A Rose Amongst the Dragons, page 5
part #1 of A Rose Amongst the Dragons Series
“Four hundred and eighty eight.”
“Let’s say about five hundred then. Let me see. As a token from me, I would like to send you home with five slip coins for each person. Abraham of Andleburg, Eleventh Position Advisor will deliver the coins to you within the week. Let me see, that will be twenty five hundred slip coins. He will help deliver them. I know it isn’t much, but it my way of saying I care. Give me time. I will try to change the king’s heart.” Slip Coins were equivalent to four days of work at the quarry. Some trades could make them quicker, and other trades took almost seven days to earn a Slip Coin.
Peter started bawling as he dropped to the ground. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” he cried.
“Of course. And Peter, please remember that it was I, Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor that gave this money to you. This is not from the king, it is from me, and it is to be a secret kept amongst your people.”
“Oh yes Sir.” Peter bawled.
Trevor grabbed Peter’s hand and helped pull him off the floor. He gave him a great big hug and said. “Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor wishes the best for you. On your way out, please send the next man in.”
“We will never forget your kindness,” Peter said as he left the throne room.
“That is what I am counting on.” Trevor called after him.
…
Four and a half years after Thelton’s twentieth birthday, he lay sprawled out on a thick black rug, snoring while drool seeped out of the right corner of his mouth. Several flies skittered around his face; but he was oblivious to their intrusion. Every now and then a muscle would twitch, sending an arm or leg jerking forward.
In his humble one room home, Thelton deeply slept. The home didn’t have much to offer. The ceiling hung low, and Thelton always had to bend his head slightly when inside. The smell was atrocious because he rarely washed his clothes, and there was a pile in the rounded corner where his filthy clothes mixed with his dirty dishes. Hygiene was not a conscious concern to Thelton. He had no furnishings, no decorations, nothing of real monetary value. Just a place to stay dry was all he needed.
By the looks of his home, you would have no idea that he was the wealthiest commoner in the area. He earned excellent money with each dragon he slew. He had secured multiple locations for his money that only he knew about, but if he lost it, he really didn’t care. His hunts were not about profit, they were about the sport. They were about his fame. They were about his title. If he ever stopped, then someone else would take his glory, and he wasn’t about to let that happen, for he was far too cocky for that.
It was a wonder that Thelton protected his title so strongly, since he never used it to form a friendship or social bond. He never courted a girl. He disliked social gatherings. He avoided spending time with people. He was a loner, a hermit. He had little interest in the style of his clothing, as long as they were functional. But for some reason, he valued his position in the tri-kingdom as The Dragon Slayer.
As Thelton slumbered on, there was a loud banging at his door. Startled, he sat up. He took the sleeve of his shirt and wiped the drool on it. His nose felt stuffed, he took the same sleeve and cleared his nose on it.
“Yeah, what do you want?” he growled through his scratchy throat, for it was parched, needing a drink. He rubbed his eyes. It better not be another mother with a maiden in distress.
“Sir Thelton of Andleburg, I am a messenger sent from the King of Candleshaw. I have a message for you.” Thelton heard someone say through the door.
Candleshaw was one of the kingdoms in the tri-kingdoms. He was summoned from them probably every year or so. They had their own forest, the Flankton Forest. It wasn’t as dangerous at The Vegus Forest, but he also didn’t know it as well. He always responded to requests from King Trenton. He was well respected by him, but he didn’t hold the same admiration with him as he did with King Wolfgang. King Trenton relied on Thelton, but he didn’t give him tributes. Thelton was paid for the head and that was about as far as their communications went. Thelton liked it that way. At least with Candleshaw, when the job was done, he went home. He wasn’t forced to hang around their castle.
“Not another dragon,” Thelton groaned. “Why don’t they leave me alone?” Although he murmured, he was glad for the summons. He had grown idle and bored over the last three weeks, he had nothing to hunt. Thelton scratched his thigh and then opened the door. A warm breeze rushed in and rustled his messy hair. He inhaled the fresh air deeply and then stepped out onto the door way, soaking in a few of the sun’s rays.
A young lad in his mid teens stood at Thelton’s door. He was dressed in Candleshaw’s traditional colors of green and orange. It was a hideous combination. The orange and green sleeves were very large and puffy. The shirt hugged tight against his chest. Everything was made out of wool. The lad sweated profusely every time he was on the king’s errand. Everything itched and he tried not to scratch too much in front of his hero, already knowing how foolish he looked. He hated his outfit.
Shaking, the messenger handed the summons over to Thelton. He was so thrilled when he learned his message was to be delivered to a legend. Every child in the tri-kingdoms dreamed of rubbing shoulders with the great dragon slayer, and the messenger was the one picked to deliver a message from the king himself. The messenger felt important. Surely Thelton would honor the lad, maybe give him some sort of token for his effort.
Thelton took the summons and tossed it into his house.
“Master, that is a message from the King of Candleshaw. I suggest you read it.”
Arrogantly, Thelton brushed pass the messenger and headed to his horse. He flipped his blond hair out of his eyes as he did a walk around, checking that everything was in order on his animal. Satisfied over the horse’s condition, he squeezed his fit body passed the messenger and went back into his house.
Meanwhile, the crestfallen messenger continued to stand in the doorway and watch Thelton. His only job was to deliver the summons, but he was dissatisfied. For starters, he could not understand why Thelton wouldn’t read it. He was also disheartened because Thelton did not seem to even notice his presence. He had envisioned Thelton conversing with him and inviting him into his home. He had imagined Thelton giving him a token of appreciation. He dreamed of touching Thelton’s incredible emerald and golden sword. And lastly, the messenger fantasized about the two of them returning to the kingdom of Candleshaw side by side. Thelton quickly shattered the boy’s fantasies.
Ignoring the summons, Thelton gathered his things and slipped past the messenger once more. He walked over to his horse, mounted it, and took off. He hadn’t even said a word to the boy. The messenger was left dispirited still standing in the door way.
Thelton made a three and half day journey to the kingdom of Candleshaw. Upon entering the outskirts of the main village, he could see why the king had summoned him. Several of the fields he passed were scorched. There wasn’t a barn or house still in place. They all had burned to the ground. An ominous feeling lingered in the air. He rubbed his callused hands together in anticipation. Kicking the sides of the horse, he raced to the castle. His hair blew behind him in the wind.
As the town folk watched Thelton gallop by, a glimmer of hope filled their breasts. Although he could not restore their homes, he could end their persistent nightmare. He was their very own dragon slayer, for he belonged to all.
The king’s soldiers hastily met Thelton and escorted him into the castle. Once inside, he was taken directly to the throne. There was a hushed feeling about the room. As soon as he was half way to the throne, the king jumped up and met Thelton. King Trenton never came to anyone, but the dragon had made him desperate. Thelton thought he looked ridiculous in Candleshaw’s traditional colors. His sleeves were puffy and orange. He almost looked swallowed up in excessive layers of fabric.
“If I was the king, the first thing I’d do is change their colors. What tyrant would fear a king that looked like a fool?” Thelton thought. He noticed the king’s portly belly that stretched the orange and green material to the verge of ripping. The buttons looked like they were going to burst off and pop someone in the eye. Thelton laughed as he realized that King Trenton and King Wolfgang both had large stomachs, an effect from the fine food they were lucky enough to always eat.
“There you are. I am sure you saw what the devilish beast has done to my kingdom. He must be stopped before I don’t have a kingdom left to rule. He has taken out all of the surrounding farms. Just last night he flew past my fortress and sent my royal stable ablaze. It was too quick, not one horse was saved.” The king reached forward and grabbed Thelton’s collar. His eyes were bloodshot and wild. “You MUST save my kingdom!”
Thelton didn’t react, for he was used to being beckoned in desperation. There was always a dragon destroying a kingdom here or there. He was always their only hope. He loved his role, but wasn’t about to let his feelings be shown. His legend was incomparable, and he knew it.
“Dear mighty king of Candleshaw, you will no longer have need to despair. I will rid your kingdom of your beast. Tell your farmers they can rebuild their lands. Your nightmare is over.”
The king dropped his arms over Thelton’s shoulders and began to sob. He had sat by helplessly over the last week and watched it destroy his kingdom.
“Dear mighty king of Candleshaw, a man whose presence I am not worthy to be in, please tell me the exact location I may find your devil.”
The king did not lift his head off of Thelton’s thick shoulders. “The dragon is in the very south west corner of the Flankton Forest.” The king continued to sob. “My land; my kingdom.”
After the king had found composure, Thelton left the castle and rode to the Flankton Forest. The Flankton Forest was as haunting as the Vegus Forest, having many of the same creatures; however, it wasn’t nearly the size. Thelton had been on several hunting-trips in it, but he was only familiar with its southern edges.
Chapter 5
Fourteen and a half years earlier
The Young Thelton looked at the boar he had just killed. He was getting better at his skills, for he was killing more animals than were escaping. He had to be good since he lived in the forest alone. If he didn’t catch food, then he ate no meat. There was always an abundance of roots and fruit to eat, but his growing body begged him for something fulfilling, his body always craved meat.
As he bent over the boar ready to skin it, his senses were alert, as the young ten year old Thelton squatted there waiting. He knew they were coming, because he could smell them. He had to be quick, for he wasn’t going to let them take his dinner. Little twigs broke, leaves rustled, the rodents were trying to escape the stench, a stench that was so powerful that one could hardly breathe around them. The moment of its arrival came and hit Thelton full force. He felt his head become dizzy while his lungs rebelled. Huge coughs waved through his body. He tried to take little breaths, with each one choking down the rancid air. He was ready; the troll was inches from him, hiding in the bushes, waiting to attack, and Thelton knew it was there.
Thelton didn’t wait for its strike, rushing toward the bush, he swung a club violently. With a loud war cry, his club slammed into the stocky troll, but it didn’t even phase it. Unexpectedly, Thelton felt the rush of the troll jump on his head as it sunk its moldy claws deep into Thelon’s left arm. He was trapped, or so the troll falsely believed. Reaching up to his head with his free hand, Thelton grabbed the greasy hair of the Troll, yanking the gruesome creature off with full force. The troll plummeted into a tree.
Thelton was large for his young age. He had spent most of his childhood hunting and gathering and had built a well muscled frame. Sometimes he had latched onto other hunters as mentors, but most of the time he had learned through trial and failure. He was lucky there was only one troll to deal with, because they usually traveled in packs.
“Ahhhhhh,” the young Thelton yelled, as the troll returned and sunk his teeth into Thelton’s hand.
The affliction sent a shot of adrenalin through him. After he had ripped the toll off his head, the troll turned his attention from Thelton and took hold of the boar that Thelton had just recently caught. With the boar in hand, the troll started dragging it away.
The young Thelton had to stop him. He took another deep breath of tainted air. The troll’s smell was worse than fighting with them. Thelton didn’t mind the jousting; after all, he was a hunter. It was kind of fun, like a sport, plus it made him feel grown up to fight the troll by himself. The smell, now that was the real battle. Positioning his club, he swung at the thieving troll. The blow knocked the troll to the ground. The troll feared his defeat and scampered away.
With strained breathing, the young Thelton gathered his wild boar and quickly departed the area. Tiredness racked his body, for he wanted to rest. He dragged the wild boar for three more kilometers, putting distance between him and the troll. The night was almost over. By now, every muscle in his body screamed at him to stop. He knew of a little cave he could rest in. It wasn’t the safest place, but it was alright. The intense exhaustion made him willing to take his chances. Thelton dragged his things into the cave and collapsed.
As he fell asleep, he felt proud of himself. Surviving the troll alone, he felt like a man. He was determined one day to be reverenced as the greatest hunter around!
…
Stumbling Emma tried to rise off the ground, her protruding belly threw her off balance and she took a face plant, tiny pebbles cut into her cheeks. She tried to rise again, this time with more success. Once up, she took off in a run. It was a clumsy run, her ankles twisting as she tried to sprint over the uneven levels of ground, dirt crunching under her feet. Her heart beat so fast she could hear and feel it in her ears. Realizing they had been seen, the trolls broke out in a full dash, their element of surprise gone. They had to stop their dinner from getting away. The human was with child and would be a great tribute to the troll king; also, she would be an easy catch.
Emma ran as fast as her bulky body would let her. Every cell in side screamed at the pain of the chase. It didn’t help that she couldn’t get in full breaths of air, partly because the baby crushed her diaphragm, but mostly because the stench of the trolls overwhelmed her ability to breathe in fresh air. No matter how hard she pushed her legs to move, the trolls gained ground fast. Emma could almost feel their breath on her. Realizing she didn’t have a chance, she stooped down the best she could to try to find a rock or a stick, something to defend herself with. There was nothing there because the land had been cleared for seeding.
The trolls pounced on her. She fought the best she could, but tired quickly. She let out a deafening scream as they dragged her toward the Vegus Forest. They weren’t going to eat her yet, for she was an offering for the king.
Trolls stood about 1.2 meters tall, almost to the waist of most men. Although they weren’t very big, they were feared by almost everyone. Trolls hunted in packs. They were scavengers, willing to eat anything, including humans. They had large noses and ears. Their face looked much like a man, yet with hideous features that made them very unpleasant to look at. Their teeth were sharp. Mold grew all over their skin along with patches of coarse hair. They had very pointed claw-like nails on their fingers. Their nails were brown and full of feces and other decaying matter. Whenever their claws tore at someone’s’ flesh, it would leave a nasty infected wound. From a distance, they could look like children, but their putrid smell gave warning to their presence before they were ever spotted. Their smell was deathly to some creatures, and for humans, it was very hard to breathe when they were around. Their odor would constrict most people’s breathing.
Trolls could be found almost anywhere, but they mostly stayed close in or around the forests. There were many clans of trolls, all which had their own king. Sometimes the trolls would kill their prey and eat it on the spot, while other times they would bring live prey back to the king. They communicated in a grunting, nasal sort of language.
…
The young Thelton was asleep in the cave when the stench of trolls aroused him. He looked around the cave to see if they were inside with him. He was alone. Shaking the cloud off his mind, his hands tightened around his club.
“Not again,” he cursed. His head throbbed.
He stood guard over the entrance, for he would not let them steal his prize. Slyly he peered out through the trees, trees so thick he had to strain his eyes to see past them. The trolls must have followed him to the cave, but where were they? While his eyes searched, he heard a muffled shriek in the distance. The noise caught his attention, and he turned in time to see a new group of trolls off to his far right, dragging something behind them. The new group of trolls didn’t know he was there and they certainly didn’t know about his wild boar in the cave with him. Relaxation set in. They must be taking off with some farmer’s sheep. As he headed back into the cave, he heard a blood curdling scream. It was not the yelp of an animal, but that of a human.
The young Thelton looked behind him at his safe cave. The trolls didn’t know he was there. He was tired from the fight earlier with the lone troll; therefore, he would rather go back and rest. Hungry and tired, he didn’t want to get involved. He tried hard to convince himself that the human was not his concern. Laying his head on a rock, he attempted to go back to sleep, but all he could think about was the troll’s capture. After an hour, and deeply against his own desires, and despite his youth, he decided to rescue the human.
The troll’s left a trail of broken twigs, smashed leaves, and smeared slime. The young Thelton ruffled his hair as he continued to follow after them.
“What am I doing?” he questioned himself. He was young and no one had ever put any effort forward to save him, why should he do the same for someone else?
