The Dragon's Mail Order Mate: A Paranormal Menage Romance (28 page)

“I have to admit that even taking her back, she complained and screamed at me the whole way.  She wouldn’t even agree that she would have never gotten hurt if she listened to me in the first place.  Instead, she has been torturing me with the fact that I am no better than her father who allowed her to taste freedom for only so long and locked her away.”

“I am sure that locking her up in a tower will not stop your bride.  She is destined to be here.  Didn’t you pass a dress shop on the way here?  Perhaps if you bought her a nice dress, she would forget everything.”

“It isn’t funny! I am being very serious at the moment.  My wife seems to hate me completely.  How could a dress ever change her attitude about me?  It definitely won’t make her a queen and it won’t make her suddenly realize that I am not a terrible husband.  She has made her mind up and it seems it will take everything in this world to make her forget that.”

“Can you do me a favor?” the traveler asked as he didn’t even listen to a single word I spoke.

“What would that be?” I asked.

“Why don’t you buy her a dress?  I am sure that her dress got ruined from being in the mishap.  You will find I added extra money to your sacks back when we dropped you off at the inn.”

“With my luck, you want me to buy a dress because she has once again escaped and she is here.”

“Stop it!  If you at least try to show her that you are willing to try to please her as a lady, then perhaps you will gain her respect and she will forget to be a warrior.  Aren’t you even curious to know the reason why she is acting this way?” the traveler asked.

I shrugged.  “I have thought about it often.  Why her father sold her as a mail order bride compared to allowing her to be the warrior seems to fill her soul.

“I can’t even believe you are asking me to actually do this for her since she has no ambition to be my wife,” I mumbled.

“Merek, many have told me that you yield an arrogant personality.  Yet others tell me that you yield a very caring personality.  What is it about her that makes you refuse to listen to what I am saying?  Do you not care about her?  I am sure if the doctor told you that she needed a medical setting and she had to be sent away, you would be there.  You waited to see what he said, did you not?”

I looked over at the street where the dress boutique was.  It was a dress for my wife who was at home.  I wasn’t even sure why I couldn’t get this on the way back.

“You look as if you are deep in thought,” the traveler said.

“I am very deep in thought.  I guess I have a lot to think about.  I have to hurry up and get a couple hours of sleep before making it the rest of the way to the Dragon Kingdom.”I watched through the smoke filled pub that a shadowy figure started walking towards us. 

“Can I help you?” I asked as the shadowy figure wearing a cape, sat down at our table.

There was no answer from this new stranger.  The traveler, on the other hand, seemed quite content that this person joined us.

“Don’t you have something to do, Merek?” the traveler asked.

Rowan looked at me and back at the traveler.  “I hate to be obvious and repeat my brother, but our lives are already in peril.”

“He is right.  Perhaps if Ryia does find a way to escape, buying her a dress will get her to show some sort of affection towards me instead of hate,” I mumbled as I got up.

My brother seemed shocked as I walked out the door and went to the strange store that seemed to be more like a stone cottage than a boutique.

“Can I help you?” the woman asked.

I looked up, quite embarrassed that she was even standing there.  “I am just looking, thank you.”

“We only deal with women and dresses. I suggest the men’s store down the road.”

I suddenly became quite embarrassed by the woman thinking I was buying the dress for me.  “I think you have it wrong,   I am buying a nice dress for my wife.”

The store was full of dresses.  I had a sense as I looked on the wall at the warrior outfit that I wouldn’t be walking out with a dress.  Who was I to keep Ryia prisoner?

“I thought you were looking for a dress.  Sir, dresses would be that way.  This way is for warriors.  I am sure your wife wouldn’t be interested in any of that sort of stuff.”

I shot her a look, but my eyes glanced past her at a portrait painted of my wife.

“Who is she?”

The woman glanced back at the portrait.  “I thought you were looking for a dress,” was her response.

I looked at the portrait of the woman who seemed to be Ryia.  The woman refused to talk, but I knew somehow Ryia had a story within her that seemed she hadn’t spoken about or perhaps I wasn’t listening. 

“How old is your wife?  What do you know about her?” the woman asked as she glided around the shop and began pulling dresses from different places and putting them in her arms.

“Does it matter how old she is to pick out a dress?” I asked, appalled.

“Of course it matters the age of your bride!  These dresses aren’t just made for any age.  Is it safe for me to assume she is around your age?”

“Yes, she is around my age.”

“These are my preferences for a wonderful young lady in that age bracket.  I must ask what she looks like to more critique and have the colors with her hair and eyes.”

“She has snowy white blond hair with gorgeous green eyes.  She looks like your picture over there,” I said.

The woman glanced back at the portrait and looked back at me.  “I am sure you are mistaken.   However, you can have these dresses for only five gold pieces.”

I looked back at the warrior outfit.  “What about that?  How much is that?”

“I don’t think that is to your bride’s taste.  That warrior outfit is for a true warrior.  It isn’t something she will be able to wear out in public.”

“I know that.”

The woman shook her head.  “You don’t understand.  It isn’t for sale.”

This was becoming harder than I thought since she wasn’t even listening to my needs or desires.  I needed that warrior outfit for Ryia.  My heart was set on buying it for her. 

“I don’t understand.  Why do you have it hanging with a price tag on it?”

100“It is not for sale for an aristocrat like yourself,” the woman snarled.

“I am sorry to inform you of this, but I am not an aristocrat.”

“Then you obviously can’t afford the warrior outfit.  Good day then,” she muttered.

I looked at her and shook my head.  “I am going to correct you, Miss.  I am a crowned king which means I am more than able to afford it.”

“Which king do you think you are?” she asked in a snooty attitude.

“I am King Merek, son of King Athalos.” I boasted.

“Very well, you can take the warrior outfit if you wish.  I do warn you that your queen will not be impressed if you bring her home something like this.”

I watched as she packed up the chest plate, as well as the outfit, bow, and cloak.  The colors shimmered with bronze and burnt orange.  The cloak seemed to match.

After a long anticipation, I watched the woman wrap it in a box.  She seemed displeased with the fact that I was buying it.

“Tell me about the portrait, if you could,” I asked once again.  I was hoping this time I would get the answers that I desired.

The woman looked up at me and refused to acknowledge what I had asked. 

“That will be twenty gold pieces,” she stated in a cold tone.

I handed her the gold pieces and continued to wait for an answer.  I was pretty sure even as the woman’s face turned solid like a rock without any emotions I continued to try to look through her soul.

I walked back to the pub.

“What took you so long?  I am assuming you did get a dress,” the traveler asked.

“I really didn't have a choice.  It seemed like getting what I did was a fight and a half.  They have a portrait of Ryia in that shop, but they refuse to tell me anything about it.”

“Is it that important to know?” Marvin asked.

“I guess you are right. I could ask Ryia myself when I get back.  I am sure she would be more useful than the woman that was trying to sell dresses. She refused to say anything about the portrait.  She even became very harsh and you could tell I touched a nerve.”

“Who knows, she might have thought that you were going to start trouble or something.  Perhaps she thought you were an assassin after Ryia.”

“I doubt it.  The way this woman was acting was downright cruel.  She pointed out that an aristocrat like me wouldn’t be able to afford what I bought.  I corrected her and she mumbled under her breath.  It seems as if no matter what, it wasn’t going to be able to give her the right answers.”

The caped figure that had walked in when I was leaving suddenly tossed the cape and revealed that it was Ryia.  I had a feeling it was my wife once again.

She didn’t downplay it or correct me by saying it wasn’t that bad.

I looked at her leg and back at her.  “I have many questions at the moment including your leg.  Are you even healed enough to be here?” I asked.

Ryia smiled.  “I am healed fine.”

“Moving on to the next question, how did you escape this time?”

“That was quite simple.  I told the chambermaid that I was cleaning in there when I accidentally left the keys in your desk.  She fell for it completely and here I am.”

“I thought your leg was more likely broken.”

“My leg is fine.  I am just bruised up.”

“This means you will be joining us on this quest then?  It must, since I don’t have the time to return you back to the castle since you aren’t listening.  It seems as if nothing can get you down or keep you there to heal up.”

“I will be fine.”

I wasn’t sure if I should believe Ryia, since it wasn’t that long ago that she injured herself.  Her crutches were no where in sight, although I knew she was supposed to have them. I glanced down at her foot. The doctor must have told her that it wasn’t that bad, because she was wearing both of her shoes.

Chapter Six

I knew that somehow the traveler had worked hand in hand with Ryia and her escape.  Perhaps how she healed and got here so fast was by magic. 

“Are we ready to go to the Dragon Kingdom?” Ryia asked.

“Are you sure you want to go with me?”

I already knew the answer.  She had escaped many times to be on this journey.  I wasn’t sure who would watch the castle, but she was here.

“Of course I want to go to the Dragon Kingdom.  I know how to get in. I have wanted to help you so much before you decided to send me back to the castle and watch over it.”

“I have something for you,” I finally said as I took out the box I got from the dress shop.

Instantly she knew the marking on the box.

“You shouldn’t have bought me a dress!”

“I wanted to buy you something.  You are my wife and my queen.  It feels improper not to buy you something.  Why don’t you open it?”

Ryia played with the ribbon on the box as she looked at me.  The smile on her face disappeared as she played with the ribbon. 

“What is the matter?” I asked.

“I am just remembering something.”

“Aren’t you going to open the box?” I asked as I sat on the other side of the bed.

Unlike the rooms that were at Marvin’s Inn, the room was tiny.  Ryia and I had to share a bed for once. 

“Of course, I am going to open it.”

Ryia pulled the ribbon and slid the lid off.  Her eyes lit up when she saw the warrior outfit with the plated chest piece.

“How did you know where to find it?”

“The traveler that has glued himself to Marvin told me to pick out a dress for you.  Although the woman had many beautiful dresses, I knew that wasn’t what you wanted.  You would want the warrior outfit that was hanging on the wall.  It seemed to be the right size and everything, as if it was custom made to your body.”

She seemed so content in having this outfit that she suddenly got undressed in front of me and put it on.

“I have felt as if I wasn’t worthy without it.  I had this made by dwarves.  They stitched each piece of the dragon scale by hand.  The metal was heated and dusted with diamond dust so no sword could penetrate any part of it.”

I looked at her as if for once, she was no longer the heartbroken person I had known throughout the journey.  She was actually smiling and twirling around in front of the mirror.  What most girls did with gowns, my Ryia did with her warrior outfit!

“Why do they have a painting of you in the shop?” I asked.

Ryia stopped spinning and looked at me.  “I used to be an amazing warrior.  I brought hope and faith to all who needed it.  I did it behind my father’s back and hid my true identity.  He found out and hired men to capture me.  When I got back, he decided to shame me.  He stripped me of my warrior status and took away all of my belongings that reminded me of that life.  When I had nothing left, he sold me to the mail order bride agency.”

My heart sank for Ryia and her sad story. 

“Is your father still alive?”

“I don’t even know.  I haven’t seen him in so long that I doubt I would even recognize him, to be honest.  My mother passed away when I was younger and I don’t remember much about her.  I never understood why my father did that since he never asked where the gold I made came from. 

“He never once complained when I put dinner on the table.  The day that he had the men capture me, it seemed as if my whole life changed.  I was no longer Ryia the strong warrior.  I had to be an average woman who wanted to be a mother and a good wife.  You shouldn’t really be in this town, though. 

“Everyone will be watching you since you bought this.  It is bad enough we both showed up in the same town, but you went to the boutique.  You are asking too many questions.  It is only a matter of time before my father sends his men to see what you want and he will decide your punishment for bringing me back my armor.”

I hadn’t thought about that and I wasn’t even able to get a sentence in at the moment, as Ryia continued to talk at such a fast rate.  Excitement and agitation seemed to fill her.

“If you want me to leave back to the castle, I will.  I just hope that you understand I have come to help you.  I know the Dragon Kingdom much better than you realize.  There are many men here that will do anything to make a few coins.  They are the scary type of beastly men that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.  This isn’t a welcoming village.”

“I think you have proved your point that you insist on going with us to the Dragon Kingdom.  I don’t think there is any way I can be persuasive and get you to go back to the castle.  It isn’t in your blood to be a queen and watch over the castle.  It is in you to be a fighter, a warrior at best.  Perhaps that is what I need more than a queen.  I need a queen who is a warrior, who wants to be a part of a team.”

“I promise I won’t drag you down.  I definitely know how to get into the Dragon Kingdom.  I promise you won’t regret anything.”

“You are crazy!  It might be me who is crazy even doing this for you.  I am starting to think as my wife, you are more trouble than you are worth at times.  When we go down for breakfast, you must thank the mysterious traveler.”

The way Ryia’s eyes sparkled made me feel like, for once, we were connecting.  This was what I had been waiting for ever since I met her.  I finally was beginning to connect with her.  Now if only she was okay with me being her husband, then my life might be a bit more perfect.

The mystery traveler was sitting next to Marvin in the corner of the smoky pub. 

Ryia sat right down next to the traveler.

“Can I help you, Miss?” the traveler asked.

“I have come to thank you.  You don’t know what you have done for me,” Ryia whispered.

“I can imagine what I have done.  I think it is all fair to say there have been many times that you have opened my eyes as well as tried hard to help me.”

Ryia threw her head back and laughed.  “I guess I have done that for you.”

The bartender glanced over.  He quickly filled up mugs with the house special as well as starting to make our breakfast.  It seemed as if Rowan and I may be the unwelcome guests, but Ryia was welcomed here with open arms.

I was sure I was beginning to show in my face how angry I was.  I didn’t understand why the bartender did that, since he didn’t even give Rowan or I a chance.

“It has been a very crazy journey, but I am sure once we get to where we are going, we will at least know every detail of the truth.”

The humming of voices flooded the conversation and it seemed as if I couldn’t concentrate. I couldn’t decipher what Ryia was saying right in front of me.  I began getting dizzy, but I knew it was more the fact that I had been lacking food as well as sleep.

“Are you okay?” Ryia asked as she stared at me.

I sighed as I looked at her.  How was I even going to describe what was going on with me?  She would probably jump to the conclusion something was wrong and I was in trouble.

I continued to rub my head as Ryia’s voice seemed to become distant.  My vision seemed to be blurring everyone out.  

“Merek, do you need help?” Ryia asked as she began to shake my arm. 

I looked back at her, confused.

“I am sure I will be fine.  I just feel a bit off.  How can you help me?” I asked as I flashed her a smile.

“You look as if you aren’t fine, Merek.  Are you sure that you are going to be okay?  I can tell something is going on that you aren’t telling me!  I really want you to tell me what it is.”

“Thank you Ryia, but I think I am fine.  I just don’t feel right.  I am sure it is because of all the traveling I did without getting enough sleep.  I don’t think there is a way for you to help me.”

To be honest, I didn’t want her to worry.  What would she think?  I was sure she would take me right to the doctor if she got a chance.  I was already running out of time to get where I needed to be.

Granted, I did miss the simpler life where I didn’t have to worry about such things as dragons.  I thought it was complicated that I had to get married and have kids.  It seemed as if sometimes that finding a decent bride wasn’t half the trouble as this journey I was on now.

Perhaps it was a diverse side effect of becoming more like a dragon.  I thought they had eagle eyes compared to blurred vision, though.

“I am looking for Prince Merek,” a voice said from near the door of the pub.

The man seemed to be looking through the crowd as he was talking.  His face was scarred badly.  I wasn’t sure if he was a man from the guild or not, but I knew that I needed to get out of there.

“There is a man over that at the counter looking for me.  We must go!” I whispered.

I could tell the way he growled my name that this was going to be an unpleasant encounter otherwise. 

“Why are you looking for Prince Merek?” the bartender finally asked as he looked at the man. 

“This is about personal affairs that I must deal with.  I am sure you can understand that I don’t want everyone to know what those affairs would consist of.”

“I am sure you can find information on Prince Merek’s whereabouts here.  I don’t want any trouble, though.  I don’t need the reputation that I allowed you in here to destroy the place.  You see, I know you come for your own affairs and you are on a quest, but it is different here.  I have to stay here and run this pub.”

The man reached over and grabbed the bartender by the throat.  “If you don’t tell me where Merek is then whom do I talk to?”

“He is in the corner, or at least was in the corner.  I am sure you will be quite impressed with the people he is keeping company with,” the bartender said as he pointed in my direction.

I looked over at Ryia and she motioned for us to go out the back room.  I guess we all knew what was going to happen if this guy caught up with me.

I wasn’t sure if I was analyzing this too much or not enough.  I was sure my father had sent him.

The last time I glanced back, the man was standing where we had been sitting. 

“I thought you told me they were sitting at this table!  Where are they?  I have been around many people who seemed to be trying to harbor him.  I can guarantee that when I find him, I will be making no exception of solving the problem with you,” the man said as one of his eyes bulged unnaturally and seemed
incredibly bloodshot.  The other eye glared at everyone in the pub. 

The glances he shot at everyone seemed to make my whole body quiver with fear.

“Have I not proven in the past what I am capable of?  Why is it my requests to deal with affairs seem to fall on deaf ears?  I didn’t travel all this way for you to harbor Prince Merek.  Even if you sent him to the tunnel, I promise you that I will find him.” The man continued to scream as he continued to throw tables and chairs as he looked around. 

I was sure he was trying to make a point and it was one that was quite obvious. 

“Are you coming or not?” Ryia asked as she grabbed me by the arm.

It seemed like I didn’t even get time to hold on for my life.  To me, this sudden event was as bad as the episode with the bridge.  It couldn’t be coincidental, but I wasn’t sure if it was just the assassin guild either.  I never felt faint when I was near any of the assassins when my father brought me there before.  

My heart had been racing since the man had walked into the pub.  The twisting and turning off the hallway only led up to a dark tunnel that was behind a bookcase.  I wasn’t sure where Ryia was headed, but I was sure this was the tunnel that the man had been speaking about.