Indy was so confused. She wanted to be with her family. They needed her, and she needed them. She worried about them fighting with those other dragons. She looked at Thelton. She just wanted to desert him and return to her family’s aid, but there was some kind of pull to her human that kept her from leaving. She couldn’t seem to depart from him. Indy was taken in by her new life and still connected to her past. As she sat on the bed, tears drizzled down her cheeks. Her emotions were new, and so were her tears.

  Indy collected a tear on the tip of her finger. She put it in her mouth. The salty liquid tantalized her tongue. Thelton went to her side. He took his fingers and gently wiped away the rest of her tears. He sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She cuddled into him and fell asleep. He relished the way it felt when she trusted him. He delighted at looking over her and protecting her. He found satisfaction in healing her hand.

  While Indy slept, Thelton stayed on the alert. He kept peering out the window and making sure the dragons hadn’t followed them to Candleshaw.

  …

  The king gathered two parties together. The first one he sent with his wizard. They were to return to the Vegus Forest and rescue the men who had been turned into trees, and then they were to rescue the ones that were stuck in the stone mud. The second party was to find Thelton.

  The king was sure that Thelton had been killed, but to appease his daughter, he gathered a search party together. One hundred and fifty men. The search party was deployed to find Thelton.

  “To the man that rescues Thelton alive, 150,000 Tretos. If he is found dead, then 100 Tretos.”

  “Are we still searching for the queen dragon?” a man called out.

  “No, at this moment there is nothing more important than finding Thelton alive.”

  …

  “We can’t stay in Candleshaw very long, because it was way too close to the Flankton Forest.” Thelton told Indy. It was the next day and he was readying his thing to leave when something snapped in Indy, and she started acting crazy. She took her claws and sunk them into the mattress. She began ripping the straw out of the material and throwing it all around the room. When there was nothing left to destroy, she growled, screamed, and paced the room. Her demeanor was pure wildness, and she reminded him of a trapped animal. Thelton kept his distance. After dismantling the room, she crumbled to the ground and bawled. Thelton thought about comforting her, but her eyes were still too wild. He let her be.

  Indy stayed curled up in a ball for the rest of the day. She couldn’t understand all the new emotions she felt, and the combination overwhelmed her. Thelton left her for a time and went and grabbed them some food and brought it back to their room. He kneeled down next to her and offered the food, but instead of accepting it, she wacked it out of his arms with her hand. The food flew across the room and doused everything. The place truly looked a wreck. Thelton didn’t know what to do.

  In the morning Thelton woke up to find Indy combing her hair. She had a demeanor of calmness. Thelton looked at his hand; the bite mark was swollen and red. He hoped she wasn’t going to fight anymore. When Indy looked up and saw Thelton looking at her, she smiled.

  “Eat,” she said, for her stomach was empty and hungry.

  “Just like that; no sorry?” Thelton asked. Indy looked at him confused.

  “Eat,” she tried again.

  …

  The server led them to a table in the middle of the room. As they sat down, Thelton failed to notice the twenty men in the corner of the tavern. They instantly recognized Thelton. They whispered amongst themselves. Within seconds, they got up and surrounded him.

  “What is going on?” he demanded as he jumped to his feet. Indy grabbed his hand and joined him.

  “Sir Thelton of Andleburg, we have been ordered by the king to bring you in.”

  “What king?”

  “The King of Andleburg.”

  Thelton grabbed for his swords, again realizing they were gone.

  “Am I a prisoner?” Thelton inquired.

  “Not that I know of,” the man said.

  “Then I am just fine where I am at.”

  “Sir Thelton, you are not a prisoner. The king is worried about you. However, you will come with me.”

  “If I am not a prisoner, then I will not move.”

  “You are worth 150,000 Tretos. With that kind of reward, you will not stay.”

  “Wow, for that kind of money I will turn myself in.”

  Four guys jumped forward and grabbed Thelton. They shoved him toward the door. Indy pounced on one and began clawing at his face; she ripped his ear right off. Several men jumped her. She yelped in pain.

  Thelton hated seeing the men wrangling Indy.

  “Wait, wait, guys, I am not going to run. I will come gracefully, but the woman comes with us unharmed.” Thelton didn’t have anything to fear by going with them, for the king adored him. He decided he would follow along if they left Indy alone.

  The one guard cradled where his ear had been, blood dripped through his fingers. He would have preferred the woman to stay behind.

  Indy again felt fear, for she couldn’t understand what was going on. Thelton grabbed her hand and caressed it as they walked surrounded by men with swords.

  Chapter 15

  Thelton and Indy were holding hands as they were escorted into the castle. Princess Alashia came running full speed toward Thelton. She did not notice Indy by his side. Flooded with relief and joy, she threw herself into his arms. He had forgotten about their arrangement; despair flooded over him as he remembered that he was to wed Alashia. Suddenly, he wished he hadn’t returned to the castle. While the princess plastered Thelton with kisses, Indy felt her face get hot, her heart pounded, for she discovered another new emotion; jealousy.

  “Daughter,” the king called out as he walked into the room. “That is no way for a princess to act. Control your emotions.”

  The princess ignored the king while she kissed Thelton everywhere. She grabbed Thelton’s hand and brought it into her side. She was so elated because her hero had returned, and he looked better than ever.

  “Oh darling, I was sure that you had died. I missed you so. You will never leave my side again. Your days of hunting are over.”

  Indy watched as the princess stood by Thelton’s hefty side, with her hand in his. Indy began snarling, Thelton was her human, and she didn’t like the feelings she had when she saw the princess with him. Out of control, she threw herself at the princess. She shrieked and snarled as she grabbed a handful of Alashia’s hair. The guards pounced on Indy before she could do any real damage. Thelton pushed away Princess Alashia and ran to Indy’s side, pushing aside the guards.

  “Let her go,” he commanded the guards.

  They released Indy. Thelton pulled her into him. She was shaking and growling. Saliva dripped out of the side of her mouth. Her breathing was heavy. He tenderly held her tight.

  “Who is that?” the king demanded.

  Thelton looked at the anger in the king’s eyes and the Princess’s. He took note of the vast number of guard in the room. If he wanted to get Indy out alive, then he had to be careful with how he reacted.

  “This is a frightened creature that I rescued in the forest. I found her at the queen’s layer,” Thelton said to the king.

  Everyone watched Indy closely. Thelton continued. “This creature was living amongst the dragons. I believe that she was raised by them.”

  Everyone in the room laughed, including the king.

  “I have kept her with me to rescue her. Please do not harm her, she is more animal than human, and she doesn’t understand social graces.”

  A group of people surrounded Indy and began examining her. They touched her claws and her wings. Indy was frightened. What was going on? Curious, the princess walked over to Indy, everyone backed away. Indy hated the princess and started snarling again. The princess reached out to touch Indy’s wings, probably not a wise move to make, for Indy roared as she sliced the princess’s cheek. Thelton tried to pull her away, but the guards hastily grabbed her again.

  “What shall we do with her?” they asked the king.

  “Put her in the dungeon for now. When my wizard returns I will have him run experiments on her. The fates must have brought her to us for a reason.”

  Indy lashed about so hard that it took ten men to haul her away. She was so sturdy and she fought unyielding. Thelton’s heart ached. He wanted to chase after her and kill the guards. He looked at the king who was carefully watching him closely to see how he would respond. Thelton looked at all of the guards in the throne room, his very actions would determine if he lived or died. Now was not the time for rescuing Indy, for that would be a fool’s errand. He would have to rescue her later. For the time, he needed to act like he had forgotten her. It was the only way to spare both of their lives. With that in mind he reached for the princess’s hand and spun her around, while turning his back to Indy.

  “My dear, I am sorry about your face. I guess she is more dragon than human.” He brushed his hand through his sandy blond hair. The court laughed at Thelton’s joke, his heart sunk further. He hated that they were laughing at Indy’s expense. The king relaxed when he saw Thelton take interest in his daughter.

  “Daughter, escort Thelton to his room. He needs his rest. We will have a big feast for him in two days.”

  “Father, what about our wedding?”

  “Yes, let us wait no longer. The invitations go out tonight. There will be a wedding in five days.”

  As Thelton and the princess walked through the corridors of the castle, the princess laid her head on his shoulder. She was in love and with her hero home; her dreams were close to being fulfilled.

  “You don’t know how sick and worried I have been about you. I have cried for days and days. It was the biggest nightmare. I was sure that you were dead. And now you are here, and we are going to marry in five days. Can you believe it? Five days and then you can have me.”

  With Thelton’s free hand he rubbed his face. There was no way that he was going to marry the princess. He would escape with Indy before the wedding. When he reached his room; the princess opened the door for him, escorting him in. Placing her lips firmly on his she began a passionate kiss. The kiss made Thelton sick. He pushed her away.

  “My darling, please forgive me, but I want to keep your virtues for the wedding.” Thelton backed away.

  “It’s ok,” the princess said. She went for another kiss. Thelton backed away again.

  “Please, I am very tired and I have had a long day.”

  “Yes, yes, you are right. Rest my dear, and I will see you in the morning.” The princess kissed his cheek and left the room.

  Thelton sat on the bed. Darkness overcame him.

  “How is it that I’m back in my prison cell again?” He felt like being in the castle was the same as being in a cell.

  …

  The guards locked Indy in a dungeon cell. There was mildew straw all over the ground. Her skin itched terribly when she made contact with the rancid straw. Confusion and fear took over. What had happened? What were they doing to her? Why did Thelton not fight for her? She would have fought for him. She had exhausted a great deal of energy trying to get out of the dungeon. She felt so claustrophobic, but the thing that bothered her the most was the image of the princess in Thelton’s hands.

  “Hey, who are you?” Indy heard a voice call to her from the next cell. She didn’t understand what the person was saying. She went to her door and gain tried to open it. It wouldn’t budge. She dropped to the floor while tears poured out of her eyes.

  “Hey, who are you,” the voice called again from the next cell. Flance tried to peak through the bars, it was no use, for he couldn’t see who was in the next cell. He would just have to wait for the new cellmate to answer back.

  …

  Thelton paced around in his room.

  Thelton couldn’t believe he was at the castle again. He had no intentions on ever returning. Worse, his woman was locked in the dungeon cell. He felt so desperate, so out of control. Thelton waited until the middle of the night when he slipped quietly out of his room.

  Stealthily, he made his way through the corridors, careful not to make any noise. He was a hunter who knew the art of silence. Because he was so quiet and careful, it took him several hours to make his way through the castle. At times, he would see guards and have to drop back until they left. Finally, he reached the staircase to the dungeon.

  To his great relief and surprise, the dungeon was not guarded. He followed the rickety rock stairs down. They spiraled and kept heading deep into the ground. After many rotations, Thelton was at the bottom. A draft welcomed him into an open room. The smell was horrible; of ammonia and mildew. Thelton reminded himself that he had smelt worse. He began mouth breathing to avoid inhaling any of the stenches through his nose. There were five cells in the dungeon. Three of them were open, two of them were closed. Thelton went to the first iron door. It had only a little slat of bars where the guards could check on the prisoners. Through the bars he could see Indy in a corner, holding herself tightly as she shivered.

  “Hey, wake up. Wake up,” he called to her.

  Indy opened her eyes then ran to the door. She stuck both hands through the bars, Thelton grabbed them, and they were ice cold. He kissed them over and over. He put her frozen hands between his and began rubbing them.

  “I am so sorry you are here. I am sorry. I am going to try to get you out. We will run far away from here.”

  “Teltn, bed, fly,” Indy said.

  Thelton could feel his heart sink. She was communicating with him. She was asking him to save her the best she knew how.

  “Teltn, bed, fly.” Indy said again.

  “Yes, my dear. I will get you out. We will go far from here.” Thelton kissed her hands and let them go. He looked around the room for keys or anything that he could use to break her out. There was nothing. He tried pushing on the door and ramming himself into it. It was no use. She was trapped.

  Defeated, he approached the bars again. “Oh, I wish that you could understand me. I need to leave for awhile. You will probably think I am abandoning you, but I am not. I need to find tools to break you free. I will be back, my love, I promise.”

  Indy’s hands were released, and she saw Thelton walk away. Why was he leaving her? She felt safe with him. Where was he going? Why could he not saver her. Indy screamed out, “Teltn. Teltn. Teltn!”

  For the first time in his life, a tear snuck out of Thelton’s eye. Just one. Thelton madly wiped it away. He couldn’t look back at her, it was too much. He ran up the stairs as fast as he could. He was in a hurry. He needed to free Indy. In his haste, Thelton wasn’t as careful as he should have been. He headed outside to the stable. He was sure that there would be tools there. Some guards saw him leave and they went and aroused the king.

  …

  The dogs barked at him when he reached the stable, it was huge with a hundred pens for horses, and they were all full. Thelton was delighted when he saw all the tools and hardware in the open-way. There were hammers, saws, wrenches, and so many other goodies to choose from. Thelton found a deep leather pouch and began filling it with the supplies that he felt he would need, not only for tonight, but for the run. When the bag was full, Thelton swung it over his shoulder. He was heading for the door when he noticed the dogs started barking again, someone was coming. Thelton took the bag off and stashed it in a horse stall, just before the doors opened.

  The king and his guards walked in. The king was in his silken night robe, there was sleep still in his eyes.

  “My fine boy, to me it looks like you are trying to escape.” The king did not look happy.

  Thelton bowed, “I feel awful to awake you in the middle of the night. I became restless, your majesty. I am not used to such nice accommodations. I came out here to find comfort amongst the animals.”

  The king scanned the area. He could not see anything out of the ordinary. There weren’t any horses that had been prepared to ride. Maybe he was telling the truth.

  “Are you sure that you were not trying to leave?”

  Thelton threw his arms in the air. “Why would I leave such a glorious place? You have offered me so much, even your own daughter’s hand. Please forgive my folly and restless spirit, for I was only looking for some outside air.”

  The king seemed satisfied. He motioned for Thelton to walk by his side. “My fine boy, just be aware that nothing goes down in the castle without me knowing about it. I have eyes everywhere.”

  “Yes, your majesty,” replied Thelton.

  …

  As the door closed to Thelton’s room, the king turned to the guard. “I want you posted here at all times.”

  The king then made his way to his room where another guard was waiting for him. He had a message. He bowed, until the king bid him to rise.

  “Your majesty, the prisoner in cell one requests an audience with you.”

  “Would you really be wasting my time?” the king wearily replied.

  “King, I understand the value of your time. The prisoner promised if you didn’t find his information enlightening, you could slay him on the spot. He says his news affects the princess.”

  The king’s interest heightened, he turned from his door and followed his guard to the dungeon. As the king walked in, Flance mischievously smiled on the other end of the bars.

  …

  In the morning, Thelton left his room to find a guard and the princess on the other side. The princess threw herself into Thelton’s arms.

  “Can you believe it? Only four more days until we marry!”

  Thelton felt sick again. He was not in the state of mind for the princess. He grabbed at his head.

 

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