The Dragon' Son (14 page)

She grasped Ardor's mane, raised her foot, and placed it in the waiting man’s hand. Then she swung up onto the horse’s back. She looked down at the young man, and their eyes met.

His eyes were a shining blue that were gentle yet intense, deep, and strong. There was pain behind them, along with guilt and confusion, but, most of all, they were filled with the harsh look of revenge. In spite of that, kindness and compassion swirled in them. There was another look to them as well--a strange look. Something lay deep in them: a deep, glorious secret.

The young man turned his head away from her gaze and stroked the horse’s neck. He looked back up at her but endeavored to make no eye contact. “Are you ready?” he asked. She nodded her head slightly, tightening her grip on the white mane while continuing to stare at the fair young man.

He led his horse through the trees, quietly talking to him and patting him. Occasionally, he would look back at her for a brief moment. After a short time, they came to a stream where they stopped. Erewhon washed her face in the cool, refreshing water and cleaned the cuts and scrapes on her arms. She tried to clean some of the blood from her dress, but the stains would not remove, so she walked to a tree on the bank and sat between its roots, holding her knees, waiting for the young man to finish washing his face.

She could not believe that her elder lady-in-waiting had been a traitor. The old woman had been so kind and gentle when they had first met only a short time ago. Erewhon had hoped that they would become good friends. But that would never happen. At least now the woman wouldn’t be endangering anyone’s lives anymore, especially Annaka’s life.

Erewhon shifted uncomfortably as she remembered the sight she saw when she had looked into the wreckage of the carriage. Then she groaned as her mind flicked back to the image of the knife sticking out of the back of the evil man. Her head felt light at the memory, and her stomach started to churn again. Her rescuer came up beside her. She stood and tried to push the gruesome memories out of her mind, hoping to regain some composure.

“You are not the first person to have seen death,” the young man said abruptly.

Erewhon turned and faced him, feeling offended. “Excuse me?” she asked insolently.

“Forgive me,” the young man said, raising his hands. “I only meant to comfort you. You looked slightly sick.”

Erewhon rolled her eyes and relaxed slightly. “Well. Thank you for the attempted comfort,” she said as politely as she could manage. She was feeling hot, sick, and short on patience and civility right now. Her temper had little room to be taxed by a young man’s ignorance.

“The road is that way,” he said pointing in the direction of which he spoke.

He offered her a leg up on the horse, but she shook her head and stepped away. “I will walk from here, thank you,” she said and began walking in the direction that he had pointed out. He shrugged and followed her silently as she walked toward the road.

When they found the road, he gestured to the right. They walked in that direction silently until Erewhon could no longer endure the silence.

“You have not told me your name,” she noted. “May I know what it is?”

“My name is Keegan,” he answered with a polite nod of his head.

“Keegan? No other titles?” she asked.

“Just Keegan,” he replied with a shake of his head.

Erewhon cleared her throat quietly and pushed back a strand of her hair that had fallen from the circlet on her head. “I am Erewhon. Princess Erewhon,” she corrected herself. “My uncle, King Orwin of Halfidail, will reward you well for rescuing me.”
If nothing else would please the young man, this news would
, she thought.

Keegan snorted. “I don’t care for a reward,” he replied, glancing at her before turning his eyes back to the road.

Erewhon looked at him in shock. “Pardon me?” she asked. “You do not want a reward?”

“I did not rescue you for a reward,” Keegan explained. “Saving you from the danger at hand and seeing you in good health is reward enough. Even if you were a serf, a seamstress, or a milkmaid, I would have rescued you.”

He suddenly stepped in front of her, halting her walking. He looked her over with an intense stare. He studied her golden hair and her green eyes, though he tried not to make much eye contact with her.

“I do know you! You are the milkmaid that lost the brown cow in the village, and I fetched it back for you,” he said with a sparkle entering into his blue eyes. “That was three months ago. Much has changed for you in that time,” he concluded with an ornery smile spreading across his face.

Erewhon stared at him a moment, wishing that he had not recognized her. Then, with a huff, she walked past him feeling awkward and foolish.

“Do you like being royalty?” Keegan asked hurrying up beside her.

“Not particularly,” she answered forwardly as she kept her eyes trained on the road ahead of her.

“May I ask why not?” Keegan asked.

Erewhon let out a heavy sigh. She did not want to answer his questions. If only he had not recognized her, everything would be fine. She would not have had to answer all of his questions then. But now it would be impolite. Wouldn’t it? Or did her status as royalty place her above his questions? Strangely, as she thought about it, she found herself wanting to answer his questions. She wanted to unburden her heart to him.

She sighed again. “I prefer the simple life of a peasant, unnoticed and left alone. Being royalty causes many eyes to stare at me, and it creates many dangers. You just rescued me from one. It is not just a threat to my safety and solitude but to my sister’s, as well.” Erewhon slowed her pace slightly, staring at the ground before her. “If it were just me as Princess, then I would not be so worried, but my little sister’s involvement makes it difficult for me to rest at night. I fear for her safety,” she finished slowly, her mind wandering to Annaka.

Keegan paused a moment and seemed to become more somber as he reflected on her words. “Who is hunting you?” he asked with concern. “And why were you a milkmaid only three months ago when I first met you? How are you a princess now?”

Erewhon looked up at the trees as she thought. “My father told me when I was a little girl that royal blood ran through my veins, but when he disappeared years ago, I pushed his words aside as nonsense and continued about my peaceful life as a peasant. Only when my uncle found me did I learn that my father had told me the truth. Uncle has no heir of his own, so he has adopted his nieces, my sister and I, as his daughters, especially since it is presumed that my father is dead.” The memories of her father were overwhelming, so she turned her mind back to Keegan’s first question. “I do not know who is hunting me,” she finished. She glanced at Keegan and saw a firm, determined expression on his face. “However! I think that my uncle knows who is hunting me, so I will soon learn as well,” she added with a definite shake of her head. She did not want this young man to take any strange ideas into his head about being a hero or a detective for her sake.

Presently, they came up to a tri-forked road. Erewhon stopped and looked at the ground but saw no signs that a wagon or anything had trodden on either of the roads.

“Have we come the right way?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. I’ve only been guessing,” Keegan answered with a shrug. He paused suddenly and tensed, becoming uncomfortable as he cautiously looked up at the sky.

“Are you all right?” Erewhon asked, noting the change in his demeanor.

Keegan nodded and looked down at the ground, saying nothing. Erewhon looked at the ground again and retraced her steps to make sure that she had not missed even the slightest indication of her escort or a recklessly driven wagon having been down this road.

Ardor abruptly snorted and raised his head as a large shadow passed over them with the sound of rushing wind. There was a sudden clap of thunder, startling Erewhon, and then there was silence. Keegan looked up at the sky then turned back around and looked at the forked road. He sighed then swung up atop of Ardor. “I believe your escort is down the road on your right, my lady,” he said. He gave her a gentle shove in the back, directing her toward the forked roads.

Erewhon rolled her eyes and turned to look up at him. “Where are you going?” she demanded. He couldn’t just leave. She needed his protection, and she wanted to make sure that he was rewarded for his efforts. She also wanted to get to know him better. Surely he had more questions for her. Surely he wasn’t foolish enough to leave her, a vulnerable lady of the court, alone on an unfamiliar road!

Keegan and Ardor started trotting away with little notice of her, ignoring her previous question.

“You just can’t leave me here!” she cried out feeling the heat of anger rise into her cheeks.

“I can, I must, and I am!” Keegan hollered over his shoulder. “Fair well, my lady!”

Erewhon clenched her teeth and growled. She was just starting to enjoy his company, and now he was turning away and rudely leaving her alone. She took two steps after him with fists curled. “You’re despicable!” she screamed, making her throat hurt and her voice echo in the trees. Keegan waved over his shoulder and began galloping away as rain began to come down from the sky in a light drizzle.

Erewhon looked up at the treetops and huffed, “Great! And now it is going to rain!” She grabbed her tattered skirts and clenched them angrily in her fists. She continued to stare at the sky and let the light, cool rain fall on her face until she heard the sound of horses. She turned with wide eyes and saw, coming up on the right road, her escort. Annaka and Thailla rode horses at the head of the column next to the captain, and several knights surrounded them protectively. She sighed in relief and ran toward them with a relieved smile breaking across her face.

“Erewhon! Erewhon, it is you! You’re all right!” Annaka cried.

“Quickly! Bring another horse for her majesty!” The booming echo of words was a welcome sound to Erewhon’s ears as she ran toward her escort.

When she had embraced Annaka, received a horse to ride, and had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, she told the captain everything that had happened in as much detail as she could. The captain rubbed his stubbled chin in thought. “The words of the elder lady in waiting are most curious. And I have never heard of this man called Keegan. From what you have told me, he is no mere peasant.” The captain continued to rub his chin. “Ah, a puzzle that will be solved later. For now, you are safe. I will dispatch a few men to bury the dead traitors when we have come to the place you have described, my lady.”

“Very good,” Erewhon nodded. Her mind involuntarily thought back to when she had looked into Keegan’s eyes for that short moment as he helped her onto his horse. There had been something strange in them, but she just could not place it. It was something that made put warmth through her whole body. His mannerisms were quite different from anyone she had ever met; he stood tall and proud, like a prince or king, but he moved like a hunted criminal, always watchful and ready to spring into action. His eyes were deep and intense, like a noble warrior, but they held guilt and were filled with the hateful look of revenge.

Everything about him seemed contradicting. This intrigued and frightened Erewhon, because, strangely, she was drawn to him. She wanted to know him better, but that was like a person having a deadly attraction to poisonous snakes. It would lead to no good.

She dismissed her line of thought and tried to concentrate on what lie ahead. She had to keep her sister safe and be ready to give Uncle a full report when she arrived at the capitol, Elinralis. She hadn’t time to think of this young man now.

Chapter 8: Strange Things

Light and warmth surrounded Keegan. He stared down at the soft green grass under his bare feet and was amazed at how lush and thick it was. Something gently brushed the top of his head, causing him to look up and see a white bark branch of a tree with beautiful, soft pink blossoms falling from their resting places, softly entangling themselves in his hair.

He paused when laughter reached his ears. Distant music accompanied the laughter, and it began to flow and float through the air like water. He softly walked through the forest of white trees and falling pink petals, following the sounds until he came to a clearing in the trees where he stopped.

Two girls, dressed in white and gold dresses, were gleefully chasing each other about the trees. Their footsteps were light, and their laughter was like that of angels. Watching them play and hearing their laughter ring through the trees lightened Keegan’s heart. A beaming smile spread across his face--something that had rarely crossed his face since the massacre.

One of the girls stopped running and stared at Keegan, while the other ran on into the trees, oblivious to the visitor and her companion. Keegan studied the staring girl for a moment before he realized that she was the Princess he had saved only the day before.

Gold seemed to be weaved into her flowing hair, and her dress was radiant, soft and flowing. Her demeanor was that of superiority and grace. Her eyes were piercing and watchful but gentle and inviting. Her face was glowing and soft, yet set firm, giving the assumption that she was unmoved by what she saw, even though a hint of inquisitiveness lingered on her face. Again, Keegan felt that he was looking upon some ancient being from the past. Perhaps it was only his mind building her up, painting a fictional picture for him to admire, but he could not deny that she was truly beautiful.