The Bound - Novella: Hers To Save Part One

by Michelle Connor

  “Where the evil had spread, men's hearts would turn black and violence would follow in their wake. For no reason anyone could see, men would kill their wives or neighbours. Lords would start wars with other lords they had once been allies with, and the world of men turned to chaos.”

  #

  Aveline listened intently to the story William was weaving while she sat on the brown, dry grass outside his home, leaning against Aeolius's side. Even Herveus, who never seemed to show much interest in anything, was leaning up against the side of the grey stone house, looking entranced by the tale that was being told. She closed her eyes as William continued to speak in a steady, firm voice, blocking out everything else around her.

  “Not everyone was swept up in the evil that was spreading, and the ones left tried to fight against the rising tide, but many thousands died and they could not hold the spread back, and knew they were fighting a losing battle.

  “Then one day, when all was thought to be lost, dragons started showing up. They usually lived their lives away from mankind, but the dragons are pure of heart and they could feel the evil spreading over the land. Each dragon bound their lives to a human who was equally uncorrupt, with the heart of a warrior. Together they fought huge battles, while trying to smell out the core of the evil.”

  William paused for a few seconds while he scratched the end of his nose, and they all seemed to hold their breaths waiting for him to continue.

  “Many small battles took place and even though the dragons started to win, many lives were lost. They could have used their fire to kill all in their path, but they knew many of the humans could be saved. The dragons could not stand to kill them all, so with their Bound riding on their backs, they hunted those who were too far gone, and the dark mages who helped to spread the evil.”

  Taking a deep breath, William continued, “Finally, after the longest battle to date then, which lasted weeks, the evil seemed to retreat. Many of the men and women started laying down their weapons, not understanding why they were even fighting in the first place. And as the chaos died down, the injured were treated and the dead were laid to rest in mass graves, and the people started to notice the dragons had vanished. Some say they had all been killed or too badly injured, while others believe that they and their Bound humans had gone back into hiding again, and a few even believed there were no dragons in the first place.”

  This was not the tale Aveline had been told as a small child, but then as a young girl, her mother would not have wanted to give her nightmares she thought, and instead painted an almost heroic tale of adventure. The moment of silence was ended by young Bramwell. “And what do you believe, Grandfather?”

  “I know that the dragons were real, as my older brother Thomas was one of the Bound. I went into many battles with him, but I was always envious of his ability to communicate with his dragon in his mind and to get to fly, until the day he vanished. And it was my love for him that gave me the hope that they went into hiding. Hearing the news of the dragon that came to our village today gave me that hope again,” replied William.

  Why would I be bound to a dragon? I'm not brave or strong.

  But she had felt a strange connection to Aeolius since meeting him, and also felt instantly safe with him. She reached her hand up and slowly felt the jagged texture of one of his scales as she watched the sunlight dance across its silver surface.

  “You are mine Aveline and I am yours,” Aeolius said in her mind as if he could hear her thoughts.

  I don't know what is to come, but whatever we have to face, I have Aeolius to face it with, and unlike the years I have suffered and been hurt in the past, this time I will not be alone and I know we will stand strong together.

  Aveline was lost in her own thoughts, as the sun rose further into the sky, but she was brought out of them by the sudden sound of Herveus's voice. “We need to leave before we lose any more of the light, we still have far to travel.”

  “Thank you, William.” Aveline reached out a hand and gently placed it over his.

  “You’re very welcome, child. May luck be with you, for all our sake's.”

  CHAPTER 10

  I’m bound to a dragon.

  Aveline knew she wasn’t as brave as those who fought in the battles before her, but she couldn’t turn around now. She had been through a lot in her sixteen summers of life, but she couldn’t have fathomed the enormity of the journey she would embark on. Aveline wondered if history were repeating itself, and what part Aeolius and she would play in it.

  Aeolius stepped in front of Aveline, the suddenness of the movement caught her off guard. She went to step around his hulking form, but was halted by a huge pair of silver wings, as a deep rumble rose up from the dragon’s chest. Frantically, she looked to the side, searching for her companions. Her eyes landed on Herveus as he pushed the prince behind him. Reaching down into his boots, he pulled out two matching blades, gripping one in each hand. Aveline now had a full understanding of how someone so young could have gained his position within the court. He looked deadly as he let out a growl of anger that could almost rival Aeolius's.

  Herveus looked their way briefly, eyes cold. "Guard the prince and Aveline, Aeolius."

  Moving, Aveline managed to find a position in which she could glimpse the path ahead.

  Stepping out from behind a large boulder was at least ten men. They were all wearing brown leather armour plates with the royal family's crest sewed into the front with a red dragon wrapped around a silver sword. If this wasn’t an indication of who the men were, the fact they were wearing the red uniform of the royal guards was. Aveline's heart beat rapidly as her skin prickled and goosebumps appeared on her skin. One of the men stepped forward, his grey eyes reminded Aveline of storm clouds, with as much bleakness swirling within them. He looked directly at Herveus, who stood silently poised, with his knives gripped loosely, resting along his side.

  "By order of the king, we’ve come to take the prince and the girl back to the castle."

  #

  Looking into the man's eyes, Herveus felt nothing but a cold burning sense of anger. He had trained with Alderich many times, drawing sweat and blood from each other. He even remembered a time watching the man fighting fearlessly when he himself was a young bedraggled urchin. He would often sneak in to watch the soldier's train. He had promised himself that he would one day be able to swing a sword that effortlessly, so that no one would be able to hurt him again.

  Shaking his self out of his heavy thoughts, he felt a cold calmness come over him. His focus became sharper and he saw Alderich's finger twitch on the pommel of his sword. Herveus moved forward swiftly, knowing he needed to create a quick advantage, slicing open his opponent's sword arm before stepping back out of reach. Grimacing, Alderich raised his sword as the copper smell of his blood filled the air.

  Knowing the numbers were stacked against them, he had to end the fight quickly. So as the sword swung towards him, he ducked low under the blow aimed for his head and, in a practiced movement, spun behind Alderich and stabbed both of his knives into either side of his opponent's vulnerable neck.

  Tugging the blood-drenched weapons free, without waiting to watch the body drop to the ground, he turned to face the next guard who was already moving towards him. He was moving in to attack when a loud anguished scream rang out, causing heads to turn towards the bleak sound, except Herveus's, as he landed another killing blow.

  #

  Aveline stood frozen in place, fear coursing through her veins, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her. Herveus was like a force of nature and she could hardly keep track of his moves as he spun around, leaving devastation in his wake. Spotting something out of the corner of her eye, she turned to see two of the king’s guards sneaking towards her and Prince Dayton. With a sudden shift, Aeolius turned towards them, swiping out with his knife-edged claws. One of the men let out a gut-wrenching scream as a claw became embedded in his stomach. Aveline raised her hands to her ears, tr
ying to block out the sound.

  Blood seeped out as the dragon tried to shake off the now incapacitated male, turning his clothes an even deeper shade of red. Aveline closed her eyes. She had seen death only once before, her mother’s. To her younger eyes, she looked peaceful and like she had just fallen asleep; the death that surrounded her now was anything but. She felt a comforting hand squeeze her shoulder and remain there as more sounds of battle carried on around her. She lost all sense of time until all that remained was the sound of her laboured breathing.

  Slowly opening her eyes, Aveline looked around. Prince Dayton stood close, giving her a concerned look. Turning to where she had last seen Herveus, she found him standing in the middle of nothing but death. As if he felt her gaze, his head lifted, eyes meeting her own. “We have to move on.” She felt a deep need to comfort him before his brittle voice turned once more to steel. “More could be close by."

  Standing still, she watched Herveus as he wiped his knives clean, then place them back inside his leather boots. Then, without a spoken word, the three of them and the dragon walked away, leaving the earth to soak up the spilled blood.

  CHAPTER 11

  Standing in contrast to the beautiful colours of the backdrop, an imposing sight took her breath away. Looming in the distance, seeming to touch heaven with their halo of jagged snow-tipped peaks that danced between the clouds, stood what she thought must be the mountains.

  Aveline stared in awe and wonder at the towering mountains overpowering the horizon, until Herveus voice brought her out of her entrancement. "We have to reach the base of the mountains before we can rest for the night, so you need to stop staring, Aveline."

  With one last look at the sight before her, Aveline carried on walking steadily, and with increasing care in the rapidly fading light and rough terrain—it would be easy to trip and fall. Her whole body ached by the time they had reached the base of the mountains. The sun had gone down and all she could see was an immense shadow looming above them.

  “We won’t be able to find our way in the dark, we should rest,” Herveus said, moving towards a small recess. “We will sleep here, it will keep away most of the wind.”

  Curling up beside Aeolius, she felt safe against the warmth of her dragon, and ate a few small pieces of the rabbit meat they had left over before falling into an exhausted sleep.

  #

  Dayton really didn’t like waking up stiff and cold, but the view was certainly awe-inspiring, as ethereal looking mist blanketed the ground around the base of the mountains. He was glad that they were in sight of their destination, which stood tall and proud against the gleaming morning sun, but he knew that the time was coming when he would have to stand up and be the prince his people expected him to be.

  I never wanted this heavy burden, and it’s too soon.

  He thought he’d have more years to prepare, until the day his father put down his crown and the weight of taking care of their kingdom fell on his shoulders. He had made hard decisions lately, as his father’s madness became more pronounced, and he saw it as an omen that a dragon had appeared on his path as he was preparing to leave.

  Dayton had strong suspicions about Aveline’s role in what was to come, and he was worried about the responsibility that had been given to one so inexperienced. She seemed fragile at times, but he could see beyond that to something more, and he hoped that she would have the time to discover the bravery that he saw in her.

  "I will not be able to climb all the way up there," said Aveline, breaking the silence.

  "We are going through a hidden crevice that leads further into the mountains and not up," he replied. And even though he hadn’t said as much, Dayton wasn’t sure he would be able to make the climb either, but a prince does not show weakness, or so he had always been taught.

  But maybe that was not the kind of king he wished to become. Turning towards Aveline he continued, “But I wouldn’t like to attempt the climb either.”

  They reached a small path which had been hidden until they were right on top of the narrow canyon between two opposing mountains. If they hadn’t known where to look, it could have taken them days to find. It was a sight to watch young Aeolius compress his body to fit through the opening, if not for the tough scales of a dragon, his body would have been torn to pieces on the harsh edges that jutted out.

  The wind was battering at their faces and they kept having to step over or around large boulders. The only sounds Dayton could hear was that of their heavy breaths and footsteps echoing in the narrow passage, which had gradually become wide enough that they could now walk side by side, though still seemed small when you happened to be traveling with a dragon.

  His mind had far too much time to think during the slow-going journey. He knew it was Herveus's job to protect him, but it had always been more in the back of his mind. His Spy Master's job was always in obscurity before they were forced on this adventure together.

  He was glad to have his dark but loyal friend by his side, even though he knew Herveus would not consider them that. Still, he had been by his side for a very long time and he would often draw strength from his steadfast and quiet companion. Now he worried about the toll it had taken.

  A man laid out on a ledge not far above them—it was only the movement of the man, nodding his head as they passed, that had given away the man's position. He was the only watcher he had spotted, though he knew there would be more. Looking ahead, Herveus saw a shadowed outline of someone waiting for them at the end of the path.

  #

  As they drew closer to the man waiting for them, Aveline realized what an imposing figure he made. Instinctively she stepped behind Aeolius, shielding herself from his view, but she stepped aside slightly so she could still see him when she realized what she had done. His strong stature and age reminded her of her father, but she could see that little else did.

  As Prince Dayton stepped forward, pulling the much larger man into an embrace, she noticed he looked like a warrior. He had a heavy looking sword that gleamed in the sunlight along his side, and a harsh, dark red scar on his neck almost hidden by his heavy brown cloak that was wrapped around his broad shoulders. His moss green eyes were looking at the young prince with happiness, and it was this look that made her relax. His deep voice seemed to echo around them. "Good to see you arrived safely, young prince, and with a dragon no less. I can't wait to hear that story."

  Prince Dayton patted the man on the back before stepping out of his embrace. "It is a story worth telling, my friend, but first you remember Herveus I am sure, and this young lady here is Aveline, and the young dragon is called Aeolius." He paused for a second before facing the man. "And lastly, this old brute here is Merek."

  Aveline nodded her head in greeting, which Merek returned while he gave her and Aeolius a more thorough inspection. He then turned and started walking away, expecting them to follow. As they did, Merek and the prince walked with their heads bent together, talking quietly. She only managed to pick up a few small pieces of information and the one that worried her the most was that many people had been slowly showing up over the last few moon turns, and most had fled their homes fearing for their lives.

  The longer they travelled with Merek, the more convinced Aveline became that the labyrinthine paths they were taking were going around in circles. The sound of running water had steadily been getting louder, until it almost sounded like it was rushing right past her ears. The rocky path opened up into a beautiful valley; she could not believe such a place could exist among the stark, but breathtaking mountains. It was like a hidden paradise with lots of vividly colored plants, a large waterfall glistened in the distance, and she could see women and children bathing in the stream it joined with. Aveline looked around, anxious to take in more of the landscape in front of her.

  She saw movement to the side and turned to see a large man watching them. He had dark brown eyes, opened in surprise while he looked at Aeolius, and then he quickly turned his attention back to the path they had
just travelled down. She could just see the end of arrow fletchings sticking out over his shoulder, and he held an unstrung longbow in his relaxed hand by his side. Aveline realized he was there to spot for danger, and hoped it was just a precaution and that they were not expecting trouble.

  "Come, I’ll show you the caves where we have all made our homes and you can all rest a little while," Merek's deep voice instructed. They followed him down the slope and into the valley.

  CHAPTER 12

  Most of the men and women they passed looked on in awe, but some also had a hint of fear in their eyes as they watched the dragon. When their eyes finally shifted to take in the whole of Herveus' group, like a great tidal wave, they all bowed with a hand over their hearts. A true sign of respect and loyalty to the prince. As they all looked on at the young prince, Herveus knew they didn't see him like his father, the mad king. The reason many were here, instead, was that they saw hope for a better future.

  They followed Merek into a dark opening that led into what first appeared to be a single cave, but in fact, it had several passageways leading deeper into the mountain. The tunnel they entered was too small for the large dragon to fit through, and Aeolius gave Herveus a fierce look, which he knew promised pain if anything were to happen to Aveline.

  The true blackness of the tunnel was broken up by the flickering flames that seemed to dance along the rough damp walls from the torches scattered throughout the passageways. Herveus was memorizing the path they were taking, a useful skill he had been taught, while he listened to the loud echoes of their footsteps.

  The smells hit him first. They reminded him of the soldier's barracks at the castle—sweat mixed in with other bodily fluids and the copper tang of blood. He could hear the clang of swords and the grunts of men training. I've missed this. He only got a glimpse of the warriors, swords flashing as they passed a spacious cavern, but it was enough for his heart to beat faster.