Wanderling's Choice

by D C McLaughlin

  "Did you enjoy your life of freedom, o' brother of mine? Wandering the lands as if you had no responsibility or duty to anyone or anything? Was it fun living the life of a vagabond and a drifter?"

  Shayne's eyes shifted to glare at Nazar but still he said nothing.

  Nazar stepped closer to him, reached out and picked up the falcon's feather Shayne wore about his neck. Nazar studied it for a moment.

  "But then you caught a pretty little bird, didn't you? One with a sharp beak and talons, but a pretty little falcon nonetheless."

  A dangerous glint came into Shayne's eyes. "Leave her be, brother." he said. His tone was soft but his words hinted to the boiling emotions which lay beneath.

  Nazar sniffed derisively at his younger, smaller sibling.

  "Do I need to remind you I am king here? I will do what I wish, to whomever I wish."

  Shayne gave a small pause to consider his reply before speaking it. "You are only the king of an empty land with soul-less servants. Who wants to be king of that?" said Shayne.

  "At least I don't shirk my own responsibilities."

  Nazar turned back to Rhi.

  "So this is who you'd rather be with? A runaway and a coward? A wanderling prince with no plans for the future, no goals, no dreams? A beggar king? You prefer him to all I and this castle could provide you with?"

  Rhi felt her face grow hot. She stepped up until she stood inches away from him.

  "He was good to me and gave me my freedom. That is all I ever wanted," she told him. "Obviously you never bothered to learn what it is a woman wants. She cannot be wooed with fine dresses and jewels. Not if the heart behind it is black as coal. People are not so simple and love is definitely not simple!"

  Shayne took a step forward. The soldiers did not move.

  "Careful, Rhi…" he warned.

  Nazar's eyes blazed down at her. "If you are to be my wife, you had better learn to mind your place."

  His words made her blood boil. She didn't think about what she should say or do, she just reacted.

  Rhi snarled and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

  Nazar stepped back, wide-eyed in shock. His hand went to his wounded cheek which was quickly turning red.

  "Did you read that page of the story, Nazar? Did you see it coming?" she mocked him.

  And then Nazar reacted. He growled in fury and the dagger at his hip was suddenly in his hand. Rhi heard Shayne shout something at her. And then he knocked her roughly out of the way, taking her place in front of Nazar. Rhi tumbled to the ground. As she did so she heard a meaty thunk behind her. She spun about and looked back towards the two brothers.

  And then she began to scream.

  The brothers were holding onto each other by the arms. The fancy, bejeweled hilt of Nazar's dagger was jutting out of Shayne's chest. He was staring at the hilt as if he recognized it.

  "You didn't even bother to wipe Father's blood off..." Shayne said. His voice was soft and raspy.

  And then he fell.

  Rhi screamed his name and scrambled on her hands and knees over to Shayne. She caught his body before his head hit the marble. She turned him over in her arms and looked into his face.

  But he was already gone.

  She wept and rocked him, sobbing his name over and over again.

  Softly in her mind, the dragon's voice spoke. "Wanderling's choice, destiny's sacrifice."

  The dragon paused. "The sacrifice has been made. Now child, remember."

  Rhi stilled her sobs as she forced her emotionally charged mind to think. She took a deep breath.

  "Nazar, you do not know the end of this story." Her voice caught in her throat and she gasped.

  "I'm tired of doing what everyone expects of me. This ends here and now. I will never marry you! And I am keeping my soul. You, however, have much to answer for."

  She took the deepest breath she had ever done and, inclining her head back to the heavens, she screamed one name at the top of her voice.

  "FIR'NAH MOCK!"

  She felt the dragon roar in triumph in her brain as its soul rushed out of her body.

  As the last syllables of the word faded, the rocks began to tremble. The trembling increased to a violent shaking of the land underneath the castle. Nazar was thrown to the stone floor.

  "No!" he screamed. "You can't! It's not possible…"

  The ground continued to heave and buck like a wild horse trying to toss its rider. The servants collapsed and lay still on the rocking floor. And then a rumbling snarl came from beneath the earth, turning into an enraged roar louder and greater than Rhi had ever heard before.

  "You can't!" shouted Nazar. "What have you done? It will kill us all!"

  Slowly Rhi turned her face about to look at him. "So?" was all she said. She no longer cared anymore about anything.

  There was a sudden rush of wind on wings as the shape of the red, golden dragon hurtled up into the night sky before them. It spun about in mid-air and looked at the puny humans gathered beneath. Then its gaze focused on Nazar. The faceted rubies which were its eyes began to glitter like the flames of a wild fire. The dragon turned in its flight and aimed for the castle.

  Nazar screamed in terror and turned to run. But the castle was still shaking and he was knocked roughly to the ground.

  The dragon laughed in evil glee as it snatched Nazar up in midflight with one giant paw. Then it climbed high into the night sky carrying the screaming king. It hovered high in the air and tossed Nazar up above it like a dog playing with its ball. As he fell, the dragon aimed a bout of flames toward the falling human. He was incinerated in an instant. The charred remains fell into the cavernous maw of the dragon and were consumed.

  Rhi turned her face away. She did not need to see any more. Nazar was dead. She was free.

  A movement off to the side caught her eyes.

  The servants were standing up and rubbing their faces. Their eyes were no longer blank and staring. They were slaves no more.

  The ground had ceased to heave. Everything suddenly became very quiet.

  The soldiers who had ushered in Shayne now came to her and knelt sympathetically by her side and bowed their heads in grief. Rhi looked about to see more servants filing into the area. The women fell to their knees and covered their faces. The men bowed their heads and knelt respectfully. No one spoke a word. It was so quiet and still. Only the torchlight buffeted by the wind moved.

  And then a greater wind gusted and blew about them. The dragon had returned. It settled its great bulk on the edge of the rock wall. The servants stepped back and made room for it but they did not act the least bit frightened of the dragon. It was almost like he was simply a larger member of the throng gathered about her.

  The dragon did not attack anyone. It bent its head low and peered closely at Rhi holding the dead body of Shayne. It sighed heavily and sadly.

  "Now my dear, do you truly understand the meaning of sacrifice," the dragon said to her.

  Rhi squeezed her eyes shut and the tears began again. "What are you doing here?"

  The dragon cocked its head and looked at her curiously. "You spoke my soul name. I am now yours to command."

  Rhi sighed and shook her head. "I want no one! No servant or slave to bow to me let alone a dragon! I spoke your name to free you. That was my only intent. You are free. Do as you wish."

  The dragon considered her quietly for a moment. "No human has ever freed a captive dragon. It simply is not done. Everyone is too afraid of the consequences."

  The dragon cocked its head to the other side. "I'm touched. I did not think it to be possible, that a human's action could move me. Therefore in freeing me, all you have done has been to make me indebted to you. You have still caged me with your sacrifice. I must repay the debt to rest easy."

  But she shook her head in denial. "You have nothing I want," Rhi whispered.

  The dragon chuckled. "I shared souls with you mere moments ago. I know what it is you want."

  And here the dr
agon nudged Shayne's body gently with its snout.

  Hope unlooked for leapt in her chest. "Can you bring him back to life?" she asked breathlessly.

  The dragon smiled. "No. But I might be able to help you do that."

  Rhi frowned. "I don't understand," she said.

  "His soul is still here. It doesn't want to leave you. But it cannot return to its body. It won't accept the soul back with such a mortal wound. I can heal the body. You then can try to call him using his soul name. We will let Shayne decide whether he wants to return to life or not. Agreed?"

  Rhi's heart began to pound again. She nodded frantically, not trusting her voice.

  "Very well then. Remove the dagger and bare the wound for me. We need to work quickly before his body grows cold."

  Two of the kneeling soldiers leaned forward to help. One withdrew the dagger, the other cut the tunic off of Shayne's body leaving his chest bare. A woman stepped forward with a bowl of water and some clean rags.

  Rhi remembered the day she had spied on him bathing. She remembered the cold water glistening on his skin. His chest looked much different now with an ugly stab wound and blood pouring out all over.

  A sob was torn from her. An old soldier took hold of her shoulders and squeezed them in encouragement.

  "Good. Now stand back. This will only take a moment," the dragon instructed.

  They gave the great reptile space.

  The dragon bent its great red head, glistening with iridescent scales over the body of Shayne and breathed onto him. A mist like waves of heat issued out of the dragon's mouth onto the skin of Shayne's bare chest. Three times the dragon did this. Each time the wound grew smaller. The last time, the humans watched amazed as new skin and tissue knitted back over the horrible wound. In mere moments they wiped off the blood to find any evidence of an injury had disappeared. There wasn't even the hint of a small scar.

  "Now," purred the dragon. "This is the moment he spoke of before. You need to call him back."

  Rhi looked into the dragon's jewel-like eyes. She wasn't quite sure how this worked and she was a little afraid to try. She didn't know Shayne's soul name because she hadn't dared to try before and now she wasn't sure if she could even do it.

  "Hurry child! The body grows cold," the dragon scolded her.

  Rhi took a deep breath. She placed her hands on either side of his face and closing her eyes, she emptied her mind of all thoughts. She searched the emptiness for a sound which was his soul. Something tickled her thoughts, like the brushing of a bird's beating wings on skin. She spoke the something which touched her.

  "Istay?" she whispered.

  She felt the dragon's approval. Something stirred in her heart.

  "Istay, come back to me," she said in a louder, more confident tone of voice. "I want you to come back. I'm not done knowing you yet. Please come back, Istay."

  She felt something stir deep inside Shayne's form. She opened her eyes and looked at him. His death pale skin was fading, becoming more flush and rosy with life. His cooling skin was growing warm again.

  Gently, Rhi placed his head on the marble and she laid an ear on his bare chest, listening for a heartbeat. Long moments passed with no sound, then there came the faintest of thumps. She bit her lip, afraid to hope. Another thumping sound followed, this time stronger and louder. Rhi smiled and a sob of relief was torn from her.

  She felt his chest move. And then Shayne's arm lifted and gripped her in a strong embrace.

  "I knew you were important," he said weakly. "I'm so happy it was you who saved me."

  They sat up and embraced tightly.

  "The king has returned," shouted one of the soldiers. "Long live the king!"

  They were surrounded by the cheers of the people about them.

  Shayne smiled. "I'm not the only thing that has returned," he said and pointed out to the valley below. The outline of a dark red horse silhouetted against the light of the full moon, stood on the nearest hilltop beneath them. It neighed and reared high up onto its hind legs.

  Rhi was laughing and crying all at once.

  "Falcon!"

  THE OPEN ROAD

  Rhi stroked Falcon's glossy red side as she stood next to him and watched him take great swallows of water from the stream gurgling past them. The castle was miles behind them. It was a beautiful summer day. The sun was high in the sky and the clouds were scudding slowly by, blown by the wind from the mountains. It was a good day to travel.

  Falcon lifted his head suddenly and looked back towards the castle, the direction they had come from. He nickered in greeting. He sensed another horse.

  Rhi sighed heavily. She had been caught. Now she had to face the music.

  She turned to look back and tried to steel herself for the conversation which was to come, a conversation she would much rather avoid.

  A rider appeared galloping out of the shady darkness of the woods. He was mounted on a buckskin colored horse and was dressed in fine clothes. A royal blue cape fastened by a gold brooch on his shoulder, flapped in the speed of their passing. His straight blond hair flew back and there was a gold circlet on his brow.

  It was Shayne wearing the attire of a king in office. He looked much different now the dungeons rags were off of him.

  Rhi smiled as her eyes drank him in.

  He pulled his blowing horse to a halt beside her, confusion marring his fine features.

  "You look very fine. And you smell much better," she told him.

  He ignored her words. "You're leaving?" he said.

  Rhi hung her head and shrugged. "The road calls to me," was the only explanation she had for him.

  Shayne shook his head. "You're leaving me," it was a statement this time with emphasis on the last word.

  His tone of voice demanded an explanation.

  Rhi heaved one heavy sigh. "I don't want to. You've done nothing to deserve this."

  Shayne tilted his head as he looked down upon her. "Then don't leave. Stay with me. Please."

  Rhi risked a look up at him through her long locks which had become tousled by the wind.

  "There is nothing I'd like more," she said softly. "Look Shayne. I freed you and the people of your kingdom. And that was a very good thing. But you now have certain responsibilities and I…"

  "You don't," he finished for her.

  She smiled weakly and shrugged. "I am still just a farmer's daughter. And I am free now. I spent as much time as I wanted in that castle. I want…I need…to get back to the road. Can't you understand this?"

  He was silent for a moment considering her words. "So this is goodbye, is it?" he said.

  Rhi growled in frustration and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't want it to be. Shayne, I love you. But I can't ignore the road. And I can't expect you to drop everything you've won back to follow me. But I would like to know…if you could come with me…if it were possible…would you?"

  It was his turn to utter a heavy sigh.

  He dismounted his fine horse and dropped the reins so it could graze. He came up to her and wrapped her in the tightest embrace he could muster without crushing her.

  "Oh, Rhiannon! There's nothing I want more than to drop every responsibility I have and become a wanderling again with you by my side. I wouldn't leave you with a pathetic note this time. I'd stay with you."

  She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut against the tears which wanted to come. She returned his tight hug.

  "But you're king now and you can't."

  She felt him nod and then he stroked her hair. "That's right. I can't."

  There was a long and very uncomfortable pause between them.

  "May I at least ride for a little while beside you?" he asked her.

  Rhi could not trust her voice to speak. She thought for just a moment to say no, but the moment passed quickly.

  She nodded.

  They remounted their horses and rode on. They talked about casual things. Conversation between them was stilted for each was thinking the same thing. But they n
ever spoke of it to the other.

  Shayne's mind was wildly racing all the while. He was trying to see how he could be king and wander with Rhi at the same time.

  And then the dragon showed up.

  It alighted ahead of them as they rode their horses through an abandoned field of wheat.

  "What are you still doing here?" Rhi called out to him, laughing.

  "Yes. I thought since she freed you, you would be off for dragon lands," Shayne added.

  The dragon cocked its head at them and the sunlight flashed off of its shiny scales.

  "I should," it replied. "But…well…I like it here. It's a very pretty kingdom with enough craggy rocks and mountains to make any dragon happy. I'd like to stay…with the king's permission of course."

  A light suddenly dawned in Shayne's thoughts. A wild and crazy idea occurred to him.

  "Maybe you can," Shayne said.

  This time both Rhi and the dragon looked at him in confusion.

  "Shayne, what are you up to?" Rhi said softly.

  The dragon said nothing but its steady gaze at the new king mirrored Rhi's words.

  Shayne thought desperately for a moment. The skeleton of a plan was forming in his brain. Yes, it just might work, he told himself.

  "It's like this. My kingdom has sat stagnant and dormant for many years while Nazar insulated himself from the other kingdoms outside. Now I am on the throne, relations and trade must be reinstated. People who left in fear must be reassured all is well so they may feel they can safely return and take up their old lives again. But this will not happen without some work."

  The dragon blinked. It followed his train of thought but was still confused as to where Shayne was going with this. Rhi's expression hinted the same.

  "I and my lovely companion need to leave this realm to do this. We need to travel to the neighboring kingdoms to negotiate terms. We need to work at renewing old loyalties. We cannot do this from home. But we can also not leave the realm ungoverned and undefended."

  Shayne looked at the dragon and smiled. "I am offering you the position of regent while I am away. Rule my kingdom in my absence until I return. Please do this for me, dragon. I offer you this position in my court. I do not force this job on you. You are free to refuse."