by Sy Walker
“Oh, right, sorry. Tradition.” Finn pulled away from her somewhat and, taking her hand, knelt down on one knee. “Suzy, will you marry me?”
CHAPTER FIVE
Learn To Fly Again
Staring down at the man at her feet, Suzy didn’t know what to say. She had just met Finn! He was a weirdo who turned into a dragon and made bedrooms appear out of thin air! He was sweet and sexy as hell, and leagues better than Dan, but he was still a perfect stranger.
Emphasis on perfect.
As she continued to look at him, she realized he was smirking at her.
“How can I talk with you if you always end up just reading my mind anyway?” she asked. “That’s not fair!” But she was smiling. There was something that was oddly flirty about him knowing her pure, unashamed thoughts, particularly because they were positive about him. She was uncertain about a great many things, but she liked this reptilian man. She wanted to see more of him.
“Just answer the bloody question, Hathaway. My leg is falling asleep.” He grimaced up at her. Even his grimace was cute.
“I’m not going to say no to a dragon,” she said. “You could turn me into ash right here.”
He stood up straight, chuckling, and hugged her. “Don’t say yes just because you’re afraid I’ll kill you. I’m cursed, remember? I shall never harm a hair on your pretty wee head.”
They kissed.
When it ended, he was eyeing her.
“What?”
“So is this a yes?”
Suzy laughed. “Yes!”
Marrying a magical dragon man had not been on Suzy’s itinerary. She’d mostly stuck to the usual landmarks when she’d made her sight-seeing plans. Dragons were the sorts of things she imagined when she was planning her visit to Scotland, but she’d never thought that they actually existed! It seemed as though Finn had planned this all, and she didn’t know how she had gotten so lucky. Maybe this was her reward for all of her bad luck before.
None of this made sense to her, but he was with her and he was handsome, kind and interesting… Jesus, what was she thinking? He was a DRAGON. She was in love with a DRAGON.
“O beneath the streets of Edinburgh, the lonely dragon lies,” Finn sang in a soft, enchanting voice. “Hoping to find a lass to love and take with him to the skies.”
Suzy looked at him, touched that he was now singing to her. “Did you make that up?”
He shook his head. “It’s an old folk song. But you can probably guess who it’s about.”
She pointed a finger at him and he smiled, nodding and pointing a finger back at her.
Happy with her answer to his question, Finn lifted her into the air as though she was the star of her very own ballet. She thought about those hippos in Fantasia, but she pushed the thought aside. With Finn, it didn’t seem to matter that she was fat. With him, she was beautiful.
Gently, he lowered her back down to the ground and gave her a warm, loving embrace. He led her over to the chair at the table and helped her sit. Then he sat in the chair beside her, rather than in the one across from her, placing his hand on her thigh. “No,” he said, gazing into her eyes.
She looked at him, baffled. “No?”
Finn shook his head. “No. You’re not beautiful with me. You’re beautiful, period.”
With that said, he blew a buff of fire over the tabletop and suddenly there was an entire banquet before them. Suzy’s eyes glazed over as she stared, mouth agape, at the selection that included ham and venison as well as Bridies and what could only be the famed haggis… She didn’t know where to start!
“You don’t have to eat it all now,” he said with a laugh. “I promise you, I can make this for you whenever you want.”
“That’s the problem,” she chuckled. “I am trying to watch my weight.”
Giving a nod, the table cleared so it was only the ham, Bridies and haggis that remained.
Suzy pouted. “So much for the selection.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Those were the ones ye wanted the most.”
She blushed and put some of the haggis on her plate. Now that she was seeing it, smelling it, it didn’t seem that much different from normal ground beef that one might put on a bun and call a sloppy joe. The only thing missing was the barbeque sauce. “So this is…”
“Sheep stomach, yeah.” Finn said it so casually, like it was the most normal thing in the world. She remembered then that, though he appeared to only be about thirty years old, he was going on one hundred and eight years old. There was very little that was normal about her fiancé. “I was hoping that you’d order this back at The Witchery, but I can’t blame you for not getting it. First of all, it’s a sheep stomach and Americans get a bit squeamish about that. But also, it’s kind of a stereotype.”
Grinning at him, Suzy batted her lashes. “Say that again?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Steh-rrrreo-type.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling at him outwardly while inwardly flailing at how dreamy his accent was. “So,” she said, taking a bite of sheep stomach and then quickly taking all of the bites she could take before her plate was clean. She swallowed, amazed at herself but also amazed at how delicious that bizarre Scottish delicacy was. “If I truly am to be your wife… Does that mean I’m going to lay eggs or something now?”
Finn laughed. “Only if you want to.”
They ate together happily as Suzy daydreamed about her wedding that didn’t become a wedding and how she was now, again, going to have a wedding to plan. This was all going to be too much for her mother.
As soon as their plates were cleared for the last time, he made everything disappear with a puff and rose from his chair. “What’s your favorite color?” he asked her.
She looked into his eyes. “Green,” she answered. Obviously now.
He gave a little nod of his head and walked away, back up the sloping hallway to the front door of the close.
Suzy’s eyes widened. “Wait!” she shouted. “If you leave, all this will—”
The table, chair and everything around her disintegrated with a pop, leaving her in smoky darkness.
“—disappear.”
She sat on the cold, stone floor, wondering what she was meant to do now. She didn’t like this creepy, most likely haunted place. She especially didn’t like it because she was alone.
“Don’t worry,” he suddenly shouted down to her, causing her to jump. “I’ll only be a mo.”
There was a sudden surge of heat and a torch appeared in the doorway of what used to be their dining room. She was grateful for the heat and light, but what was he planning now? Was he going to go pillage a village like he must have in the old days, when he was a fearsome dragon, bound to no one?
She brought her cell phone out of her purse. There was no service in the close. Typical, she thought before remembering that there were no cell phones in the time these people lived in, and this street was underground so she couldn’t rightfully complain about a lack of cell service.
When Finn appeared again, first as a long shadow against the stone street, and then as himself in his unchanging, untarnished suit, Suzy was hugging herself. “I need to tell my mom what’s happened. Even if no one else from home comes, I need to have my mom with me.”
He nodded. “Of course.” He knelt in front of her again, which didn’t quite have the same effect because he was level with her when she sat on the floor. He just smirked, and she smirked back at him. It didn’t matter.
He held out a silver and green engagement ring. The silver band contained the shape of a long, serpentine dragon finely chiseled into the metal. The green stone caught the light of the torch and resembled his eyes. Had he somehow immortalized his eyes into a gemstone while he was gone? That wouldn’t surprise her.
“Will you still marry me?” he asked her.
She giggled; giddy at the production he was performing for her. “Still yes,” she replied.
Finn kissed her and gently placed the ring on Su
zy’s finger. It was a little tight, but that just made her happier. If it had been a perfect fit, he would have been too perfect for her and she might die.
When Suzy called her mother from a coffee shop on the city surface the following morning, she was met with an air of disbelief. “What?” her mother said loudly, as though phones needed extra amplification. “You found someone on your solomoon?”
“Mom!” Suzy laughed. “Don’t call it a solomoon. That’s mean.”
“I’m sorry,” her mom said. “But you found someone this fast? It’s only been three days!”
Suzy didn’t realize it had even been that long. It had all felt like one long, fantastical adventure of a day. But she supposed that that was how it was when living with dragons. Perhaps time had been going by whilst they were on that hill or in his cave…
“I didn’t just find someone,” she corrected. “I’m marrying someone.”
“WHAT?”
Holding the phone away from her ear, she laughed loudly. The other customers in the coffee shop turned to look at her, smiling curiously.
Mrs. Hathaway came to Edinburgh by plane a few days later, bringing along the wedding dress that she had so carefully stowed away in the off-chance that Suzy hadn’t soured on the whole idea and ended up getting married. Suzy took the dress in for alterations, adding a little bit here and removing a little bit there until the dress appeared much different than it had before.
The wedding took place atop the vast expanse of hills known as the Galloway Hills, where Finn had taken her the night they first met. He’d taken her in more than one way there…
As she walked down the aisle towards him, she noticed that all of her friends that could make it appeared mystified by everything about this wedding. The groom was there, standing and waiting for her to join him, wearing his fancy, shimmering suit. He would have worn a tux for the occasion, but then how would they make their show-stopping getaway?
“Suzanna Marie Hathaway, do ye take this man to be your lawfully-wedded husband?” the officiant asked. She was a pretty Scottish lass who worked in the close where they lived.
Suzy looked across to Finn, his beautiful green eyes flashing. She beamed at him, tears welling in her eyes. It was so strange, but all of her dreams and fantasies had somehow come true! “Aye,” she said, letting the Scottish word slip out. She giggled a little. “I do.”
“Finley Eowan Dryden,” their officiant said with a smile towards him. “Do ye take this woman to be your lawfully-wedded wife?”
He nodded, grinning his mischievous grin at Suzy. He squeezed her hands as he looked into her hazel eyes. “Aye,” he said with a laugh. “I do.”
“Then, by the power vested in me by the hills and moors and the great city of Edinburgh, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!”
Looking at the crowd of their guests – which included her friends and mother as well as his coworkers from The Witchery – Finn gave a wink, then planted a passionate kiss on Suzy’s lips. She felt hotness in her cheeks and wondered if it was because she was blushing or because he was kissing her with fire.
Once their first kiss as husband and wife was over, he took her hand and ran with her down the aisle. He threw off his jacket and tie. She laughed as she ran beside him. “Don’t you need those?” she asked, huffing a bit as they went.
They’d reached the end of the aisle, but he kept on running, pulling the inquisitive Suzy along with him. Finn unbuttoned his shirt and threw that off as well. She looked at the dragon tattoo on his chest. Unless she was crazy, it winked at her.
“Not anymore,” he panted, unbuckling his belt and awkwardly pulling off his pants.
She looked back to see that their wedding set-up was far behind them now. Everyone was staring, confused and shocked. What the bloody hell was happening? Only the officiant was smiling.
Though Suzy was still dressed in her big, poofy wedding gown, Finn was now in his birthday suit. Well, at least his human birthday suit.
They’d reached the end of their hilltop. All that was left was a long drop down to rocks. He tightened his grip on her hand and looked at her, lovingly. “All I need is you,” he said. He moved close to her and whispered. “Don’t look down. Hold on tight. I love you, Suzy.”
She was scared and not scared at the same time. “I love you, Finn. I trust you.”
The ground let out a loud moan as Finn Dryden shifted into Finn Dragon. He did it so fluidly, all while holding her hand. She gasped and jumped when she saw her small hand in his massive palm.
With a gulp, she climbed onto his back. Finn’s wings beat the air and they flew off together into the low-hanging clouds of the Scottish sky.
THE END
Weekend with the Bear
“You had plenty money in 1922…You let other women make a fool of you. Why don’t you do right? Like some other men do?” Ursula Blake sang her heart out night after night at the Big Dipper nightclub in Silver Lake. She was five foot six with long, red hair that was curled like a ‘70s TV starlet. Her eyes were a purplish blue. At twenty-six years old, she was well on her way to gaining a loyal following at the club. She was hoping to really make a name for herself and make it big as a jazz and soul singer, but so far the only thing big about her was her size.
Ursula weighed two hundred and forty pounds. This usually did not get to her, because she didn’t allow it to, but it was hard to ignore some of the looks she received from people as she came onto the stage. People in LA were varying levels of rude, but they were all judgmental in some way towards her.
It wasn’t all bad, though. She had the support of her boyfriend Wesley, who came to see her performances and sat at a table in the front row, smiling up at her every night. He was tall and handsome, with sandy hair and hazel eyes. As long as she had him, she would be okay.
After the light applause at the end of her set, she stepped down off the stage and joined him at the table. He gave her a kiss and helped her into her seat, but he did not sit beside her. Something was amiss. She could feel it in the way he was looking at her.
“I have to go,” he told her. “This… This isn’t going to work out.”
Ursula felt like something was breaking inside of her. “What? What are you talking about?”
He sighed, looking down at her now instead of up when she was in the spotlight. “I’ve met someone. It’s not you, it’s me… I feel like we’ve been moving in different directions for a while now.”
Her head was reeling. How could he be doing this to her now? Right there where she worked and everything? She felt like everyone was staring at them and listening in.
“I’m sorry, Ursula,” Wesley said.
Shaking his head, he walked away from her and was gone. Ursula could feel the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears. She felt like she could faint at any moment. She could not be there anymore.
The table was prepared for a meal for two. When the waiter came and asked what she wanted, she stared at him numbly. “I’m sorry,” she said shakily. “I’m not staying, actually.”
Doing her best to stay upright, Ursula removed her silver high-heeled shoes and walked back to her dressing room. Once inside, she closed the door and allowed the waterworks to start.
The icing on the rotten cake for her was that Wesley had chosen to dump her at the Big Dipper and not at their apartment or something. Sure, it still would have hurt anywhere, but the Big Dipper club was her home. He was moved out of the apartment that they’d shared for four years by the time she got home that night, and she was somewhat relieved that she hadn’t been sent out on her ass. Now that her hurt and sadness had passed, she was mad at Wesley. He had given up on her and had found someone else. After everything they’d been through, all of the love and support he’d claimed to have for her…That liar. That untrustworthy, two-timing bastard!
Ursula lay on her bed and cried, hugging a plush cat to her face. Then she realized that Wesley had given her that cat and threw it across the room in angry fru
stration.
She was not going to give up just because of him. She was going to go right back to the club tomorrow and belt out her soul like she always did. She didn’t need Wesley King. She didn’t need anybody.
Walking onto the stage the following evening, her shimmering purple dress catching the light in all of the right places, Ursula felt beautiful in her own skin for the first time in a while. A weight had been lifted. She could do this on her own. She could be her own support.
“They say I’m crazy, got no sense… but I don’t care…”
As she sang, she paced around the stage like a tiger on the prowl. She caught the eye of a mysterious young man that she hadn’t seen at the club before. He winked at her and she blushed a little but did not otherwise skip a beat.
Her song was met with loud applause at the end. Ursula looked out at the small crowd of people sitting down at the tables, surprised and delighted at their response. Then she realized that the loudest and biggest amount of applause was coming from the new fan of hers.
At the end of her set, she went back into her dressing room and touched up her hair and makeup, preparing herself to go out and try and talk to the young man who had aroused her curiosity. However, when she went back out, he was no longer at his table.
Disappointed at that missed opportunity, she went to the bar and ordered herself a gin and tonic. “That young man who was here,” she asked the bartender. “Who was he?”
She suspected that he was perhaps a talent scout. Then again, she always suspected new people like that were talent scouts. She supposed she was just optimistic that way.
The bartender shrugged his shoulders. “Probably just the usual Silver Lake hipster type,” he said. “We get a lot of those on Saturday nights. He didn’t even order himself a drink.”
Odd. “Huh,” she said. “Maybe he saw my flyer or something.”
Ursula promoted herself well by tacking and taping flyers about her performances all over town. Anyone who was interested in listening to old timey jazz standards while drinking cheap beer and eating burgers could definitely be happy at the Big Dipper on Saturdays.