“Let go of me, I don’t care who you are! You can’t touch me like that. You threw me on the ground! My daddy is a council member, and I swear you will be punished for this!”
I let go and backed away.
Selene put her hands on my shoulders and steered me away from the now hysterical girl who was sobbing and pulling out chunks of grass to throw in the direction of the Dragon men.
“Don’t pay any mind to her, Maribella. She’s always like this. Spoiled, you know, and only a teenager,” Selene whispered in my ear, turning me around. “What I want to know, though, is why the Dragons shifted to human form and are by those packs over there.”
Squinting to where Selene was pointing, I took in the Dragons’ humanoid forms. One was tall and skinny; the other short and robust.
The short and robust Dragon man spoke first. “There are proper clothes inside the packs. Please change for we are heading into colder territory now. It’s a three-day hike to our settlement. We have five hours before sunset, and then we make camp. Change now so we can head out in a quarter of an hour.”
With that, they both turned and headed a few trees down, giving us privacy but still within catching distance if one of us decided to run. I shrugged at Selene and then made a face as I investigated a pack in front of us.
“Mmmm, Selene?” I asked as I pulled out boots, trousers, and a tunic-like shirt that had a hood. “Do you know how to do real quick alterations because these are really big.” I put the trousers up to my waist, giggling.
“Give me those.” She mockingly growled with a smile before snagging the trousers from my grasp. She ran her hand around the inside of the waist band. “They have strings right here and here for adjustment. I’m guessing the tunic will too.”
Selene tossed them back to me and riffled through the rest of the pack. Digging out two more pairs of the same outfit, she handed the young girl a set. The trousers and tunic promptly went flying toward the tree line. I stifled a snort, but I was sure she heard me since I received a glare. “I’m not putting those on,” the girl said smugly, waving us away as if we were a horse fly. “I would rather freeze.”
I chuckled but didn’t push the issue. If little miss rich girl wanted to play around with getting frostbite, then that was her prerogative. She would give in and put on the warm clothes eventually.
The girl continued to glare at me and pout at the same time. It really was quite impressive. I gave her a sweet smile before changing and turned back to Selene, betting her the girl wouldn’t make it to camp before she changed into the boots and provided clothing.
IT WAS THREE HOURS later when we finally stopped in a snow-covered grove with trees surrounding us. I had lost my own bet. It seemed the girl was a lot more stubborn than anticipated. She was still stomping around the frost-bitten mountainside in silk slippers and a thin silk gown. I winced on the inside with the knowledge Selene or I would have to make her change before she froze to death. The wind picked up a biting chill a few miles back, and a slight dusting of snow started to fall an hour ago. Selene was currently sitting next to the girl, trying to make her understand that losing toes to frostbite would be quite painful. I took this moment to drop the pack I had been carrying and look around. The well-used fire pits and semi-permanent structures resembling wooden tents made me wonder if Dragons ever took time to go camping for fun. A snort escaped my nose, and Selene glanced in my direction. I shook my head, offering no explanation. Selene and I had reconnected, chatting for the first hour of the hike about how our life was like before today. The girl, who turned out to be fourteen, which was not a surprise in my mind, complained a lot. She had finally introduced herself to me as Bambi after she got tired of my ‘hey you’ when I acknowledged her. I had forced Bambi to hike up in front of us because I had the feeling she was not used to any type of extraneous activity. Also, I was pretty sure she would make some half-assed attempt to run again at some point. I was correct in the first assumption because I had to keep prodding her along. She never did try to make another run for it, but I figured that had to do more with the fact her feet hurt. How did I know this? It was because Bambi complained about her aching feet nonstop for the last two hours, along with the many, many other inconveniences. The Dragons didn’t utter a word the entire time to any of us, even though they were fully capable of it. They just marched us along at a grueling pace. Even I was pretty much wiped out by the time we stopped. Not sure if it was the breaking point for the night or if it was just a short rest, I slowly approached the Dragons, who were growling to each other in their native tongue.
“Is this where we are camping for the night?” I asked the tall Dragon as he threw his bag in the general direction of a wooden structure.
He glanced at me with the look of pure distain etched on his face before walking away. I rolled my eyes. Well obviously, I should have known the answer.
I turned and looked at the short one, cocking my eyebrow. “I take that as a yes?”
He didn’t dignify me with an answer, but instead tilted his head in the direction of the grove and the biggest wooden tent-like structure. I guess that was better than nothing. Walking away and snagging the pack I had dropped, I tossed it in the general direction of the wooden structure. Briefly glancing to my left, I watched Selene comfort Bambi with a hug, and a smile tugged at my lips when I saw Bambi had put on the warm boots. Selene was exceptionally good at convincing stubborn people to do things they didn’t want to do. Before all of this contract business happened, she was studying to be a healer. I had asked her early in the day why she hadn’t married to get out of being a possible maiden. Selene had looked away before shrugging and telling me she was not going to let ‘a what if’ dictate her life. In addition, all the men she had met in the city either wanted a wife who stayed at home cooking and cleaning, or were just plain boring. I had a feeling she was leaving something out because our conversation waned after my question, but I let it be. Everyone was entitled to their secrets, and I wasn’t one to pry unless warranted.
Letting Selene and Bambi relax, I decided to keep myself busy and set up camp for the three of us. I emerged from laying out the bedrolls in the shelter a few minutes later to see Bambi and Selene had moved towards the fire pit. I joined them. Nobody talked while we chewed away on dried fruit and meat. Finally, when dark fully descended, the short, robust Dragon broke the silence.
“We will be starting anew in the morning, bright and early. Please be up once dawn breaks, we don’t want to delay our journey. I might also add”—he looked in the direction of Bambi—“that this wilderness is harsh and unforgiving. Many beings stalk the night here, and cliff faces are easily fallen off of. Please don’t try to run away.”
After his lovely speech, both Dragons got up and walked away. Apparently, the two Dragon men assumed we were too tired to try escaping, and they had assumed correctly. I could barely see straight by the time I finished eating, and all three of us headed to the shelter. Crawling in, I settled myself into my bed roll. I decided not to worry too much about anything happening to us during the night since the Dragons had set up a night watch. Though, I did wonder how much sleep Dragons needed every night. With a sigh, I rolled over, looking at Selene and Bambi who were currently snuggled next to each other in their bedrolls. Even though I was exhausted, it took me awhile to fall asleep. My thoughts were running rampant, mostly about Dragons and their day-to-day life, of which I would be experiencing firsthand because I was about to marry one of them. Bambi and Selene scooted about, getting comfortable, and we whispered our goodnights, but it wasn’t until their breathing deepened into the rhythm of sleep patterns that I too slid into a dream state.
Chapter Nine
It had been a month, I’d silently thought to myself as I emerged from the tree line and made my way down the path to my cabin. I rounded the side only to skid to a halt, heart beating wildly. Rafael was leaning against my door with a smug grin upon his face, waiting patiently for me. My mind screamed for me to run, but I did
n’t want to trigger the Dragon’s predatory instincts. Instead, I just stood there, scarcely moving, breath held, waiting for him to make his first move.
Time ticked by slowly until finally Rafael moved, lifting an apple to his mouth and taking a bite. The crunch seemed to echo throughout the meadow my cabin was situated next to, and the noise shook me from my frozen state. He took another bite of the apple, looking like he didn’t have a care in all the realms, and anger blossomed low down in my chest. How dare he think he could play games with me! Anger spurring me forward, I reached up and slapped the apple from his hand. Rafael turned his head, watching the fruit roll away.
“Well, that seemed like an overreaction,” Rafael murmured before turning back to face me. “If you wanted the apple for yourself, you could have just asked, Sweetness.”
My smart remark hung on my lips as I registered his new pet name for me. Shaking my head, I frowned at the Dragon man in front of me and crossed my arms. “Don’t play games with me, Rafael.”
“I will only play the games you want me to.” Rafael winked at me and my jaw threatened to drop. His remark threw me off, nearly making me forget why I was currently scared and angry.
“Did you...” The words stuck in my throat, and I couldn’t finish my sentence.
Rafael cocked his head and reached up, pulling the wooden medallion I had dropped in the soup pot a month earlier out from the front of his shirt. It had the Rover’s symbol etched into the wood, the enchantment that had changed my eyes to a more muted coloring long gone. I had replaced it, but still the damage was done. Rafael, a Dragon from the clan I was desperately avoiding, knew exactly who I was.
“That is a game I’d prefer not to play,” Rafael whispered, and my cheeks reddened.
That would mean Rafael hadn’t reported me to Sheharla or his clan. My breath seemed to leave my body all at once, and I rushed past him, opening the door to my cabin. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Rafael hesitate, as if waiting for an invitation inside. Ever the gentleman, I mused, even when he was flirting with me.
Cracking a smile, I yelled over my shoulder, “Hurry up, you’re letting all the bugs in.”
Rafael’s smile replaced the uncertainty on his face and my heart started to flutter for the Dragon man standing at my door.
The memory of Rafael floated away to the back of my mind as the smell of cooking roused me from slumber. Rubbing at my face, I pushed back the flood of emotions hitting me like a runaway carriage. I needed to focus on the here and now, not the past and definitely not on the gorgeous Dragon man I had left behind. Cracking my neck, I sat up and stretched my arms, popping my back in the process. Rubbing at my face once more, I thought about my current situation. I was currently in the middle of the wilderness, marching to a Dragon Stronghold with an apprentice healer, two Dragons in human form, and one whiny teenager.
Yawning and shifting my butt away from a rock which had somehow made its way underneath me in the middle of the night, I remembered why I didn’t like sleeping outdoors. It reminded me to much of my time before I’d found the Rover camp. Long, sleepless, terror-infused nights. Not memories I wanted to dwell upon.
Letting out a low sigh before reaching over to rouse Selene, I decided to let her take care of waking Bambi. For all I knew, she would try to maul anyone that woke her before noon.
Stepping out of the shelter and facing the rising sun, I scowled. Two more days until we arrived at the Stronghold. Two days to figure out a plan to keep Selene and Bambi from becoming worker slaves, or worse: unwillingly married off to a Dragon. That was of course after I unwillingly married the Prince of the Dragon Mountain Stronghold.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY that interesting and awe-inspiring events transpired during our journey to the Stronghold, but nothing did. There were no ill-fated escapes, attacks, or accidents. We saw no other creatures or people other than the small wild animals that lived on the mountain and in the woods. It did get colder and the air was much thinner by the time our destination came into view.
The trees had thinned out substantially by the second night, and our clothing was not keeping us warm against the wind. It was just thick enough to keep us from freezing to death, but also thin enough to make sure we didn’t try to escape.
We made it to the Stronghold gates the afternoon of day three. I had a picture of what the Mountain Dragon Stronghold would look like, and in my mind, it was all tall gloomy towers with Dragons breathing fire in the background. Instead, it reminded me of Sheharla in its simplicity and understated beauty. That was if Sheharla had been built on the top of a mountain peak and was home to Dragons. The Stronghold sprawled across the top of the mountain with the cliff face tucked up against its backside. From what I could gather, the only way a creature with two feet could get to the Stronghold was by taking the path we were currently on, or from the mountain pass coming down from the east. As we trudged toward the open gates, the clouds which were threatening us for the last few hours finally split open and poured freezing rain down upon us. It was just my luck that the most exciting thing to happen on the trip happened in this moment. The rain and the melting snow made the path to the gates slippery, and between one step and the next, my ankle twisted. The fall had me tumbling head over boots down an embankment, and I landed face first into a thawing mud puddle.
Groaning, I rolled over onto my back and looked up at the quizzical faces of our party staring down from at least fifteen feet up. As I struggled to sit up, I blamed my frazzled state of mind for missing the sound of squishing mud, as someone walked up from behind me. I turned, struggling to my hands and knees when I noticed the boots, ankle deep in the mud. Quickly I looked up into eyes I thought I’d never see again. Rafael squatted down with a smile and gently wiped at the mud covering my face.
“Hey Sweetness, couldn’t resist...oomph.” Rafael never finished his sentence as I launched myself at him, tumbling both of us into the mud.
Shouts echoed as the Dragon guides slipped down the embankment.
Rafael laughed, waving them away before he wrapped his arms around me.
“Missed you, too,” he whispered, hauling both of us up to stand.
The taller Dragon guide reached us in that moment and stood at attention. “Sire,” he rumbled as the rain started coming down in earnest, threatening to make the mud puddle into a lake.
I took a step away, frowning as a scowl emerged onto Rafael’s face. He turned to the guide and said something sharply in his native tongue. The Dragon’s face paled and he took three quick steps back, hanging his head.
Rafael turned back to me and stretched out his hand. I took another step away just out of reach ignoring the shooting pain in my ankle. “Rafael,” I whispered. “Why did he call you Sire?”
He dropped his hand and crossed his arms. “Let’s go inside and talk about this, Maribella.”
“No, I want to talk about this right now. Why did he call you Sire? Do you live in the castle?”
Rafael gritted his teeth, words coming out strained. “You can say that.”
Nostrils flaring, pressure began to gather behind my eyes, but I pressed on. “Explain right now, Rafael.” I didn’t think his jaw could have gone tighter, but it did, his teeth all but groaning from the pressure.
“I’m the Prince of the Dragon Mountain Stronghold.”
I blame what happened next on exhaustion, the cold mountain air, and shock. Dizziness overwhelmed my body, and my eyes rolled back, body tilting forward as everything went dark. Maybe I would be lucky enough to drown in the damn mud puddle.
In hindsight, fainting was probably for the best. Honestly, how else should I have reacted after finding out the Dragon I’d fallen in love with three years ago was not only my future husband, but soon to be the new ruler of the Dragon Mountain Stronghold?
Chapter Ten
Rafael
Rafael rose early, mind still swirling with uncertainty. He had played out possible scenarios of what could happen once Maribella saw him. What he would say, what s
he would say. His Dragon even tried to help, telling Rafael to just show up in his true form. He had scoffed at the idea, yet now, as he stood hidden from view outside the Stronghold gates, Rafael was seriously reconsidering his Dragon’s suggestion. Maribella and the other maidens would be here within the hour, walking the long trek from the clearing lower on the mountain path which led to the Stronghold. Rafael understood the need to make the maidens go through this particular trial, but he had wished Maribella hadn’t needed to. The trek was hard, showing the maidens exactly the type of wilderness they would have to conquer if they thought to run away.
Not prisoners, Rafael’s Dragon whispered in his mind. No, Rafael mused. The maidens weren’t prisoners, and his mother would tell them such upon their arrival. Yet we also wanted to give them a better life here at the Stronghold then they could ever get in Sheharla. Which meant opening the maiden’s eyes to the dangerous world outside the Stronghold gates. The trek also served another purpose. The two guides would report back to the queen, speaking to her about how the maidens faired in travel. From the information they provided, the queen would assign the maidens to their new household or job, respectively.
Rafael’s Dragon snorted. Look.
He followed his Dragons command as Maribella, the maidens, and the two guides appeared in view of the Stronghold gates.
What’s the plan? Stalk and creep? His Dragon chuckled at his own joke, and Rafael shushed him in his head. Then he proceeded to do just as his Dragon said, ducking behind a tree. This was not one of the scenarios Rafael had practiced in his head.
The startled yelp followed by the sound of someone tumbling down the embankment had Rafael poking his head out from his cowardly hiding spot to see Maribella laying face first in the thawing mud. Bolting from behind the tree, Rafael struggled through the mud, making his way quickly to her. He was coming up from behind as she got on all fours, turning to face him. Rafael held his breath as Maribella took in his boots, eyes raising to his face and he squatted down, saying the only thing coming to mind. “Hey, Sweetness, couldn’t resist...”
The Rover Princess Page 6