A Dragon’s Tale

”Alana.”  A voice said as she felt a gently shaking

*Alana.*  The voice repeated inside her head, gently nudging her mind.

She groaned. Her head felt like someone had used it for a drum. 

”Are you okay?”  He asked.

”Not so loud.”  She moaned as she tried to open her eyes.  The light of the early morning sun viciously attacked her retinas and she slammed her eyelids shut.  She clutched her stomach.  It felt like a whole bowl of worms were rooting around in there. 

”Are you okay?” He whispered. 

”I think so.” She said, but it turned out that opening her mouth again was a bad idea.  She had just enough time to turn before she emptied her breakfast all over the ground.  Thankfully, someone -- probably Ethan -- grabbed her hair and held it out of the way before she did so. 

”Can you heal yourself?”  He asked.

She started shivering as she tried to focus her mana.  It took some time, but she was finally able to start purging her body of whatever had knocked her out.  It didn’t work very well or quickly.  It seemed to be actively resisting her attempts to cleanse it from her body. 

”Is everyone okay?” she asked as she remembered why they were there in the first place. 

”Everyone is fine; don’t worry.”

”Okay, then I’m going to lay down.”  She said, making sure to avoid the vomit as she did so.

”I got you.”  Ethan said. 

She felt strong arms pick her up and she just relaxed into them, still not opening her eyes because of the brightness of the sun.  She just relaxed in the arms of her beloved, knowing he would keep her safe.  

Fifteen minutes later, he gently set her down on a soft patch of grass-covered earth.  Even with her eyes closed, she could tell it was in the shade.  He was so thoughtful.

”We’re at the ladder to the Argo, so rest until you feel up to climbing it.” He said. 

”Okay.” She nodded.  The nausea had lessened and she began to concentrate on cleansing her body of the toxins.  It took the better part of twenty minutes because they were so resistant to removal, but she finally purged them enough that she felt okay again.  It probably would’ve taken hours without magical healing.

She opened her eyes. 

Ethan was standing nearby, staring into the sky. 

”What happened?”  She asked.  

He explained everything, including Kendra’s strange behavior. 

”I’m glad she didn’t hurt you.”  Alana frowned.  ”But that’s very strange.  Why would a dragon hunter...” 

”I know, right?”  He agreed.  ”I’m not complaining though because she might’ve saved all our lives.  Shooting Havorleth made a huge difference.  I’m not sure we would all be alive if she hadn’t.” 

”And she didn’t hurt me, or your baby.”  Alana mused. 

”Our baby.” He corrected. 

”Why do I keep doing that?”  She put her hand protectively over her womb.  ”I love our baby with all my heart and would never let anything happen to her.  Why do I keep calling her ’yours’ instead of ’ours’?”

”I don’t know, but I do know you’re going to be a great mother.”

”Really?” 

”Absolutely.”  He said with conviction.  ”There’s no doubt whatsoever in my mind.” 

She felt her heart soar.  She leapt off the ground, nearly lost her balance, and then gave him a massive hug. 

 ”I’m glad you’re feeling better.”  He said with a chuckle as he returned her hug.

”Me too.”  She let go and looked into her husband’s eyes.   Some part of her refused to believe she was so completely in love with a dragon, and yet she was.  He gave her a lopsided grin and she couldn’t help but smile in return. 

”I’m so glad I married you...”  She felt a familiar tingling sensation in her loins, so she added.  ”...sir.” 

”You are insatiable.”

She nodded, then reached down to the hem of her dress. 

”Wait.”   He caught her hand.  ”Right here?”

She looked up at the Argo and then to a nearby clutch of trees that was probably big enough to keep them hidden.  ”We can be creative.”

He shook his head, and there was suddenly something of the dragon behind his eyes.  ”Not where anyone else might see.”  

”Okay.” She nodded and reluctantly let go of the hem of her dress.  ”I suppose you should save your energy for Taloni anyway.” 

Ethan’s eyes doubled in size.  ”What?”

”Well, we’re going to free her now, right?”

He nodded. 

”Don’t you want to take your new wife to bed?”  Alana asked, not understanding what he was missing.

”Oh.” He said as a small burst of arousal come over their bond.  ”Yeah, I mean if we’re going to free her then...”  He looked at her.  ”And you’re okay with this?”

She let her arousal at the idea seep over their bond.  ”More than okay.  Just be gentle with her; it’ll be her first time.  The more she enjoys it the more she’ll want to do it again.” 

Again, he looked confused.  ”...and that’s something you want?” 

”Mmm hmm.”  She nodded, the tingling feeling between her legs grew stronger.  ”I absolutely do.”

”Why?”

”Um.”  She couldn’t quite meet his eyes anymore and felt her cheeks grow rather warm.  ”Because?”

”Because why?” 

”Um...  I...”  she stalled, trying to think how to avoid answering the question.  ”I just think that...  That you....”

”Alana.”  Ethan used the side of his index finger to gently raise her chin so she looked him in the eye.  ”Why is that something you want?”

Her cheeks were definitely getting very warm, and it had nothing to do with the weather.  ”The Um... the idea... the thought, had occurred to me before and...  I didn’t, I don’t exactly hate it.”

”So, you don’t exactly hate the idea of me having sex with another woman?”  He raised an eyebrow.  ”I know you said before that you’d be okay with it.  Heck, you even insinuated you wanted to watch.  I thought you were joking though.”

She bit her lip and shook her head ever so slightly. 

”Well, well, well.  Whatever happened to the innocent little wood elf I met a couple of months ago?” 

”She got married and...”  She took a deep breath.  ”...and repeatedly impaled on your magnificent...”  she turned beet red and couldn’t quite get the word out.  ”Well, you know...  sir.” 

”I do know.”  He gave her a sly smile.  ”You got repeatedly impaled by my cock.  Go ahead, you can say it.”

Alana took a moment to compose her thoughts, trying to prevent herself from turning even redder.  ”I got impaled by your...  your...”  She took another breath.  ”By your cock...  sir.” 

She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands.  ”I can’t believe I just said that.” 

He put his arms around her, chuckling slightly.  ”Was that so hard?  Especially after what we’ve done in bed?” 

She shook her head while leaning on his chest. 

”So, you’d like to be there huh?” 

She hesitated a moment, then nodded. 

”I suppose if Taloni doesn’t mind, I certainly don’t.”  He said with a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. 

She looked up, met his eyes, and then looked down again.  ”Really?”

”Really, as long as she’s comfortable with it.”  He cocked his head to one side.  ”If she’s as squeamish as you though, it might take a little while for her to warm to the idea.” 

”Okay, I’m patient.”  She felt a strange sort of calm come over her.  She hadn’t realized it before, but she’d been scared to admit to Ethan how much she wanted to be there when he took his other wife to bed.  She wanted it so much, she could feel herself starting to get wet.  Now that she’d told him and he’d accepted it, it was like a breath of fresh air.

She relaxed, and -- with the anxiety gone -- felt much freer to express how she was truly feeling; what she truly wanted.

”Sir.”  She said with a sultry smile.  ”Shouldn’t we get you ready for you to take your other wife to bed?” 

”Absolutely.”  He growled slightly, the desire in his voice and their bond was almost palpable. 

She walked over to the rope ladder leading to the Argo, Ethan motioned for her to go first, and his eyes on her butt left her in no doubt as to why he wanted her to go first.  She had only gotten up about ten feet when she realized he wasn’t behind her. 

He was looking around as if searching for something, one hand and one foot on the ladder hesitating.

”What is it?”  She asked.

”Whoever or whatever pushed me saved my life.  I just wish I knew who or what it was.”  He shrugged, then made to climb the ladder. 

”Hey!”  He shouted as he jumped back touching his shoulder. 

”What?” Alana asked in alarm. 

”Something just touched me.”  He looked around.

There was no one there. 

* * *

Kendra ran. 

She ran fleeing what had just happened as much as the dragon who’d told her to flee.

She ran until she reached her tiny airship.  She jumped into it and then realized that there was nowhere left to run.  This was the end of the line.  As sad as it was, as pathetic as it was, this tiny little airship was the closest thing to a home she had ever had. 

She sat down on the chair meant for one.  She looked around at the lack of space for anyone who wasn’t bound and gagged. 

It felt pathetic.

She felt pathetic. 

She felt her eyes grow watery and resolved to put the entire thing out of her mind.   This was her lot in life; to be lonely.  She’d been warned about that when she’d started her training.  She hadn’t grasped the full meaning, but she’d been warned.  She just didn’t realize it would be like this.

She felt a tear roll down her cheek.

She brushed it away. 

Another tear made its way down her cheek.  Then another.  She looked into the big blue sky and blinked trying to clear them.  They wouldn’t stop.  That hole in her heart -- the immense void left by the absence of friends and family -- it was swallowing her alive.  She blinked and rubbed her eyes, trying to make the tears stop. 

They wouldn’t. 

She barely made a sound.  She just let the tears fall silently.  She felt her throat get tight and her breathing became shaky.  Still, she didn’t make a sound.  There was nothing to be said. 

There was no one to hear her.

She was completely alone.

She slumped back and lay down, her head resting on some coiled rope that she used for a pillow.   She grabbed the thick blanket she used to keep warm on cold nights and pulled it over herself.  Not for the first time, she wished that she wasn’t alone under that blanket. 

The tears still kept silently falling. 

She closed her eyes and let her mind drift.  Strangely, it drifted to what Luminar Kossel had said.  He’d said the person who killed her and then saved her life twice would be her best chance for having a true friend. 

She couldn’t believe it. 

It just wasn’t possible. 

Not a dragon. 

Anyone or anything but a dragon. 

If the message really was from Illuminar, why in Saidow’s Lair had He chosen a dragon?  What kind of despicable torture -- what kind of cruel joke was that?  What kind of God would want her to be friends with a dragon, especially after everything those foul beasts had taken from her?  

She pulled the heavy blanket closer and tighter, trying to wring some comfort from the weight.  It didn’t work.  Her bed was just as empty as her heart.  She couldn’t bear it anymore and pulled the blanket up over her head.   There, under the blanket she tried to feel safe. 

That didn’t work either.

Unbidden, the dragon’s eyes came to her mind.  The care and concern in its eyes when it asked about the elf were just... 

Just... 

There were no words.

She wished that someone -- anyone -- would care about her like that.  She wished that if she ever found herself as helpless as the wood elf that someone -- anyone -- would come to her rescue like the dragon had come to the elf’s.  She wished someone cared enough about her to threaten to tear anyone who hurt her ’limb from fucking limb’.  She utterly despised the idea of being helpless, but to have someone care about her that much... 

Despite the fact that he was a dragon, he truly seemed to care about the elf.

As she drifted off to sleep, she realized that this was the first time she’d ever thought of a dragon as a ”he”, not an ”it”.  She was too tired to consider it much, but it seemed important. 

That was her last thought as she drifted off to sleep. 

* * *

Ethan looked around, trying to figure out what had touched him as Alana looked on in concern. 

”I know something touched me.  Maybe it was...”  He looked around.

No one was there. 

He frowned.  ”If whoever just touched me is the same person who saved my life earlier, say something.”

Silence.

”Maybe they can’t speak?”  Alana suggested as she climbed back down. 

”Okay.”  He nodded and said to the general area.  ”If whoever is out there is the person that saved me earlier, tap my shoulder twice.  If not, tap it once.” 

There was a brief pause, then he felt two taps on his shoulder: Tap, tap.

”Who are you?”

Silence. 

”Right, you can’t speak.”  Ethan mused.  ”Do I know you?”

Tap, tap. 

He and Alana looked at each other. 

*What’s going on?*  He said telepathically.

*I don’t know.  Maybe try asking more questions?*

”Do you know Alana?”  He said aloud, indicating the wood elf. 

Tap, tap.

”Do you have a name?”

Tap, tap.

”You said I know you, do I know your name?”

Tap, tap. 

”Hmm, you can touch but not talk.”  He mused.  ”Can you write your name in the dirt?” 

Tap, tap.

A moment later, Ethan saw the dirt in a grassless patch of earth nearby begin to move, as if someone was writing in it with a finger.  They seemed to be having trouble though.  It took them a couple tries to make a vertical line.  Not long after, it took them a few more tries to make a loop at the top of the line. 

”P?  Your name starts with P?”  Alana guessed.  Moments later, Alana looked up and said ”One tap means no right?”

He nodded. 

”Okay, not ’P’ then.” 

They both watched as a capital ’B’ was formed, followed by a capital ’E’.” 

”Wait a minute.”  Ethan’s jaw dropped.  ”No, no it couldn’t be.  Is it...?”  He looked at Alana. 

”What, do you know--” Suddenly, her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth.  ”Oh dear Illuminar in heaven.”   She breathed, seemingly too stunned to say anything else.

As they stared at the ’BE’ that was written in the dirt, another vertical line started forming next to it. 

”Beth?”  Ethan breathed in disbelief.  ”Beth, is that you?” 

Tap, tap. 

This time, the taps were more forceful, as if the person making them was extremely excited.  He looked at Alana and his mouth fell open. 

”She’s alive.”  He breathed.

(End of chapter 14)

Note: This chapter began on day 50 of Ethan’s life in the Ten Kingdoms and ended on day 51.