching them.
“You know sir, I think your girl could use some new rags.” The server said, offering advice.
Thelton looked at Indy. She really did look pitiful. Her leaves were torn and frayed, her tar black hair was wild, and she was very dirty. The server had a point. Thelton hadn’t considered how strange Indy looked in her homemade attire.
A plate of food was put in front of Indy. The smells soared up to her nose, her stomach growled again. She looked over at Thelton. He had picked up a fork and began eating his eggs. She reached her hand into the eggs, scooping them up as she put them in her mouth. The heat burned her tongue and she spat them out, causing the eggs to splatter everywhere, for she had never eaten hot food before. The heat continued to singe her tongue and she made several beastly noises as she reacted to the pain.
“Blow on it,” Thelton instructed. He jumped up and stood behind her. Air escaped his mouth as he blew on her food.
Indy really wasn’t sure what he was doing. Still very hungry, she grabbed another handful of eggs and shoved them into her mouth again. That time it didn’t burn as much, but the warmth was still something new to her. As she continued to cram the food in, little pieces trickled down her chin, while other pieces intertwined into her hair. She looked a mess.
Thelton grimaced, “I have never been one for a well refined lady, but you could use a few manners.”
He returned to his seat and ate his breakfast. Indy had abandoned her hands and now was head first in her plate, with particles of food slopping everywhere. She pushed her chair over and climbed onto the table, straddling her plate, grunting while she ate. Indy made quick work of her food. When her food was gone, she crawled across the table and dove her head into Thelton’s food. Thelton shook his head in disgust. All other breakfasts got cold as the crowd watched Indy in distain.
When they left the tavern, instead of going to their room, Thelton decided to go to the market. Indy could use a dress of some kind. He went from stand to stand, but no one had a dress as big as she was. Finally, he bought some men’s clothing and took them to the room. He had cut out the back so her wings could fit.
“These are for you,” he said as he put them in her hands.
Indy examined the material. She rubbed her finger through it and brushed the cloth on her cheek, liking the way it felt.
“Put it on,” Thelton said. She just stared at him. She rarely understood his intensions. “Look,” he said, “this is how you get dressed.” Thelton took hold of the new shirt, and with it he demonstrated to her the act of dressing. He removed his shirt and then pulled her shirt over his torso.
“See, that is how you do it.” He slipped the new shirt off his body and put it in Indy’s hands. “Your turn.”
She smiled and put the cloths back into his hands. It was frustrating trying to communicate with her. She seemed so dumb at times.
“I guess I am just going to have to dress you.” He grabbed for the leaves on her body. He was going to tear them off, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He remembered the statue of Demietha, the Goddess of Fertility he had gotten for his birthday, and he recalled all her curves and realized that he was not ready to see those on Indy. His nervousness caused him to shake. Things weren’t right; he shouldn’t be seeing her unclothed.
Thelton grabbed the new shirt and pulled it over her head and down her front as it covered her leaf outfit.
“I’ll just leave your leaves under everything.” While he did that, Indy moved around a lot, making it hard to dress her. Once the clothes were on, she liked how warm she felt in the new covering. She had started covering herself in leaves to stay warm in the forest at nights. Over the years, she had designed a way to get them to stay on for several weeks, and then she would just make more when they didn’t keep her as warm. This new thing Thelton put on her was so warm.
Thelton turned from Indy and sat on the bed. He looked back up at her. She was playing with her shirt. Her matted hair fell all around her, still stuck in it were pieces of breakfast and random items she had collected throughout her life.
“You know we can do something about that hair. Women are supposed to have long hair, but yours is out of control. I bet you have never cut it.” Thelton had brought back a knife from the tavern. He demonstrated his intention to her. She just smiled. The knife was so dull. “I sure wish I hadn’t lost my dagger.”
Thelton held the knife out; it would have to work. He brought it to Indy’s knotted hair. Although she was nervous with his actions, she was more curious to what he was doing. He chopped at the hair with the dull knife while her hair fell to the ground. He made sure not to cut above her wings, because she would still need her hair to somewhat cover her wings. When he was finished, he scooped up her cut hair and dropped it into her lap. Indy sorrowfully looked at her hair; it was no longer a part of her. She played with it for awhile. She flipped her head back and forth, feeling the weight of her old hair removed. She actually liked the way it felt, but felt remorse over the hair that had been detached from her.
Her wings were remarkable, the way they contracted tightly against her back. When Thelton had seen them open, he was in awe over the gold lining that traced around their black edges. There were teal scales that weaved around the entirety of the wings, with purple hues. When she pulled them in, it was almost possible for them to camouflage under her thick black hair, but there was no mistaking their majesty when they were fully opened. But now, Thelton had removed much of that hair.
As he did, Thelton found himself taken back by how feminine she was looking. She looked so lovely and innocent as she bobbed her new haircut around. He tried to run his hands through it, but her hair was still too tangled. He had another idea. Thelton ran back to the Tavern holding Indy’s hand. He fetched a basin, soap, a brush, and a pot of warm water. They returned to the room.
“Lay on the bed and we will put your head in the basin,” he instructed Indy. She had no idea what he was talking about, so he had to lower her to the bed and then he put her head into the basin. He poured the water over her hair where it drained into the basin below. The water was warm and relaxed her. He lathered her hair with soap and began scrubbing the dirt and snarls. Indy closed her eyes and enjoyed the massage, for she had never felt such a gentle touch before. When her hair was clean, he removed the basin and began combing through her tangles. Brushing hair was something that he didn’t have much practice at. He tried to be very gentle. Indy had a tough head, but sometimes when he would get stuck in a painful snarl, Indy would head butt him. Despite her hard knocks to his head, Thelton kept working on it. He was curious to see what she would look like with smooth hair.
As he straightened her hair, he focused on her face. When he first met her, he thought she looked very barbaric. He was surprised how she seemed to transform into a more beautiful version of her wild herself. Her skin was leathered by years in the sun and her hands were callused by hard work. She had a round face with large brown eyes; the brightness of her soul seemed to pour out of those brown eyes. Thelton had met many beautiful women, his fiancée the princess, included. None of them had caught his eye. He wasn’t taken in by all the methods women used to beautify their selves. But there was something about Indy that sparked a bit of interest in him.
