"We're soon to be married, squire."
Gathering all her courage, she whispered, "And if she does not wake?"
She expected irritation, perhaps fury at the mere suggestion that he could fail. Instead he grinned as if she were a small child who'd asked a particularly precocious question. "Then I shall have some reward for all the trials I've faced on the way here. You may wait outside; I apologize for not telling you that outright. I simply wasn't aware your kind could still be made uncomfortable." At her hesitation, he waved one hand. "Go on, then[Jae1][Stephanie2]."
She didn't want to go. This was wrong. She couldn't remember anything of her old life; couldn't remember her old owners, though their names were tattooed on her left arm above Alaric's; knew very little of customs or laws; but she knew that this was wrong.
Still, he had given her an order, and though what was left of 432's mind screamed at her, her feet moved to obey.
Then an enormous black spear flew through the open window, stabbing Alaric in the chest, piercing through the armor he wore as if it wasn't even there.
Not a spear, 432 realized even as she screamed. Gods help her, it was a tail.
A dragon.
Alaric had told her story upon story about them as they shoved their way through the vines and brambles. Vicious, brutal monsters, dragons murdered livestock and people with equal abandon.
The dragon yanked its tail out of the Knight's body, leaving a gaping bloody hole where a heart had been just a brief moment before. The shocked expression forever frozen on his face, Alaric crumpled to the floor.
Her owner now dead but his last order to her still ringing in her ears, 432 turned to run.
Then she thought of the Princess, lying defenseless in that bed.
She wasn't able to die again, not yet. She had two months to go before her next appointment in the submerging liquid. If the dragon ran her through, she would end up lying next to Alaric's body for those two months, waiting as her own body shut down for the last time.
She made it three panicked steps toward the door before she whirled around and snatched up the fallen Knight's sword. Taking up a defensive position next to the bed, she eyed the window warily. "Go away!" she shouted.
It was only when a great yellow eye peered in at her that she realized what a foolish mistake that had been. The beast most likely hadn't even known there was anyone else still in the room before her shout.
The eye blinked once at her, slowly, and then the dragon's head retreated. 432 held the sword pointed toward the window, trying to brace herself for the impact of the tail.
At least it wouldn't hurt.
"Your name?" boomed a voice, startling her so badly she nearly dropped the sword.
"I don't remember," she admitted. Was that the dragon? Alaric had never told her that they were capable of speech!
"Then what should I call you?" the dragon asked, interest coloring its voice.
"432." The enormous eye came back to the window, and she instinctively took a step away, the backs of her knees colliding with the bed. "Are you going to kill me?"
"Are you going to pick up where that pitiful excuse for a Knight left off?"
"No!"
"Then you have nothing to fear from me."
She shouldn't believe that. The dragon's voice would've been enough to induce a heart attack were 432 still fully alive; there were probably a hundred ways the beast could maim her before she had time to blink.
And in that case, she thought, what good could a sword do?
Besides, however fearsome this creature looked and sounded, its actions had been true. The dragon had protected the Princess, where she herself had been about to leave the room.
She gingerly lowered the weapon and then took a knee in respect.
"No need for that," the dragon said. Was that amusement? Up until this moment she would've thought the only emotions dragons were capable of were rage and hunger. "Let me see your arms."
Puzzled, she got to her feet again and rolled up her sleeves.
432 wasn't entirely sure what reaction she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't a laugh. The rough bark of sound combined by the multitude of teeth revealed had her yelping in surprise and stumbling back further, colliding fully with the bed and falling onto it. She rolled off the Princess once she realized where she was and tumbled into a heap on the other side of the bed.
"On your feet," the dragon chided. "Wake her up."
"What?"
"I said, wake her up."
"I can't."
"In all the time I've been here, you're the first one who fits the requirements of the spell. So you'd best be able to."
Was that a threat? 432 couldn't tell anymore; her head seemed to be spinning and though her sense of smell barely worked anymore she could still see the blood pooling around Alaric's body and suddenly she needed to sit down.
Moving to the end of the bed, she sat, covering her face with her hands. "Could you—would you mind terribly moving his body? I can't. I can't think." Granted, thinking wasn't her strong suit anymore anyway, but still.
A rustling sound had her peeking out from between her fingers, only to see a giant set of claws wrap around Alaric's body and lift him up and out the window before giving him a fling. His body soared out over the trees and 432 squeezed her eyes shut.
"You expected a funeral procession?" the dragon snapped. "Wake her up!"
"I'm not royalty," 432 protested. "I'm not even a Knight. How could I be—?"
"I already told you!" The beast sighed then, and 432 was fairly certain she heard a tree fall under the force of the wind. "I'm sorry," it said, its voice gentler now. "We've just been waiting so long. The spell says that the one to help me has no name but the ones on her arms."
"Help you?"
"Yes! She put herself to sleep waiting for the day when I could be changed back. Don't you see? If you can help me, then you have to be the one who can wake her!"
432 looked to the prone woman on the bed. Whose brilliant idea had it been to make the spellbreaker a kiss? It felt like it belonged in the same realm as what the Knight had been about to do; taking a liberty with a stranger's body when she was completely unable to say a word about it.
"Please," the dragon begged, its voice swollen with longing and grief. 432 gritted her teeth, and then sat down next to the sleeping Princess and picked up one of her hands, holding it gingerly in both of her own.
She felt like she should say something, but had no earthly idea what. Finally, she just raised Anneliese's hand to her lips and pressed a cold kiss to her knuckles.
Alaric had told her plenty of stories and legends, all of them ending with the Princess opening her eyes and gently smiling, thanking the brave King or Knight who'd finally broken her curse.
None of his stories had ended with Anneliese's eyes flying open in a panic and her scrambling away so fast she fell off the bed much like 432 had done moments before.
The Princess poked her head up over the edge of the bed, eyeing her warily. "Who are you? Meri? Meri, where—"
"I'm right here."
The Princess grinned, racing over to the window. She reached out a hand, gently stroking the dragon's scaly cheek. "But you're still— I thought when I woke up you'd be changed back."
"I couldn't leave you alone," the dragon said. "But she can help. I promise."
"You can?" the Princess said, turning back to her, and even if she'd been intent on running down the stairs and back to the castle, the hope in her eyes would have stopped her.
This was a quest she could agree to, instead of just trudge along with because it had been ordered of her. She didn't recall love or even affection ever being a presence in her life, but it must have been at some point, because the emotion in their voices as they spoke to each other pulled at her heart with strength no order could've dreamed of.
She wanted to help them.
It was the first time she could remember wanting something.
"I don't know," 432
admitted. "I hope I can."
432 paused then, waiting, staring down at her arms, waiting for the color to come back to her skin. There were legends that passed quickly among the Undead, stories of how they could gain their lives back. No one ever seemed to know precisely how it was done, but every one of them had a story about seeing an Undead with rosy cheeks and bright eyes.
Alaric had told her that the storytellers had just been imagining things. But the idea of having her heart beat again, of being granted another chance because of a good deed? How could she not hope for that?
Then again, she realized, having that motive partly in mind when she'd agreed to help probably canceled out any selflessness involved.
The dragon grinned then, and though the sight of so many teeth was still disturbing, this time they didn't send 432 into a panic. Then the Princess flung her arms around her and 432 froze, unable to even blink as Anneliese gave her a hug and then stepped back, smiling brightly.
"Thank you so much," the Princess said. "Once we're back to the castle I'll ask mother and father to grant you a Knighthood. If you wish, of course. And naturally you'll get as much land as you ask for."
"Princess," 432 said weakly. "I truly do hate to be the bearing of such dark news, but your parents have been gone for some time now. Your brother's grandson now holds the throne."
"Oh, gods, it's been that many years?" Anneliese asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she sat back down on the bed. "I never dreamed it would be so long."
The dragon reached back in through the window, carefully resting a giant clawed hand next to her on the bed. The Princess gave her a watery smile at the gesture and rested both hands on one of her claws, holding it tightly until she managed to regain her composure.
"What's done is done," she said, and though her voice was steady her eyes were still a little wild, and 432 knew that the shock of the day would fully catch up to Anneliese before too long. She just hoped they would be back to the safety of the castle when it struck. "Meri. Come on. We have to take care of you now."
432 picked up the Knight's pack and preceded Anneliese down the stairs, pausing when the Princess made an odd choked sound in the back of her throat.
She hadn't been watching for the blood on the floor—why in the world should she?—and had stepped right into it.
"Whose blood is this?" Anneliese asked, her voice calm but very brittle.
"Alaric's," 432 said quietly. "The Knight who brought me here."
"He would have hurt you," the dragon growled. "I stopped him."
"Oh Meri," the Princess said. "I'm so sorry." She moved past 432 and hurried down the stairs, the foot that had touched Alaric's blood leaving a trail of crimson footprints. The dragon was crouched in the field surrounding the tower. The Princess ran to her, and the dragon enveloped her in its wings, shielding her from sight completely.
The Princess said something that 432 couldn't make out. In an answering rumble, the dragon said, "I committed such acts at far closer range on the battlefield. It's all right."
"Yes, and I saw how those acts affected you when you came home!" the Princess said, stepping back. "Once you're healed, you never have to fight or kill anything again. I promise you."
The dragon smiled at her, the expression oddly gentle for such an altogether terrifying beast. 432 slowly approached, holding the Knight's sword loosely in both hands. Though her strength would rarely fade, neither would her muscles grow. When she had died, she hadn't been strong enough to wield a weapon such as this with perfect ease, and now she never would be.
"Do I have to kill anyone?" 432 asked quietly. "Is that what this quest entails?"
"No," the dragon said. "In fact, leave that here. Blood mustn't be spilled on this journey. That's what got me into trouble in the first place," she said bitterly. "We'll set off in the morning."
"No," Anneliese protested. "The sooner we can break you of this, the better."
"You need a night of actual sleep," the dragon said. "And some food, to get your full strength back. You think I didn't notice you stumbling as you came to me?" She gingerly traced a claw tip from the Princess's shoulder to her wrist. "In the morning."
"I'll get a fire started," 432 said.
"I'll help you gather wood then."
"No, you sit and rest." The dragon wasn't the only one who'd noticed the uncertainty in Anneliese's steps and the glazed look in her eyes. "Trust me when I say that a venture into the Great Forest will take a lot out of you. And I don't know how many clearings fall between here and our destination; your dragon may not be able to protect us along the way. Gather strength while you can."
The Princess nodded solemnly and then sat down on the ground. 432 slid the pack off her shoulders and opened it. "There's still some fruit and some dried meat in there. Eat all you like."
"And you?"
"I don't need to eat anymore."
The Princess arched an eyebrow, but 432 moved into the forest to gather firewood before she could ask any questions.
The time for those came later that night, when the fire was roaring and the Princess was near sleep, reclining against the dragon's side. Meri had curled herself into a circle around the fire, shielding them from anything dwelling out amongst the trees.
"What precisely are you?" the Princess asked. "At first I thought you could perhaps be half Cave Troll, but their skin is more of a bright blue. Also, I've heard tell their fangs are frightful, and your teeth seem normal."
"I'm one of the Undead," 432 answered. "When we die, if our bodies are in good enough condition—" She thought of the messy hole in Alaric's body and quickly continued. "— it's put into the submerging liquid, which brings life back. In a way. I don't breathe, my heart doesn't beat. I can't remember much," she admitted quietly. "And I have to be re-submerged once a year, otherwise the magic fades away. But I am sturdy," she said proudly. "I don't have to eat and I don't get tired; I can keep watch all night while you two rest."
"And the names?" the Princess asked, reaching out to brush her fingers against the words tattooed on her arm. 432 blinked, trying to ignore the odd shiver that had gone through her body at the touch.
"They're the ones who have bought me," she said, and immediately shrank back at the fury that sprang to the Princess's eyes.
"I go to sleep and wake up in a realm where my people are bought like animals?"
"It's quite all right!" 432 said frantically, trying to calm her. She'd already been through enough today. "We're not people, not any longer," she said, reciting the words the sorcerer gave to the crowds of buyers. "We don't retain any of the memories that fully make us human. We work in the heat without collapsing, stand guard without falling asleep, and carry loads of equipment without stopping to rest. We're a necessity for the Royals and the Knights. We're the backbone of the Kingdom," she said proudly.
The fury in Anneliese's expression had dimmed somewhat, but her voice was still tight as she said, "When I get back to the castle, I will have words with my grand-nephew."
"Sure you don't want me to stay a dragon a while longer?" Meri asked. "Arguments seem to mean more when they have rows of sharp teeth behind them."
The Princess relaxed further, even managed a faint smile. "You know my answer."
"If I might be so bold," 432 finally asked. "What happened?"
"I was a warrior," the dragon said quietly—as quietly as she could manage, anyway. "My team was instrumental in winning a great battle, and we were sent to the palace for our reward. And I met Anneliese."
"I was smitten at once," Anneliese said, her voice worlds away from the anger it had held moments before. "She was beautiful and so tall and just the most striking figure I'd ever seen. If I hadn't known better I would have sworn I was in the presence of a Goddess."
"Hush, you," the dragon said, tapping her on the head with one claw. "That's blasphemous, you know."
"They made you; they know I'm only telling the truth," the Princess said airily. "When you see her the way she's suppose
d to be, you'll understand. And I asked mother and father if we could court properly—the fact that we'd been doing so improperly for months at that point was something I didn't mention—but they told me no."
"Said I was a fine warrior, but that still wasn't enough for a Princess. I asked them what I could do to earn her hand. Said I would do anything."
"And they sent her to retrieve the head of a dragon," the Princess whispered.
"It wasn't hard to find one, not back then," Meri said. "Three of the villages on the west side of the Kingdom were complaining the loudest, said that a dragon had been sweeping in for weeks and devouring their livestock. They hadn't seen it for several days, but lived in fear of it coming back. So I thought I would do them a favor and gain Anneliese's hand all at once. I traveled for a long distance, tracking the beast. Found its lair. It was a great fat thing, could barely turn around properly in its cave. I knew then that it would be easy. And I drew my sword."
The Princess turned to the dragon, stroking her side reassuringly as she shuddered.
"She wasn't fat. She was pregnant. And she cursed me to look the part of the monster I was."
"Meri, you didn't know."
"If I had used my mind for half a moment I would have figured it out."
The Princess glanced over at her, still stroking Meri's side. "After I found out what happened I began looking everywhere for the cure. Sent dozens of Knights and warriors out to search. When none of them could find it I had myself sent to sleep. Until someone came who could."
"And you think I can?"
"You woke me up," the Princess said, giving her a look full of such warmth and trust that 432 could've sworn she felt her heart clench. "I know you can."
"What is the cure?" she asked.
"A ring," the dragon answered. "The dragon I killed had a beautiful horde of treasure, but there was always a ring that eluded her grasp. I discovered why," she said, glancing down at the Princess as she shifted her weight slightly. "It's at the bottom of a lake."
Last Petal on the Rose and Other Stories Page 15