dragon archives 02 - pursued by a dragon (14 page)

Chapter 23 

The next few days offered little possibility of peace and respite. A morning spent inspecting fleeces at market was followed by traveling over the countryside to the next estate, reaching it just as the sun was about to set. Contracts were reviewed and negotiations conducted by candlelight, allowing for the fleeces to be loaded onto wagons at first light and the entourage to set off once more, towards the next destination. Cathryn had expected Geoffrey to return to town after her refusal of an immediate marriage, but he was not deterred. Instead, he traveled with the convoy, using what opportunity he had to further his case for an immediate marriage.

“I really do not understand your reluctance to finalize the contract,” he complained one day.

“And I do not understand your desire for haste,” she retorted.

“My dear Cathryn,” he replied, “it is because I find your company so enchanting. I long to know that I will have you forever by my side.”

There was another creature that seemed determined to make its presence felt, striking fear into the hearts of the convoy. Every day the dragon could be seen circling the sky above them, its huge wings casting shadows on the ground below. It was close enough that Cathryn could have looked it straight in the eye, but apart from a quick glance every once in a while, she studiously ignored the creature. The guards and wagoners had slowly grown used to the beast circling above them, when it became clear that it intended them no harm, and they tolerated the beast with little complaining.

Despite her best intentions to ignore the creature flying above, the presence of the dragon allowed Cathryn no peace. Every fiber in her body seemed attuned to its presence. She knew when it was close, and when it flew into the distance. She watched the horizon when it disappeared for a short time, quickly turning away when it reappeared. Her heart pounded when she felt the beating of its wings stirring the air around her, and her neck prickled when she felt the warmth of its flames. Every night she stood at her window, pushing all thoughts of the beast from her mind, even as she scanned the vista for some sight of it. She refused to call it by name in her thoughts, but felt the blood rush to her cheeks when she thought of it flying above her.

Four days went by before the entourage entered another town. As they approached, Cathryn noticed the dragon veer away from the small habitation, dropping behind some trees not too far away. It didn’t take long for the party to find an inn to accommodate them, and Cathryn slipped out of the saddle gratefully, struggling to keep her balance when her legs would have given way. She stood in the sunlight for a moment, considering the shabby building ahead of her, before turning on her heel and walking away. She had no thought in mind beyond a desire to stretch her legs, but after a few minutes found herself entering a small copse of trees. Although it was shady, the air was warm, and she twisted her way around the trunks, enjoying the peace and quiet. She could see an area of sunlight up ahead, and she moved towards it, but the sight that met her eyes brought her to a sudden standstill.  Ahead of her, facing the opposite direction, lay the dragon. From where she stood, she could see its enormous tail resting on the ground, armed with sharp spikes. Its wings, folded on its back, shimmered in the sunlight, and a sharp ridge of bone ran along its back, extending into the spikes on its tail and creating more spikes down its neck. She pulled in a breath, and carefully took a step backwards, but the sound of the dragon’s voice froze her in place.

“I know you are there,” he said gently. “Please don’t run away.” Slowly the dragon lifted his head, and stretching his long neck, turned to look at her, taking in a deep breath as he did so. “You’re scared of me,” he said, his voice low. “I won’t hurt you.”

“You’re a dragon,” she whispered, nervousness making her voice high.

“I am many things,” he said, “and a dragon is just one of them.”

“How can you say that? You’re a … you’re a monster.”

“No,” he whispered. “I may be a beast, but I am not a monster.”

Cathryn dropped her eyes, taking another step backwards.

“Please,” he said, “don’t go. Stay for a little while. I won’t hurt you. I could never hurt you.”

“You already have,” said Cathryn, so softly it was little more than a breath. But she shifted her feet, moving slightly forward. Watching her carefully, the dragon slowly turned his body around so that he faced her. He brought his massive head down to Cathryn’s eye level, but stayed a few yards back. Cathryn could see the horns that rose from his skull, sharp and dangerous, while his nostrils flared at the end of a long snout, and she could see the row upon row of wickedly sharp teeth that lined his mouth. At his full height the creature would tower over her, but he lay crouched, close to the ground.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” said the dragon. “Would it have made a difference if I told you?”

Cathryn looked at the creature for a long time, before closing her eyes.

“No,” she whispered.

“Cathryn,” said the dragon, his voice pained.

“I think I should go,” she said, turning away.

“How can you find it in your heart to forgive Geoffrey Beaumont for acting as he did, but you cannot forgive me for being who I am?”

“Because,” Cathryn said, turning around again and taking a step closer, “he is a man, a human, and my future husband.” With a growl the dragon leaned forward, bringing his head closer to hers as she took a quick step back.

“I think,” he said, sparks flying from his nostrils, “you are mistaking the monster.”

“The monster stands right in front of me,” she retorted, her voice rising.

“You refuse to look beyond the outward appearance,” he said. “It is not what you see on the outside that matters, but what is within. There is nothing within Geoffrey Beaumont that you could possibly admire. Or perhaps I have misjudged you, and you are as shallow as he is.”

“How dare you?” she said, her voice growing louder as she took another step towards the dragon.

“How dare I?” he growled back, lifting his head as he glared down at her, his eyes flaming. “You are the one turning your back on everything important for the sake of outward appearances.”

“Appearances,” she scoffed. “There is more at stake here than appearances. You are an animal!”

“You think humans are better than animals?” he asked, his voice dropping low. “Just look at the way humans treat each other — they kill and maim. They torture and starve one another. They are no better than the wildest beast in the fields. Worse, because they know what they are doing.”

“And you don’t?” she said. “When you attack and kill, do you not know what you are doing?”

“You are judging me based on what you have heard in stories,” he said, his tone harsh. “You think who I am changes because I take on a different form? That is all it is, Cathryn, a different form. I am not the monster you hear about in the tales.”

“Then who are you?” she demanded. The dragon dropped its head to her level once more, bringing its face within a foot of hers.

“Why don’t you find out?” he said softly. Cathryn stared at its flaming eyes for a moment, before turning around and walking away without another word.

That night as she lay in bed, Cathryn thought about the challenge in the dragon’s words. Did she want to find out what the dragon was like? And would it even make a difference? She still did not have an answer when she finally fell into a fitful sleep.

The party set off early again the next morning. Only half of the wagons remained; the others, overflowing with fleeces, were sent back to town where the goods would be stored in the warehouse. With a smaller convoy, the pace picked up a little and Cathryn was eager to make the next town that day. She did not relish the thought of sleeping under the stars.

They had barely left the town gates when the dragon appeared in the sky again, swooping down low over them. As he circled around, he drew close to Cathryn on her mount, turning his head to look directly at her. Reluctantly, she turned her face to look at him, meeting the blazing gaze of the beast before he straightened his neck and arced his way up into the heavens. As Cathryn watched him go, she had to admit that he was a creature of beauty. The sun glinted off the red scales, burnishing them with light, while the silky wings glittered as they cleaved through the air. An errant thought made Cathryn wonder whether they would be soft to touch, before she put it aside in annoyance. She would not, she determined, give the creature another single thought.

Chapter 24 

A week went by before Cathryn found her resolve breaking, and she headed for the field where she had seen the dragon land earlier in the day as they had entered the next town. She walked slowly, fearful of startling the beast, but as she approached the field, she could see the creature already watching her approach with an air of expectancy. She stopped, meeting his fiery gaze before allowing her eyes to slide over the rest of his huge form, noting the shiny scales, sharp barbs, deadly horns and silky wings. She walked forward a little more, but stopped when she was about ten feet away.

“Do you regret being a dragon?” she asked. The bony ridge above the dragon’s eyes rose as he looked at her in surprise.

“No, of course not. This is what I am. I was born a dragon. Do you wish you were something other than human?”

“Well, no, but then I don’t hunt down people and eat them.”

“Nor do I,” he replied. “My diet does not differ that much from yours. While you may not be out in the forest with bow and arrow, you enjoy the labors of other hunters.”

“But you don’t use a bow and arrow!”

“Cathryn, are you objecting to my method of hunting? We are all limited by our natures and physical abilities — humans, dragons, even the wolf and lynx.”

Cathryn was silent. Pulling a leaf from a tree, she fiddled with it while the dragon watched.

“What’s wrong?” he finally asked. Cathryn looked up at him, catching her breath when she saw he had moved closer.

“I haven’t had a wolf ask me to marry him,” she snapped. The dragon lifted his head and laughed, flames streaming from his mouth as he did so, while Cathryn glared at him in silence.

“Oh, my love,” he said at last, dropping his head low once more as Cathryn took a step back.

“Don’t call me that,” she said sharply.

“Why not?” he asked. “It is what you are.”

“What does a dragon know about love?”

“You think a dragon cannot love?” he said. “Cathryn, this is getting tedious. You have a very fixed idea of who and what I am, and you will not admit to anything that contradicts your beliefs.”

“Why do you keep this form?” she demanded, waving her hand through the air in his direction. The dragon regarded her in silence for a moment before slowly responding.

“Seeing me like this scares you, doesn’t it? You cannot see past the monster you have heard about in the tales. You think I am going to hurt you.” He watched her closely, and Cathryn looked away, refusing to meet his penetrating gaze.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she finally said.

“The answer is, because I do not wish to offend your sense of propriety.”

Cathryn looked back at him in surprise.

“My sense of propriety?”

“Yes. As you can see, I travel light. I do not have a change of clothes.”

“Oh!” Cathryn turned around to hide the color rising in her cheeks. She took a deep breath and turned to face him once more. “I suppose that is a reasonable explanation.”

“I certainly think so. But the problem still remains that my current form terrifies you.” He cocked his head as he looked at her. “Come closer,” he said.

“Why?”

“Come touch the monster,” he said, dropping his voice.

“I’m not scared of you,” she said, taking a step forward.

“Closer,” he said. She closed her eyes for a moment, drawing in deeply to control her trembling, before taking another step forward. Slowly, cautiously, the dragon stretched his long neck towards her, until he was a few mere inches away. He looked at Cathryn, holding her gaze as she slowly lifted a hand to the side of his neck. She could feel the heat coming from him, like a raging fire, and she paused for a moment. Stretching out her fingers, she touched the heated surface, sliding her fingers over the glossy scales. She had never felt anything so smooth, and where the scales joined, they slipped from one to another with barely a ripple. The breath caught in her throat, and she dropped her hand, taking a step back once more. The dragon looked at her carefully, dropping his head so that she could see the top of his skull. The treacherous horns, reaching to the sky, gleamed in the sun, and Cathryn could feel the fear rising once more.

“Trust me,” he whispered, dropping his head further. “I am not a wild beast, easily startled. I am the one who loves you, and would forever hold you safe.”

Slowly, tentatively, she reached towards the horns. The movement made her skirts rustle over his face, but he made no move. She could sense the tension in his massive body as he held himself taut, waiting for her to touch him, and she stroked her hand over the hard surface, running her thumb up and over the rounded point of the horn. It was solid, but like the rest of him was warm. She dropped her hand and let it slide over the top of his skull as she gently pulled back. A slight shudder ran through him, and she drew away in fright, her heart suddenly racing. They eyed each other in silence, but slowly Cathryn felt the fear dissipate, and she gave him a tentative smile.

“Cathryn,” he said, “this monster has a name. Please say it.”

“You’re not a monster,” she said. He smiled, a huge toothy smile.

“Say my name.”

Cathryn looked away as she whispered under her breath. “Favian.”

“Look at me,” he said softly. Slowly she turned to look at him, meeting his blazing gaze. “Say it again,” he said.

“Favian,” she said, her eyes caught by his. “Your name is Favian.”

“Cathryn,” he paused. “I love you.”

She dropped her gaze and took a step backwards. “I have to go,” she said.