

### Amongst the Dragons series

### Book 1

### A Rose Amongst the Dragons

### By

### Stephanie Daich on Smashwords

### Text Copyright ©2012

### Stephanie Daich

### All Rights Reserved

Smashwords Edition

Cover Design:

Amber McNemar

www.ethinkgraphics.com

Dedication:

### For Emily; who inspired me during our first race together.

### For Natalie; she cheered me along and provided feedback.

### For Dixie; who planted the seed.

### For Nate; because of everything!
**Table of Contents**

### Chapter 1

Freedom is defined for men in many different ways. To some, it comes in the form of wealth and riches, having the ability to satisfy every basic pleasure. Others find it in fighting against the system. For Thelton, freedom was derived in the forest. He was raised there, and it was in the wild his spirit aligned with the universe. Because he considered the outdoors his home, he knew the ways of the animals, knowing the best methods to capture and kill them. He was a mighty hunter, one of exceptional skill, eventually earning the title of the beloved Dragon Slayer!

...

Thelton ducked down as another fireball sizzled past his broad shoulder, the scorching flames igniting a frayed edge of his sleeve. Orange and yellow moved up his arm. He didn't seem to notice, it eventually extinguished as he ran. That was way too close. Usually, Thelton didn't run from dragons, he slew them. But with his bulging arms grasping a severed dragon head, it was hard for him to do much else. Above, a loud screeching sound came from the green dragon as it flew dangerously close to him.

"Ahhh!" he screamed. The sounds coming from the dragon made his ears pulsate. The high-pitched noise almost deafened him. While the dragon flew directly above him, a huge gust of air blew out from its wings. Thelton's arm hairs stood up. Since he was holding the butchered dragon head, he had no way to defend himself. He had to make a choice; either risk being attacked by the green dragon, or drop his newly acquired dragon head and fight.

"Oh, I hate to do this," he said, dropping his prized dragon head on the ground. The head spun into the dirt, embedding grains of dirt and gravel into every crevice on it. Regret entered, and with his arms free, Thelton took off in a sprint. From above, the green dragon descended next to the detached head of its sibling. It sniffed around, smelling the sweet aroma of fresh dragon blood. With its massive tongue, it licked its dead brother. Rage filled the dragon and with fury in its eyes, it let out a booming roar, propelling itself toward Thelton. Thelton tucked in his muscular body and rolled to the ground, tumbling backwards, whirling in a heap while the dragon hurdled centimeters over him, missing him. The dragon tried to stop its momentum, but its speed propelled it forward, slamming its head into a tree. _Crack._ Pain welled up inside the dragon. Thelton found the advantage he had been looking for as he raced to it, jumping onto its scaly tail, pulling himself up.

"You think you can best me," he said scurrying up the dragon. After gaining his balance, he scampered the length of the green tail, reaching the neck. Thelton's feet jammed into the dragon. It didn't like him up there. Rolling, it had to get the human off, but Thelton had a firm grip and kept his place around the neck. Holding tight, Thelton's veins swelled up, bulging out.

"There is nothing you can do to me now," he challenged, using his toughest voice. This wasn't his usual strategy for killing dragons, but with his arms around its neck, Thelton felt like he had the advantage.

The dragon shot up into the sky. It had to get him off. Once a good distance above the ground, it flipped around, flying upside down. Gravity pulled at Thelton as he grasped his arms tighter around the neck. As much as the thick beast tried to drop him, it couldn't. When the dragon spun back around, Thelton heaved himself onto its head. He had a plan. Reaching into his boot, he retrieved his emerald dagger. The cold steal felt powerful in his hand as he plunged it into the dragon's left eye. The pain immediately overtook the dragon. Fire flew out of its mouth. The piercing radiated everywhere in the beast. Its body jerked and rolled as it flew. Thelton worked against the dragon's acrobatics and pulled the dagger out then slammed it in again. Goo squirted out of the eye and dripped down Thelton's hand. The dragon's struggle became too much, causing Thelton to lose his grip. When the dragon did another summersault in the air, Thelton launched off. With nothing to stop his speed, his body crashed with a thud into the hard forest floor.

"Oh the pain," he snorted. He couldn't move. His body ached in agony. His dark eyes closed, eyes with iris that looked almost black.

Pain swelled around his bones. Hopefully, none were broke. His head throbbed, for he had banged it hard. His body bid him to fall asleep, despite the pain.

He couldn't fall asleep, for if he did, surely he would become food to the green dragon. He forced his dark eyes open. At first, all he saw was black. Slowly, shapes formed. When his vision fully returned, he searched the sky to see if the dragon was anywhere around. He saw nothing but darkness and stars, their twinkling illuminating the blackness.

Usually dragons would return for their prey.

Cautiously, he slithered his sore body into some bushes where he rested for most of the night. Agitation steamed within, for he felt like a coward. "Dragons hide from me, not the opposite," he thought. Just before sunrise, he decided to get up. He had to push himself. He stood, trying to ignore the pain. Once on his feet, he staggered around a bit until his equilibrium settled. His stomach sent waves of nausea through his body, and for the moment, he had double vision.

He limped back to his treasured dragon head, relieved to find it still where he had dropped it. The sky began to lighten as reds and orange hues dusted the clouds and chased the darkness away. The head was enormous as its black and green scales reflected the colors above, yet rather plain compared to the other heads he had decapitated in the past, regardless; it would still fetch a nice prize from the king; 10,000 Tretos.

Thelton hoisted the head up into his arms.

As he looked into the flat red eyes of the dragon, he wished he had more than just the head. Not too long ago those same eyes glowed brilliant red, but now they were dull from death.

It was satisfying to have the head, but if only there had been time to glean the rest. Dragon organs brought in good money. The head was always worth the most, the king paid for that. After a dragon was killed, Thelton broke it down and sold the other various parts. The medicine woman bought the scales, for they were very valuable to her, using them in many of her elixirs. She desired the other parts, but Thelton could sell the rest of the dragon for much more at market.

How could he have left so much of the dragon behind? Even more regret filled him as he thought about the wasted dragon. He hadn't had a chance to harvest everything because-after he had removed the dragon's head- the green dragon had come along. Without enough time to prepare to fight, Thelton had to grab the severed head and run from the green dragon.

The green dragon looked much like the other dragons he had killed, the size slightly smaller than most, but the fury as strong. Thelton wished he could kill the dragon and have two heads to take the king. Wouldn't that make the king proud!

He should have killed the green dragon, but what chance did he have? His success for killing dragons came from his stealthy ability to sneak up on them. If he could do that, the dragon was as good as dead. That is how he killed the black dragon whose head he now carried. He had snuck up on it and quickly pierced its heart with his sword. The underbelly wasn't as armored as the rest of the body was, and for Thelton's sharp blades, it was an easy target. But, when the green one surprised him, all he could do was run.

...

Being left an orphan at a young age, he had felt so utterly alone. Sometimes he would have dreams about his mom only to wake up and slump into a deep depression. She meant the world to him in his dreams, but when he was awake, he refused to think about her. His father had been a hunter of the forest, taking Thelton with him even as a babe. When his parents had died, he was left with only his survival skills to keep him alive. As he got older, he pushed out the memories of his parents because they felt toxic to him, causing too much pain.

At eleven, he found Gremell the Dragon Slayer hunting in his forest. Gremell was a thin man in his forties, preferring to be alone as most hunters do. He was the first person Thelton met many years after his parents had died, and Thelton was hungry for attention. He clung to Gremell's side, refusing to leave it despite Gremell's ornery personality. Eventually Gremell succumbed to Thelton and agreed to let him be his apprentice, using Thelton as a slave in exchange for teaching him.

Thelton tagged along and learned from him over the next three years. When Thelton was fourteen, Gremell was killed by a dragon, and Thelton saw the whole thing, an image that haunted his nightmares constantly. Gremmel's death almost destroyed Thelton because he had been such an influence on him, being Thelton's only friend. He felt completely empty with him gone, having no one. He never wanted to feel that kind of hurt again, so he built a big wall around his emotions, deciding never to care for another human again, because all humans he cared for died.

Meanwhile, he was building his reputation as The Dragon Slayer, hunting dragons on his own. Agility and stealth were his tactics. He drew skills from his apprenticeship with Gremell, the training from his Father, and his own innate abilities to best the dragons. The more dragons he killed, the more he was dragged into society, hating it there. The kings of Andleburg, Candleshaw, and Cloats always paid Thelton for the dragon heads, and when he would deliver them, the kings usually expressed their thanks by giving him a feast or some type of public recognition. Those tributes drained Thelton, because he was a hermit, detesting his time around others.

...

Thelton pushed aside the thought of his parents and Gremell and began walking again. He had a dragon head to deliver. There was no point entertaining memories of his dead loved ones, for they were gone, never to return again. As his arm muscle's ached, he repositioned the dragon head and made his way through the forest, heading toward the castle.

### Chapter 2

Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor sat in the middle of the horseshoe table. Gathered around him in the royal planning room was his panel of eleven other advisors. They were finishing up their meeting for the day. It had been a very heated one, and the negative energy thickly settled in the mist.

"Well, I do believe that we were able to accomplish a great deal today. I will be taking all your concerns to the king. I have other things to get to. We shall meet again in two days. Everyone remember their assignments." The advisors at the table stood up. "I need advisor 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 11 to stay. The rest of you are excused to leave," he said as he scratched his red hair.

The advisors that weren't called quickly bolted from the table, happy to be released from a place of such intense debate. When the advisors had left, there was still one guard mingling at the door.

"You may go now!" Trevor barked at the guard.

"Yes, Sir Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor," he said as he ducked his head and bowed, leaving the room. Trevor's heart leapt at his power. He liked how the kingdom coward to him.

"That was a horrible meeting today," Trevor said to the men who had stayed. "Let's get on with the important things. The real business."

"Do you think the king knows what we are up to?" Welsh of Andleburg, Third Position Advisor asked.

"No, there is no way he knows. He is too stupid and complacent to ever look into the happenings of his kingdom. That is why he has us here, to do what he refuses to do himself. His apathetic attitude plays well into our plans." Trevor looked at his weary advisors. "I heard the fifty percent tax increase has started. How is it coming along?" He asked with a huge smile on his face. The tax was his idea, and he loved the road it would lead to.

"The people are very angry. They are complaining and some are even refusing to pay. We told them they have a week to get their goods in order. If they don't pay by the end of the week, we will seize their property and put them in jail?" an advisor replied.

Trevor turned to Welsh. "Is the new jail's construction complete for the influx of people it will be getting?"

"Yes sir, it is."

"Great," Trevor said as he rubbed his hands together. He had convinced the king to build a jail on the remote Island of Treeblonka.

"May I have the chair?" Noah of Andleburg, Seventh Position Advisor asked.

"Yes, go ahead."

"Are you ready to grant audiences to the people who will come to the castle and complain?"

"I am very ready. I have made ALL advisors aware I am the only one to be granting audiences at this time."

"Are you sure the rest of the advisors and the king will not catch wind of what we are doing?"

"There is no way they will. I have the other advisors assigned to tasks that keep them detained in the castle. I will be the only one sitting in on audience. There is no way word will make it to the castle." Trevor scratched his head violently, drawing a small streak of blood.

"What about the friends and family of the guards, advisors, and workers. They shall surely hear of the complaints and take them to the king," Noah said.

"But that is not how the chain of command works. The king will only grant audience to me. Obviously I won't let any of it get to him. The other advisors are cut off from their family at this time. The castle has been placed on level seven, and only a few selected are allowed to come and go. We can make this work. Abraham of Andleburg, Eleventh Position Advisor, do you have the secret treasury secure?"

"Everything is in order, Sir."

"Good, good, good. Now men, must I emphasize the utmost secrecy of our project? Let me remind you, if any of you are caught divulging our plans, not only will I personally kill you, I will kill your entire family line. Let us make our secret sign, and then it is time to dismiss."

The men put their hands together in their secret sign, and then went about their business in the Andleburg Kingdom.

...

It was the rainy season, and Thelton's strapping, muscular body was covered in mud from head to foot. With sludge dripping around him, he stood at the castle door waiting for the guard to let him in. He was a sight with his rugged appearance and tattered clothes, not looking fit to enter the Andleburg Castle. James the guard looked intently at Thelton. He knew the lad, the whole kingdom was buzzing about him. He was only nineteen and he had already killed twenty-two dragons. The guards had been given strict instructions about always letting Thelton in. Although James knew the orders, he couldn't get past Thelton's sodden appearance. Instead of following the orders, he sent an inquiry to Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor. Shortly, Trevor appeared.

"What seems to be the problem?" Trevor asked James the guard.

"Well Sir, this here is The Dragon Slayer and I believe he should be bathed before he greets the king, however, the king has commanded the very moment The Dragon Slayer arrives that he should be brought to the king."

Trevor wrinkled his nose in disgust as he looked over Thelton. Trevor had never done work outside, not liking dirt. He looked at the dragon's head carried by Thelton. The sight of it made him want to puke, nauseous filling his insides. He looked back at Thelton. Trevor despised The Dragon Slayer. The king always seemed to get stupid in the head when Thelton was around. He was only a hunter. That put him at the bottom of the social ladder in Trevor's eyes.

"I will not have this man tracking filth into the king's castle. He will bathe first and then be presented to the king."

"My very thoughts indeed," James said.

Thelton listened to them discuss him as if he wasn't there. He didn't care, for he really didn't want to talk with them anyways. He wished he could give them the head and collect the reward money without meeting the king.

...

King Wolfgang had been going over his maps in the war room when he heard the news. He was a stately looking king, his face held a wisdom that demanded attention. As he rubbed his chin, he thought about The Dragon Slayer. What would the kingdom do without him? It was a good thing dragons seldom left the forest. It wasn't often they came to nearby villages, but when they did, they left a huge trail of destruction. Sometimes they would come alone, and other times they would come in groups. When they came out, they often burnt up multiple farms, homes, and fields. They would deplete whole flocks of sheep or entire herds of cows. They stuck around for days or weeks, feasting on anything they could find. It was imperative to have them killed.

Dragon slayers were hard to come by, a profession many weren't willing to go into, because the majority were killed by dragons. King Wolfgang moved a little wooden dragon around on the map. Thankfully there weren't any dragons presently in the kingdom. He shuttered, recalling the time as a boy when the kingdom went ten years without a dragon slayer, having no one willing to do it. When a dragon would come into the kingdom, his father -the king- would force his men to go fight it. They rarely met success, most dying. King Wolfgang remembered when Thelton appeared, tagging along with Gremell. He was so young at the time, and yet incredibly skilled. His reputation quickly spread and the other kingdoms in the tri-kingdom called on his services. King Wolfgang selfishly wished he could keep Thelton all to himself. Maybe if he could move Thelton into the castle, then no other kingdom could have him. But, Thelton was a free spirit, like most hunters were.

Adoration for Thelton swelled inside King Wolfgang. He stood up and stretched as he thought about the lad. He owed his kingdom's safety from dragons to him several times over. Thelton always responded when called upon and had never failed any of King Wolfgang's demands. He was a pleasant young man, and the king loved having him around, always spoiling him. To the king, Thelton represented all that was good although he had a wild spirit the king sometimes envied, if only he wasn't busy ruling the kingdom, maybe he would be a dragon slayer as well.

A loud knock echoed in the war room. The unexpected noise started the king as he dropped the army pieces he had in his hand.

"Enter," he called out. He stood fully, his back cracking. "Ouch," he said.

The large mahogany doors opened and a lengthy messenger bowed upon entering.

"My dear King," he said from his stooped over position.

"Rise and report," the king commanded.

"Thelton the Dragon Slayer is in the castle, currently being handle by the bath servants."

"WHAT! Thelton is in my castle and no one has told me yet. Why was he not immediately brought to me?" the king hollered. The servant cast his eyes to the floor. He had no response for the king. "Stop his bath and have him meet me in the reception room." King Wolfgang said.

With word of his beloved dragon slayer reaching him, the king ran down the long hallways to the front entrance of the castle. He was in such a rush that his feet slipped out beneath him, and he slammed his head into the floor, a bang ricocheted off the walls. Blackness overtook him for almost a minute. Despite the throbbing in his head, he jumped up and continued his run.

...

The castle doors flew open as the king came bolting through them.

"Why did you not let my boy in?"

James averted his eyes and replied. "I am working under the orders of Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor. He stated Thelton should be presentable to meet your royal highness."

"Do you put the will of my advisor over my own?" King Wolfgang growled at James.

"Sorry dear king," James said as he ducked his head.

Satisfied, King Thelton ran to the reception room.

...

"Not the biggest head I have ever had. Definitely not the prettiest either. I would say this is probably the plainest head you have brought me. Never mind, for it means one less nasty dragon out there. My fine boy, come in, we must celebrate your deed!" The king went over to Thelton and gave him a rib crushing squeeze. Thelton struggled to breathe while wrapped in the king's thick arms. Mud from Thelton smeared onto King Wolfgang's fine linens. The king didn't care, for he was pleased to once again have Thelton in his castle.

As they walked down the royal corridors, Thelton left a trail of mud. His large feet squeaked as they sloshed around in his sandals on the marble flooring. He hadn't even made it to the bathing room before he had been escorted to wait for the king in the reception room. The king rambled off in mindless chatter while Thelton ambled along, silently listening. Thelton looked at all the decorations adorning the walls, what was the king rambling on about? He couldn't stand being with others, for he didn't know how to act around them, and he never knew what to say. The positive side about being with King Wolfgang was that he never asked many questions, always content to do the talking, and Thelton was willing to let him.

The king brought Thelton to large mahogany doors with carved intricate designs of dragons, reaching all the way up to a 3.6 meter ceiling. A guard stood posted in front of it.

"Ah yes, my most cherished room." He turned to the guard. "Take the head to my trophy room."

The guard took the head from Thelton and slipped through the doors, not even giving Thelton a chance to sneak a peek inside.

Thelton couldn't understand why the king had never taken him into the trophy room, after all, he wouldn't have the room if it wasn't for Thelton. Thelton had supplied him with all the dragon heads. When King Wolfgang had first taken over the kingdom after his father had died, he hadn't been collecting heads. He would pay any man 10,000 Tretos to bring the dragon's heart. Tretos were the Kingdom's currency, and 10,000 Tretos were more than most men made in a year. The payment was high in order to entice someone to kill the dragons.

When the heart was brought to King Wolfgang, he felt skirmish inside. The heart was nasty and vile. The only reason he requested it was to have proof of the dragon's death before he paid 10,000 Tretos. When Thelton had come with Gremell, he could tell the king hated the heart, so shyly suggested, "Would you not rather me bring the dragon head instead?"

"What would I want with the head?" King Wolfgang asked. He looked at Thelton as if that idea was the stupidest thing he had ever heard.

"Well, they are very beautiful. They would make a nice trophy room, wouldn't you think?" Thelton wasn't very good at speaking to a king, for he didn't understand the hierarchy of life. He really only knew the forest. It was a struggle for him to get so many words out at one time. His eye started twitching and his hands shook as he offered the suggestion.

Most subjects were not allowed to address the king so freely. The king had given Thelton much leeway in the beginning of their relationship, because he desired Thelton's services. Although King Wolfgang was a very fair king, he demanded complete respect from all his subjects, that is, except for Thelton. He had quickly fell very fond of the boy and soon saw him more as a son than as one of his subjects. Because of Thelton's suggestion, he collected the heads, and with them, he created the dragon room.

As they stood outside the dragon room, the king could see the longing in Thelton's dark eyes. He patted Thelton's mud caked back. "One day, my fine boy, one day." He said as he let out a boisterous laugh. His large stomach expanded as he chuckled, making the ivory buttons look like they were about to pop off his tunic.

"Come with me," the king said, leading Thelton to his war room. Thelton trailed slightly to the right until they entered through a heavy set of doors, which was also guarded.

"Have I brought you here before?" the king asked as they entered the room.

"Yes," Thelton replied in his base voice. The king actually brought Thelton into his war room every time he visited. Inside the room were charts and maps plastered all over the walls. In the middle of the room stood a diorama of the kingdom, while on top of the diorama were little men, trees, carts, and supplies scattered over it. The king often looked down at the diorama from the three other floors which towered above. The king liked to contemplate his kingdom from many angles, and the war room was designed to do just that.

"You know, my fine boy, our kingdom hasn't seen war for over three generations. But one can never be too cautious or slack. One day I might have to lead our kingdom to war. If that day comes, I will be ready." King Wolfgang really wouldn't know what to do if they ever went to war. In his lifetime his kingdom had always been at peace with the two bordering kingdoms, Cloats and Candleshaw.

Before the guard closed the doors, he asked, "Is there anything I can do for you, your Holiness?"

"Yes, tell the kitchen to prepare a royal feast, for there will be celebrating tonight. Also, have a room set for The Dragon Slayer."

"Is that all, my king?"

The king looked around. "Am I forgetting anything?" he asked. He couldn't recall what it was, but it sure felt like he had one more thing to say. Just as the door was about to close, the king shouted, "Wait!" The doors swiftly reopened.

He remembered what he wanted to say when he had looked at Thelton. He could see the mud from Thelton rub off onto his map print davenport, a piece that had been designed and imported from across the seas.

"Have the bath man come get The Dragon Slayer in an hour, for this boy needs a bath." The king plugged his nose, as if he suddenly was offended by Thelton.

Thelton sat in miserable silence as the king babbled about the happenings of the kingdom. To occupy his attention, he played with the scar on his elbow. Thelton had shattered it a year ago when he had tumbled down a mountain. After that, it was no longer pointy, instead it was flat and sunken in. Meanwhile, the king didn't seem like he would ever stop talking. Thelton hated conversing with others, and he was ready to leave. He never understood why the king spent hours talking to him about subjects he could care less about. All he hoped for were his Tretos. He certainly didn't want the king's formalities, wishing the king would remember he was a hunter, a lone man, a man of very few words.

Thelton felt a rush of relief when the doors opened and the bath man bowed and entered, cheerfully Thelton stood, happy for his escape.

When the king saw who it was, he growled at him. "We are not ready for something as trivial as a bath. Come back in an hour," he growled.

"No," Thelton begged in his mind. "Take me with you, save me from the king!" That happened two more times until the king allowed Thelton to go with the bath man.

Thelton was lead to a spacious room where a large seashell shaped bathtub stood in the center. The water had cooled a couple of times and they had to relight the fire underneath it to re-warm it. When Thelton finally entered the room, the servants were delighted, for they were tired of trying to keep the water warm.

Feeling inept, Thelton entered the room. He had never taken a formal bath before, sure he had dipped into lakes to get clean, but that was the extent of his hygiene. The air held the moisture from the bath and clung to everyone's clothes and face. Thelton looked at the giant tub with its bubbles spilling over the side, soaking the floor beneath it.

"How does it work?" he asked. With the mound of bubbles, he couldn't see room for his body.

Everyone in the room laughed, instantly annoying Thelton. Why were they laughing at him? Should he know what he was looking at?

"Take off your clothes, Dragon Slayer, and you may step into the bath and get cleaned."

Thelton stared at the maid. Was she really asking him to get naked in front of her? Everyone stood in stiff silence. Finally, the maid said.

"If you desire to be clean, then you must remove your attire."

"I can manage from here," Thelton said as his arms wrapped around his chest. He could feel his tight muscles underneath. He could figure out how to use a bath, how hard could it be?

While he waited for a response, the bath maid stood by him shaking, for she couldn't believe Thelton stood before her. Sure, she could leave and give him his privacy, but where was the fun in that? As she waited for Thelton, she couldn't believe how handsome he was. She had heard the tales about his looks, but the power behind them couldn't be felt in stories. She couldn't remove her eyes off his perfect face. He seemed to hold a trance over her.

The bath maid strengthened her voice, commanding, "I am ordered to clean you, so take everything off. You mustn't be afraid, for I bathe all the royals in the castle."

"Well, you're not gone to bathe me." Thelton said. He would rather stay muddy than have strangers see him undressed.

The maid came over to Thelton and grabbed his top, trying to remove it. Thelton clasped his shirt down, but she kept pulling it up. Finally, he surrendered it.

Unexpectedly, the door flew open and the head bath man walked in. He was a tall lengthy man, with a long pointed nose, a nose dominating his face. "Ah yes, I heard about your filthy state. Let us get you nice and clean."

"I can manage myself." Thelton growled. He grabbed his shirt from the bath maid and put it back on.

"Young man, don't be shy, for we bathe all the royals."

"That's what I told him." The maid said.

"I wish to bathe alone." Thelton replied.

"Of course, you may if you wish; however, I do doubt you will get as clean as what we can get you."

"I will manage." Thelton said. He glared at the bath maid, happy to have triumphed over her. Disappointed, she clicked her tongue as she and the bath man left the room.

...

After he had retired to his room for an hour, Thelton was brought to the banquet room. Dread filled him as he anticipated who might be there. Sometimes the feasts were full of people waiting to get a chance to meet the man who held such legendary status. He hated entertaining the king's guests. People always asked him stupid questions, which he never knew how to answer. He wanted to collect his Tretos and be left alone. He didn't need any of the king's fanfare.

In the banquet room, Thelton was announced. Everyone stood for his entry, even the king. His heart slowed down when all he saw was King Wolfgang, Princess Lucille, Princess Alashia, and Princess Stephanie. Although the dinner conversation would still be uncomfortable, he preferred the smaller numbers. It would just be the king and his daughters.

The long table was draped with a lacey cover and adorned with crystal and china. The servants brought out the first course, a light cream soup. The savory smell stirred Thelton's stomach. With one large swallow, he gulped down his soup, leaving him wondering why the portions were so tiny.

"We have great news in our kingdom, my fine boy," the king said shoving the soup in his mouth. Most of it missed and dribbled down his salt and pepper beard.

Thelton groaned inside, the small talk had already begun. He didn't care about the king's good news. He didn't care about anything. As he fretted, he thought, "Just let me eat in silence, give me my money, and then I will be on my way." Looking about the opulent dining room, he noticed how rainbows painted the wall as they reflected off the dangling crystals from the ornate chandelier, a masterpiece to behold.

The king waited for Thelton to inquire what the news was about, but when he didn't, the king continued on, filling Thelton in on the happenings. Thelton tried to listen, but he didn't have the attention span to do so.

"Don't you think congratulation is in order?" the king demanded.

What had the king been talking about? Thelton put down his spoon, accidently bumping his bowl and spilling the remaining drops of his soup on the lacey table cloth. Desperately trying to clean the spill, he said, "Congratulations." Three servants rushed to his side and apologetically cleaned his mess, as if it were their own.

The soup was cleared, and baskets of hot fresh rolls came out, boasting a variety to choose from. As Thelton shoved his third roll in his mouth, he felt a hand slide onto his leg. He stiffened. He refused to look over to Alashia. She was making herself comfortable next to him with her tantalizing touch. He could smell her floral perfume which drowned out the smells of the food, it was rather choking. Why must Princess Alashia always sit by him?

...

The king insisted Thelton stay for two nights. There was a room always kept open for him. He had no idea Thelton hated sleeping there. He thought he was giving Thelton a treat by his generosity. Everything seemed too stuffy and closed off for Thelton. Why must he go through the theatrics every time he brought King Wolfgang a head? The king adored Thelton, showering him with gifts and tributes at every visit. Maybe one day he would convince Thelton to move into the castle.

...

"Position One Advisor," the king said to Trevor. "Take this scroll to The Dragon Slayer at once." Trevor had come to the throne room per the king's request.

"Yes, my holiest king." Trevor said as he grabbed the parchment. It was a map of the kingdom.

In bitterness, Trevor carried the parchment to Thelton's room. He grumbled under his breath his whole way there.

"Who does the king think I am? His personal messenger? This castle is crawling with messengers. Why is he having me do low mans work? He will be sorry for all the times he wronged me. One day this kingdom will be mine, and I will make him my marionette, to do whatever I please. He will be begging at my feet for forgiveness." Although Trevor seemed to be irate over the mere request of the king, his resentment had been building for years. He was always jealous of the king, and he had spent most of his service coveting everything the king had. He had decided if he ever got the chance, he would take over the king's crown.

In resentment, Trevor pounded his fist on Thelton's door. His hand burned and turned red.

"Who goes there?" he heard through the thick wood.

"It is I, Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor."

"Come in," Thelton called from within.

Trevor pushed the heavy door open. It took a lot of work since he was thin and small. When he got in, his anger intensified at the size and stately quality of Thelton's accommodations. Trevor's room was very small, only enough room to put a tiny bed and wardrobe. How could the king give such a nice room to The Dragon Slayer, for he was only a hunter? Here Trevor was serving the king every moment of his life, and all he got was a puny closet to call a room. Trevor had already despised Thelton, but this intensified his hate.

"From the king," he said as he dropped the scroll at Thelton's feet. Without waiting for a comment, he turned and stomped out of the room.

### Chapter 3

When Thelton was finally allowed to leave, he broke through the doors in a bolt. His husky frame couldn't move fast enough. He kept running until he came to the edge of the royal grounds, heading off into a patch of trees to the North of the castle. For the time, it was where he would live. He had bought a home in Andleburg, but he spent very little time in it. Since he had been raised in the forest, it really was his favorite place to be.

...

Thelton lacked the ability to sit still for very long, his was a spirit designed for adventure and stimulation. A week after escaping the castle, he needed something to do. He loaded his side pack and headed into the Vegus Forest, hoping there was another dragon to hunt.

The Vegus Forest surrounded Andleburg on the south side. It brought fear to most hearts, for it was filled with numerous fatal creatures and plants. The deadliest creatures that dwelled in it were the dragons. Thelton had a healthy respect for the forest, having spent most of his life hunting it. He knew it was a death trap and he had to be vigilant and alert in all he did. Every time he explored it, he kept his eye out for the dragon's nest. It was rumored to be in the heart of the forest, but did anyone really know, for he doubted there had been a brave enough man to find it. Considering the size and danger of the forest, he had yet to locate the nest, but he felt he was closer at finding it than he had ever been.

As Thelton searched the forest, he looked for signs of recent dragon activity.

"Nothing," he thought. "This must be their migration season." No one knew if dragons migrated or not, but they would disappear for long stretches of time. It wasn't clear if they left the Vegus forest, or if they just stayed at their nest. He went further in, deciding to explore an area he had never seen. He was sure if he could find the queen's nest, he would seal his legend with her blood.

Thelton had walked for six hours when his cow bladder canteen had run out of water. His mouth was dry and parched. He needed something to drink since his intense thirst ravished his body. It was imperative he find a spring for water. It took another hour until he came upon a spring that ran between a bank of trees, by that time his tan skin had become deep red, while he perspired heavily. He needed water.

Anticipating a nice drink from the cool waters, Thelton dipped his canteen into the stream. Immediately smoke rose from the canteen, it melting into hot liquid, burning his large hand.

"Ahhh," Thelton cried out as he dropped the canteen. It dissolved into thick goo with strands of it still clinging to his singed hand. He clasped his throbbing hand, oppressing the desire to scream. He looked at the puddle of canteen. Had the water really done that? At least he hadn't taken a drink from the deceiving water.

The stream was a strange wonderment to him. It looked clear and inviting, but it seemed to have a deadly acid secret. He wondered how many animals had tried to take a drink and lost their life in doing so. What would happen if he held a rock into it? Curious, he dipped one in and watched as the bottom part instantly disintegrated away.

"This is amazing." He picked up more rocks and chucked a handful into the liquid. They all promptly melted into nothing. Thrilled, he threw sticks in. Those disappeared even faster. He had a small slab of metal in the bottom of his side pack. He put it in the water, and sure enough, it disappeared. Accidently, a few drops of the water splashed his long middle finger and some skin sizzled off. He was too fascinated to be bothered by it.

He tried to think of a method to contain the water. Such liquid could be a powerful thing to have. With that in mind, he played in the acidic water for several hours, tossing in all sorts of things, looking for something that wouldn't melt. Finally he remembered his terrible thirst. He was getting lightheaded, desperately needing a drink. Sadly, he left his new discovery and went to find fresh water.

He searched around until finding another stream. He didn't trust the water. It was an odd feeling, because he had never feared stream water before. To be cautious, he took a rock and held half of it in the water, nothing happened. He then dipped in wood and other things. Finally, he nervously filled his large hands with the chilled liquid and took a little sip. Nothing seemed to burn, in fact, it tasted amazing. He took another drink and another until he bloated, gas pains expanding inside, uncomfortably enlarging his stomach. Regardless, he was happy to have found water.

After his thirst was quenched, his stomach rumbled. He needed to eat. Only minutes after searching, he came across some berries. He ate and ate, but his hunger never satisfied. Although they tasted good, he realized he would have to eat thousands to fill his stomach.

Opening his side pack, Thelton fetched out a slice of salt cured meat, quickly devouring it gone. The salt overpowered his mouth. The meager piece didn't do anything for his hunger, but it made him thirstier as it dried his membranes, his thirst intensified. He went back to the spring of good water and drank so much his stomach ached. After a couple of burps, the pressure released and his hunger returned. What could he eat to satisfy himself? As he searched, he saw a large snake dangling from the trees directly in his path. It was long and very thick. The yellow snake would make an excellent meal. Finally, substances.

With his emerald sword, Thelton slashed the head off the snake. The head dropped and rolled in the dirt. He kicked it into the bushes and without delay, built a fire and roasted the 2.5 meter serpent. The aromatic smoke caused his stomach to scream out in hunger.

"This will be a nice meal to my day," he said taking his first bite. His long hair snuck into his mouth and tangled around his tongue. With blackened fingers, he pulled it out and continued eating. The chewy meat softened in his saliva, and the savory meat satisfied his stomach. It felt good to finally have a full belly. Comfortable and relaxed, he drifted off to sleep. After an uneventful slumber, light penetrated Thelton's eye lids and woke him up, its rays blasting into his dark eyes. He squinted as his pupils adjusted to the brightness. It was too much, too early. He cursed it as he put his arm over his face, not ready to wake. When he couldn't return to sleep, he sat up and looked around. Everything appeared different in the sun's morning light. A serene feeling overpowered him.

It was refreshing to be in the forest and not in the suffocating castle. He took great pleasure in looking at the serene landscape, for it held promise of an adventure. This was where he belonged! He relaxed and enjoyed the morning, resting against a grass mound, breathing in the crisp morning air.

A large cat perched high in a tree above. The feline looked much like a panther, but it had one distinct differences. Along with its slick black coat, it had large curly horns on the top of its head, much like those of a bilberry goat. The cat arched its back as it monitored its prey. It had been days since the cats last meal. Its empty stomach tortured it.

Without any warning, the cat pounced on Thelton, knocking him over. It took its horns and butted Thelton in the side. What was going on? He hadn't had time to process his attacker. Thelton rolled into the fetal position as the cat butted him again, and again. While he took the blows to the kidneys, he worked at removing his emerald sword.

"You think you got me but you don't," he said challenging the cat. Before he could fully remove his sword out of its sheath, the cat sunk its teeth into Thelton's back. The piercing shot electric pain throughout his body, his muscles tightly contracting. For a moment, Thelton couldn't control his hand. It rolled inwards, and he lost his grip on the sword. Thelton led out a loud scream.

The cat tore a mouthful of flesh away as Thelton hands relaxed and he pulled out his sword. He maneuvered it up and behind his back, twisting his body around. He shoved it into the cat's paw. He had hoped to get more than a paw. The cat hissed and backed slightly away. Thelton took the advantage and pushed the cat completely off him, then he jumped up as fast as could, trying to get up before the cat came at him again. The cat backed up and plowed forward, butting Thelton again to the ground. Thelton took his legs and kicked the cat away, preventing it from mounting him.

With the cat momentarily off, Thelton stood up and swiftly swung his swords toward the cat's dangerous head. In defense, the cat ducked while the sword met the horns. It vibrated in Thelton's hand from the impact. The cat backed up again, readying itself to charge at Thelton. This time Thelton was half a second quicker, and when the cat's horns met him, he jumped to the side. As he did, he brought his sword straight down through the cat's neck. The cat shrilled as it crumpled to the ground. Its body jerked, while foam bubbled at its mouth.

Thelton pulled his sword out and rammed it in a few more times to make sure it was dead. Content he was no longer in danger, he got in front of its face and examined it.

"You are a beautiful creature. I have never heard about the likes of you." He rubbed his hands across its smooth coat. "You will make a nice rug for my home. And look at that head; imagine it mounted on my wall." Thelton explored the hefty size paws with its massive sharp claws. He looked at his own his arm. Sure enough, the cat had ripped open several gashes on his skin. Blood spilled out of all of them. His stomach growled, reminding him he hadn't eaten breakfast. He licked his lips as he looked at his next meal. He had never eaten cat before and was anxious to try it.

"It is because of creatures like you, I love this forest." He stood up and stretched his arms high in the air. He let out a few merry sighs while a huge look of gratification filled his face.

Thelton smiled again as he pulled his dagger out and began skinning the cat.

### Chapter 4

Nine years earlier

Emma rubbed the sweat off her sticky brow while the sun rays penetrated her skin. She wondered how much more of the heat she could withstand. Bringing the cow bladder canteen to her mouth, she took a humble sip of water. A little trickle escaped out of the side of her mouth. She must be careful for the bladder had to last the entire day. With dehydration setting in, her body ached for more water, but she carefully conserved. Dropping the bladder, Emma awkwardly reached down and began planting more seeds, the job proving rather difficult because of the roundness of her belly.

Emma straightened up as she felt her back pop. While rubbing her aches she felt a kick inside her colossal belly. The life she was creating moved around again. She watched as the material over her belly rippled, such a sight caused a smile to overtake her frown. Momentarily forgetting the heat, she stroked her baby through her abdomen. Unconsciously, she began singing to it. She could hardly believe any day now she would be a mother.

Looking around her arid field, a tinge of sorrow overcame her. The ground was dry and unforgiving. Here she was nine months pregnant working the field with barely enough water to keep her going. Her head felt dizzy while it pounded and throbbed. How she wished she lived in the village amongst the privileged. Those women never had to work a day in their life. Even the farmer's wives on the outskirts of the village were allowed to take a nine month break when they were creating life and after, a three month break to recover. A whole year off, wouldn't that be the life? It was no wonder those women were pregnant every year. They did whatever it took to stay out of the fields. She did not live amongst the privilege few or the farmers. Emma experienced life as a peasant in the deepest form. There was hardly any money for food. So many nights she went without eating. And as a peasant woman, she worked hard, harder than some of the farmer men. It was the way of life for a peasant.

Moving her long black hair out of her eyes, Emma looked over her shoulder and shuddered. Behind her was the Vegus Forest. The most feared and dreaded place in the kingdom. Everything bad and nasty lived in there: trolls, jaguars, brownies, wolves, fire rats, and dragons. The place was frightful. Her heart dropped the day her husband announced his purchase of their land.

"You'll love it Emma. We will have a chance to be real farmers. Imagine that, real farmers! Never in my life had I dreamed I would own my own land. And now I do. I own it right out. Not one cent of debt on it. It is ours Emma, ours!" John danced up and down as he announced his surprise to his wife. He hoisted her into the air and spun her around. Returning her to the ground, he stared off into his fantasy. Finally John had a purpose in life, he had a trade. He was to farm!

Emma's hands shook as she watched John. They had only been married seven months. It was not the women's place to question her husband, but Emma could not resist, she couldn't ignore the rock of fear plunged deep in the center of her soul. Hesitantly, she began her protest.

"Darling, I am so proud of you. You made our dream come true. However, I do question the location. This land is damned. No farmer has ever had success with it. The land is unfertile and it is only a stone throw from the Vegus Forest. I fear all your hard work will be the spoils of the trolls. If the trolls don't ravage it, than the dragons will destroy it. Must we..."

John's face reddened. This was the first time his wife had defied him. He needed her to learn her place. She would never question him again. John raised his hand to Emma's cheek. The slap stung her heart more than it did her flesh.

"How dare you take my gift and spit upon it. You will learn your place woman. Do you want me to be a beggar all of my life? Where is the dignity in that? Where is your dignity, the wife of a beggar? Where is it? I am giving you a chance. I am giving our future children a chance. You want to take that away from me? You ungrateful wife."

The tears pooled in Emma's eyes. She really didn't mean to confront John, protesting only because the location frightened her to death. The piece of land he had bought was dangerous. Several farmers had been killed by the residents of the Vegus Forest, because of that, the property had stood vacant for years. No one in their right mind would own such an infernal piece of land. Emma would much rather spend the rest of her life making woven baskets to sale on the street than to live so close to the forest.

Despite her fear, Emma never again shared her concern with her husband. She tried to be the dutiful wife and work the field by his side. She got pregnant by him and worked her frail body to exhaustion every day. She hoped after she had the baby he would at least give her a week to recover. She was doubtful he would, but she could wish. Dreams carried her through the hard times, which seemed always upon her.

As Emma was lost in her fantasy of rest, she didn't observe the small figures creep out of the forest. They quickly and silently made their way toward her. With her back to them, she stood smiling in the sun. She dreamed of the Baby Catcher attending her birth. She knew it would never happen; they couldn't afford the Baby Catcher. It would be John with his dirty rough hands pulling the baby out of her body. She shivered at the thought. She returned to her daydream. The Baby Catcher would carefully remove the baby, and gently wrap the bundle in a silk sheet. She would carry the baby over to Emma and rest it at her breast. After the baby was safe she would bring in hot water and give Emma a bath in her bed. There would be lavender peddles in the water. The smell would be relaxing and Emma would...

Suddenly Emma's lungs began to burn, what was happening? She snapped out of her euphoria. Something was wrong, she couldn't breathe. Her lungs began tightening while she coughed and gasped for air. She dropped to her knees while her hands griped her chest. What was that smell? She had never smelt anything so revolting in her life. The deep coughing began again. With haste, her head jerked up. She remembered the tales she had heard about the trolls. They had a smell so powerful it could kill. Emma jerked her head around and looked behind her shoulder. Her whole body stiffened. Fear controlled her. About a kilometer behind her was a group of trolls. Emma's breathing became labored. She began shaking. She didn't know what to do, she felt almost paralyzed. In the back of her mind something screamed, "Run!"

### Chapter 5

Almost a year had passed since Thelton had skinned the black horned cat. He pulled the maroon bilaud over his chest and down the mid length of his trousers. He wrapped the fur surcoat over his tunic and clasped it with a golden broach, the broach bearing the kingdom's coat of arms engraved upon it. As he put on the complicated attire, he thought, "What have I gotten myself into. Stuffy functions are not my thing." He went to great lengths to avoid socializing with people. "Now I am going to be in the center of everything." His head felt dizzy.

When he was dressed, he stood in front of the full length mirror.

"Yes indeed, I do look handsome," he said admiringly. He ran his fingers through his shoulder length hair, flipping his head around while the sandy blond waves bounced with each movement he made. Thelton picked up the cream colored silk hat and placed it on his head while a few locks of hair slipped out the side. He couldn't figure out if he should hide the hair or let it hang out. He had never worn a hat before. He decided not to put too much time into the decision, since everyone already adored him.

He marveled at the reflection of the scar across his face. No one else in the kingdom could say they had an encounter with the trolls and lived to tell about it. The scar added depth to his character. As he did another turn around in front of the mirror, a heavy knock ricocheted off of the thick wooden door.

"Master, it is time," a stately voice announced.

"Go enthrall them, you hero!" Thelton said to his reflection. He picked up his favorite swords and secured them around his waist. His door opened and he was escorted to the balcony of the castle, the king stood there proudly smiling at Thelton.

"It is all for you, my fine boy." The king said grandly. Thelton smiled and bowed. Princess Alashia and her younger sister Princess Stephanie stood to the left side of the king. Stephanie stood wide eyed as she looked down to the courtyard. She couldn't remember ever seeing so many people at the castle before. She knew the guests below were powerful people, but she didn't care. There were always people of status at the castle. Her thoughts shifted to wondering when the fireworks would start. Meanwhile, Alashia stepped forward effulgent and full of life. She watched every move Thelton made, her heart felt like it would explode. He was incredibly handsome, a very select man. She had loved him for most of her life.

The king looked out over his people. He wore a red velvet robe, one that had been passed on for three generations. His heart swelled with pride, pride for his very own dragon slayer, pride for his tribute, and pride for his kingdom. He planned to unleash the biggest party the tri-kingdoms had ever seen. The party was to honor Thelton on his twentieth birthday, the age a boy becomes a man.

Opening with a massive display of fireworks, the show continued for a full hour. Fireworks were a new thing to the kingdoms. Five years ago they had been developed by a wizard overseas. Since their discovery, every time a kingdom wanted to celebrate, they paid good money to obtain fireworks. King Wolfgang proudly purchased the largest amount that had ever been sold in order to properly honor Thelton. The aerial show lighted the sky with a variety of colors, the display almost felt magical to many, bringing joy and fascination into their dull lives.

King Wolfgang leaned over to his daughter and said, "I remember when the King of Cloats had a firework display the previous year, his show had only lasted twenty minutes. Can you imagine the embarrassment on his face as he watches Andleburg's full hour display? Everyone here will know I am the better king!"

Stephanie smiled, proud of her father.

After the brilliant fire show, the duke of Arlisaine announced the entrance of the very special birthday guest.

"Nobel families, influential friends, we welcome you here today to celebrate as a very special boy becomes a man, to celebrate in his twentieth birthday. Of course this boy has been more a man for years than the lot of us. Where would anyone be if it weren't for this rock of our kingdoms? He has protected our lives and our very freedom. He is the reason we can walk the streets and feel safe. He is the reason we have our homes and fields. He is our very lifeline. Let us all give a warm welcome and joyful greeting to The Dragon Slayer, Thelton of Andleburg!"

Although Thelton didn't typically like being the center of attention, he decided to relish the opportunity. He arrogantly walked to the edge of the balcony, his robust frame demanding attention, while six thousands guest gave out a boisterous welcome, he was their hero, his name known amongst every citizen within the tri-kingdom. For some, this was the first time they laid eyes on Thelton. He stood there with a fixed stance and looked over his birthday party, his conceit swelling within his chest.

He knew every person was there to honor him. He raised his hand in the air and the crowd cheered louder. The noise fueled his vanity. He slipped his hands to his sides and withdrew his two swords. He thrust the emerald and golden sword into the air at the same time. The guest went wild. They shouted his name, they cried, they screamed, they loved him. Thelton did a little dance with his swords. He mimed a fight, causing the guests to scream louder in delight. He stood there for a few moments looking into the crowd, for his mind had drawn a blank. He was out of ideas of what to do next. Embarrassed by his sudden awkwardness, he slipped the swords back to his side and sent three kisses into the air and turned his back to the guest. Hastily he ducked into the castle. They loved him!

Later, the king personally escorted Thelton into the throngs of eager guests, many of them impatiently awaiting their turn to touch him, smell him, observe him, and talk to him. Men wanted to brag about their exploits with him, women desired to babble and gawk at him. The mindless chatter people used held no value to Thelton.

He was beyond uncomfortable. "I need to leave," he said to himself all night long. The party was his first large social affair, not counting his dinners with the king, and Thelton felt annoyance grow while he mingled with others. The more they sought after him, the more anxious he became.

"Will this night ever end?" he thought. He hated socializing with lots of people. He thought he could do it, but he was wrong.

As Thelton's discomfort heightened, the king proudly took him over to the gift tables. There were four- three and a half meter long tables piled high with birthday presents; all for Thelton, while next to one of the tables stood; a stone statue of Demietha, the Goddess of Fertility. The statue reached twice the height of Thelton and each curve of her voluminous body had been carved in perfection. Thankfully the sculptor had carefully wrapped grapevines around some of Demietha's more precious body parts. Sitting at the goddess' breast were two baby cherubim.

"That, my fine boy," the king said, slapping Thelton on the back. "That is a personal gift from my very own artisan." The king gazed at the statue for some time. A chuckle roared up from the bottom of his belly. "If I am not mistaken, the artisan has a daughter your age. This very well may be an offer of marriage."

The king's comments made Thelton squeamish. He shifted his eyes away from the statue. "I need to leave," he thought again. He glanced back at the statue. Whatever was he to do with it?

"Look over there, now that is a lovely gift." The king pointed to a round table next to the four long tables. Elegantly displayed on top was a sterling silver tea set. There were two hundred and forty pieces in the shiny collection. "That is a gift from the King of Cloats. Yes, that is a mighty nice gift indeed."

"Indeed," Thelton said. However, he didn't mean it. Two hundred and forty pieces of sterling silver tea set! "Imagine me with that!" He thought in disgust. He hated tea, and besides, he had no friends. Who would he use the tea set with? Or better yet, he wanted to know why he would use it? What was the King of Cloats thinking? What was anyone thinking? He lived a simple life. He was a hunter. He didn't need all those gift. What would he do with them?

Overwhelmed, he wandered away from the birthday gifts. He felt his skin crawl, everything itched on him, the kind of itch that gets under your skin and there is nothing you can do for relief. Although he had loved the attention when the party started, he was beyond weary of the social gathering. Leaving the king and the gift tables, he found his way inside. The change of setting didn't help, more people, but now in a stifling room. He rubbed his tight jaw. Even though the party was planned to run through the weekend, he was done. He had to leave before his head exploded. As he went looking for his escape, the king came up to him and placed his arm around him yet again.

"There you are. I still haven't given you my gift." The king paused to let Thelton's curiosity spike. "My gift to you this night, my fine Thelton, is to dance with my fair daughter. You will not find a beauty more divine than hers."

Thelton's stomach dropped. He hated women.

He hated woman because whenever he went to taverns to get a bite of hot cooked food, he always heard the men tell stories about how their wives had changed their lives. Every man he met talked negatively about marriage and about being tied down to their wife. Even Gremell had warned Thelton to stay away from women. He had told him if he always wanted to be free, he would stay a lone man, a man who didn't succumb to women. Thelton held to the words of those men strongly, for he loved his freedom and he feared a woman would take it away from him. He especially tried to avoid Princess Alashia, for there wasn't a visit he made at the castle where she's wasn't snooping around him. She always had to be near him. He hated her touch, always making him feel weird. He also couldn't stand her whining about one thing or another. She wore layers of clothes and too much makeup. She disgusted him like all women did, but even more because of her persistence in him. Since she was so appealing, he feared she would break him.

Away from the castle, he had stayed clear of the feminine creatures, at times it was hard to do, because he was the most sought out single man in the kingdom. Every mother fantasized about making Thelton her son in law, all believing their daughter would be the one who would capture The Dragon Slayer's heart. He was a legend, and filthy rich. Since the king offered 10,000 Tretos for every dragon he slew, he had more money than any commoner in the kingdom.

Because of the desperate women trying their tricks and games on him, he moved his house often. As soon as a mother found where he lived, she would not let him alone, daily gifts would be left at his door. Suddenly the mother and daughter would take walks three to four times a day in front of his house. Many times a mother would appear at his door in distress, claiming her daughter had twisted an ankle, and would he be kind enough to aid them? When their visits became unbearable, Thelton moved.

He commanded the respect of almost everyone around, everyone that was except for a handful of want-to- be dragon slayers. They despised his greatness, but knew they were no match for his skill. If he could bring down trolls and dragons, he could bring them down, so they left him alone.

The little girls and young women dreamed of Thelton at night. Not only was he their hero, he was devilishly handsome at that. His arms were thick with bulging muscle, and he had a jaw square, tight jaw. His almost black eyes lured people in, locking them in a trance. His features were perfectly aligned. There wasn't a woman around who could resist being pulled into his charm and looks. He was aware of his affect on people and would use it for the small occasions it advantaged him, but then Thelton would quickly move on his way, because he had no interest in being stuck with friends, or a woman, ever!

Back in the ballroom, as the king presented the princess to Thelton, his temperature rose. He noticed her dress was baby blue and puffed up three times her size; however, her shapely figure wore the dress well. He noticed her excessive makeup and thought, "She thinks that stuff makes her look pretty, but I think she looks more like a court jester." Her adornment of gold jewelry was enough to buy a small country. Thelton could feel his head cloud by her overpowering floral perfume.

He had to get out of there. Her perfume was killing him. He tried not to breathe through his nose. His gaze moved to the exit. He really didn't want to dance with the princess. He could feel his heart pound, and his hands became clammy and cold, anxiety spiked under his skin. He never should have accepted the king's invitation to a party. He glanced at the king who eagerly awaited him to dance with his daughter.

Thelton swallowed hard and placed his right hand on the princess' shoulder and his left hand around her mid back. He escorted the princess to the middle of the dance floor and together they danced the Pharle', the princess' favorite dance. She tried to enclose the space between them, but he always kept as much distance as he could. The guests gathered around to watch. The men yawned in boredom, and all the women imagined it was them in Thelton's fantastic arms.

Toward the last three rotations of the Pharle', the king was detained in a security detail, which took him out of the ballroom for several hours. When he returned, he saw his daughter sitting with a smile of ecstasy on her face, her eyes full of lust. He looked around for Thelton, but couldn't see him; thinking he was probably back at the table of gifts inventorying his loot. The king was proud of his tribute. With a smile on his face, he began to make his way outside. Without making it to the door, he became trapped in a conversation with the Duke of Travail. Soon Thelton was forgotten about, while the king made his social and security rounds. It wasn't until later they would discover Thelton's absence.

### Chapter 6

Trevor sat in the king's throne as the next peasant family entered, granting audience to the people of the kingdom, meeting with them once a week. The throne room was grand with its marble pillars and marbled floors. Grand chandeliers cast rainbow prisms on the tile and walls. Usually first appearance was the Ninth Advisor's job, but Trevor had taken full responsibility for it awhile back to have complete control of the news that was brought into the castle.. It was an all day affair as the lines outside the castle swelled with people bringing their grievances to him. By the end of the day, many were turned away, not even having a chance to be heard.

Trevor loved the feeling of sitting in the throne. When he played advocate to the people, he felt all powerful and important. It was almost like a dependency in his system, for he craved that role almost night and day, not being able to think about much else.

"Sir Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor; my name is Peter of Andleburg, and I come to you with the utmost humility. I am from the Whells section of the kingdom, and I come as a spokesman representing all the people there. We are struggling, sir. When the tax was raised to fifty percent, we almost crumbled at such a burden, but we never complained, and we always paid our taxes in a timely manner. We support the crown and we do not wish to complain, but when the taxes were raised to sixty percent of our increase, well sir, it is more than we can handle. Many of my people have had to sell their land. We are poor and we have nothing to eat."

"I am well aware of the unreasonable tax burden you carry. What is the purpose of your visit?" Trevor asked.

"Well," Peter said looking away. "I don't think we can meet such a payment. Why must....why must the taxes be so high?" His voice cracked and his leg violently shook. It was not wise to question taxes, but he felt his people could take no more. Something had to be done, and he was willing to risk his life for the cause.

Unexpectedly, Trevor climbed off the throne and walked down to Peter's side, where he put his arms around the peasant's shoulders. Peter froze, expecting a javelin to be thrust in his heart.

"My heart bleeds for you and your people. It really does. I agree your tax burden it way too high. I have tried multiple times to talk to King Wolfgang about it. I have pleaded for my people, but the king is greedy. I must apologize for the new increase. It really is my fault, for when I last approached the king about lowering the taxes back to twenty five percent, he decided to punish the kingdom by raising it another ten percent. I am sorry. I wouldn't dare speak badly about our king, but he is greedy, and he hurts his people for his own pride. I am sorry."

Shock entered Peter. When Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor came to his side, he had expected to die. To have Trevor sympathize with him and slander the king's name, he had not expected that. It also made him nervous to hear Trevor defame the king's name right there in the king's own throne room. Surely there were ears everywhere in the castle. Peter looked around nervous.

"Listen, I hurt for you. I want the best for my people. I will try every chance I can to get the king to lift your tax burdens, but I must be careful, for I don't want him to raise it on you again. But, while we wait for that time to happen, let me lift your burden slightly. How many people are in the district of Whells?"

"Four hundred and eighty eight."

"Let's say about five hundred then. Let me see. As a token from me, I would like to send you home with five slip coins for each person. Abraham of Andleburg, Eleventh Position Advisor will deliver the coins to you within the week. Let me see, that will be twenty five hundred slip coins. He will help dispute them. I know it isn't much, but it my way of saying I care. Give me time. I will try to change the king's heart." Slip Coins were equivalent to four days of work at the quarry. Some trades could make them quicker, and other trades took almost seven days to earn a Slip Coin.

Peter bawled as he dropped to the ground. Gratitude overwhelmed him. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" he cried. The tax had not been removed, but Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor had cared and listened. He was doing the most he could for him, maybe in time he would do even more!

"Of course. And Peter, please remember it was I, Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor who gave this money to you. This is not from the king, it is from me, and it is to be a secret kept amongst your people." Trevor almost wanted to laugh out loud. He was setting himself up as a hero. The king, although kind hearted, was stupid as could be. Trevor had been manipulating the taxes for some time, and the king had no idea. Trevor had created animosity and disloyalty in the kingdom, all in the king's name. He was laying a foundation of hate for the king, meanwhile, Trevor was setting himself up as caring advisor, one who only had the kingdom's interest in mind. He couldn't suppress the small snicker that snuck out. Thing where working out perfectly for him.

"Oh yes Sir." Peter bawled.

Trevor grabbed Peter's hand and helped pull him off the floor. He gave him a great big hug and said, "Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor wishes the best for you. On your way out, send the next man in."

"We will never forget your kindness," Peter said as he left the throne room.

"That is what I am counting on." Trevor called after him.

...

Four and a half years after Thelton's twentieth birthday, he lay sprawled out on a thick black rug, snoring while drool seeped out of the right corner of his mouth. Several flies skittered around his face; but he was oblivious to their intrusion. Every now and then a muscle would twitch, sending an arm or leg jerking forward.

In his humble one room home, Thelton deeply slept. The home didn't have much to offer. The ceiling hung low causing Thelton to bend his head slightly when inside. The smell was atrocious because he rarely washed his clothes. In the rounded corner his filthy clothes intermixed with his dirty dishes. Hygiene was not a conscious concern to Thelton. He had no furnishings, no decorations, nothing of real monetary value. Just a place to stay dry was all he needed.

By the looks of his home, you would have no idea that he was the wealthiest commoner in the area. He earned excellent money with each dragon he slew. He had secured multiple locations for his money in which only he knew, but if he lost it, he really didn't care. His hunts were not about profit, they were about the sport. They were about his fame. They were about his title. If he ever stopped, then someone else would take his glory, and he wasn't about to let that happen, for he was far too cocky for that.

It was a wonder Thelton protected his title so strongly, since he never used it to form a friendship or social bond. He never courted a girl. He disliked social gatherings. He avoided spending time with people. He was a loner, a hermit. He had little interest in the style of his clothing, as long as they were functional. But for some reason, he valued his position in the tri-kingdom as The Dragon Slayer.

As Thelton slumbered on, there was a loud banging at his door. Startled, he sat up. He took the sleeve of his shirt and wiped the drool on it. His nose felt stuffed, he took the same sleeve and cleared his nose on it.

"Yeah, what do you want?" he growled through his scratchy throat, for it was parched, needing a drink. He rubbed his eyes. It better not be another mother with a maiden in distress.

"Sir Thelton of Andleburg, I am a messenger sent from the King of Candleshaw. I have a message for you," came the voice through the door.

Candleshaw was one of the kingdoms in the tri-kingdoms. He was summoned from them almost yearly. They had their own forest, the Flankton Forest. It wasn't as dangerous as the Vegus Forest, but he also didn't know it as well. He always responded to requests from King Trenton of Candleshaw, being well respected by him. King Trenton relied on Thelton, but he didn't give him tributes like King Wolfgang did. Thelton was paid for the head and that was about as far as their communications went. Thelton liked it that way. At least with Candleshaw, when the job was done, he went home. He wasn't forced to hang around their castle. Maybe King Wolfgang could learn a thing or two from King Trenton.

"Not another dragon," Thelton groaned. "Why don't they leave me alone?" Although he murmured, he was glad for the summons. He had grown idle and bored over the last three weeks, he had nothing to hunt. Thelton scratched his thigh and then opened the door. A warm breeze rushed in and rustled his messy hair. He inhaled the fresh air deeply and then stepped out onto the door way, soaking in a few of the sun's rays.

A young lad in his mid teens stood at Thelton's door. He was dressed in Candleshaw's traditional colors of green and orange. It was a hideous combination. The orange and green sleeves were very large and puffy. The shirt hugged tight against his chest. Everything was made out of wool. The lad sweated profusely every time he was on the king's errand. Everything itched and he tried not to scratch too much in front of his hero, already knowing how foolish he looked. He hated his outfit.

Shaking, the messenger handed the summons over to Thelton. He was thrilled when he learned his message was to be delivered to a legend. Every child in the tri-kingdoms dreamed of rubbing shoulders with the great dragon slayer, and the messenger was the one picked to deliver a message from the king himself. The messenger felt important. Surely Thelton would honor the lad, maybe give him some sort of token for his effort.

Thelton took the summons and tossed it into his house.

"Master, this is a message from the King of Candleshaw. I suggest you read it."

Arrogantly, Thelton brushed pass the messenger and headed to his horse. He flipped his blond hair out of his eyes as he did a walk around, checking that everything was in order on his animal. Satisfied over the horse's condition, he squeezed his fit body passed the messenger and went back into his house.

Meanwhile, the crestfallen messenger continued to stand in the doorway and watch Thelton. His only job was to deliver the summons, but he was dissatisfied. For starters, he could not understand why Thelton wouldn't read it. He was also disheartened because Thelton did not seem to even notice his presence. He had envisioned Thelton conversing with him and inviting him into his home. He had imagined Thelton giving him a token of appreciation. He dreamed of touching Thelton's incredible emerald and golden sword. And lastly, the messenger fantasized about the two of them returning to the kingdom of Candleshaw side by side. Thelton quickly shattered the boy's fantasies.

Ignoring the summons, Thelton gathered his things and slipped past the messenger once more. He walked over to his horse, mounted it, and took off. He hadn't even said a word to the boy. The messenger was left dispirited still standing in the door way.

Thelton made a three and half day journey to the kingdom of Candleshaw. Upon entering the outskirts of the main village, he could see why the king had summoned him. Several of the fields he passed were scorched. There wasn't a barn or house still in place. They all had burned to the ground. An ominous feeling lingered in the air. He rubbed his callused hands together in anticipation. Kicking the sides of the horse, he raced to the castle. His hair blew behind him in the wind.

As the town folk watched Thelton gallop by, a glimmer of hope filled their breasts. Although he could not restore their homes, he could end their persistent nightmare. He was their very own dragon slayer, for he belonged to all.

The king's soldiers hastily met Thelton and escorted him into the castle. Once inside, he was taken directly to the throne. There was a hushed feeling about the room. As soon as he was half way to the throne, the king jumped up and met Thelton. King Trenton never came to anyone, but the dragon had made him desperate. Thelton thought he looked ridiculous in Candleshaw's traditional colors. His sleeves were puffy and orange. He almost looked swallowed up in excessive layers of fabric.

"If I was the king, the first thing I'd do is change their colors. What tyrant would fear a king who looked like a fool?" Thelton thought. He noticed the king's portly belly stretching the orange and green material to the verge of ripping. The buttons looked like they were going to burst off and pop someone in the eye. Thelton laughed as he realized that King Trenton and King Wolfgang both had large stomachs, an effect from the fine food they were lucky enough to always eat.

"There you are. I am sure you saw what the devilish beast has done to my kingdom. He must be stopped before I don't have a kingdom left to rule. He has taken out all of the surrounding farms. Just last night he flew past my fortress and sent my royal stable ablaze. It was too quick, not one horse was saved." The king reached forward and grabbed Thelton's collar. His eyes were bloodshot and wild. "You MUST save my kingdom!"

Thelton didn't react, for he was used to being beckoned in desperation. There was always a dragon destroying a kingdom here or there. He was always their only hope. He loved his role, but wasn't about to let his feelings be shown. His legend was incomparable, and he knew it.

"Dear mighty king of Candleshaw, you will no longer have need to despair. I will rid your kingdom of your beast. Tell your farmers they can rebuild their lands. Your nightmare is over."

The king dropped his arms over Thelton's shoulders and began to sob. He had sat by helplessly over the last week and watched it destroy his kingdom.

"Dear mighty king of Candleshaw, a man whose presence I am not worthy to be in, please tell me the exact location I may find your devil."

The king did not lift his head off of Thelton's thick shoulders. "The dragon is in the very south west corner of the Flankton Forest." The king continued to sob. "My land; my kingdom."

After the king had found composure, Thelton left the castle and rode to the Flankton Forest. The Flankton Forest was as haunting as the Vegus Forest, having many of the same creatures; however, it wasn't nearly the size. Thelton had been on several hunting-trips in it, but he was only familiar with its southern edges.

### Chapter 7

Fourteen and a half years earlier

The Young Thelton looked at the boar he had killed. He was getting better at his skills, for he was killing more animals than were escaping. He had to be good since he lived in the forest alone. If he didn't catch food, then he ate no meat. There was always an abundance of roots and fruit to eat, but his growing body begged him for something fulfilling, his body always craved meat.

As he bent over the boar ready to skin it, his senses were alert, as the young ten year old Thelton squatted there waiting. He knew they were coming, because he could smell them. He had to be quick, for he wasn't going to let them take his dinner. Little twigs broke, leaves rustled, the rodents were trying to escape the stench, a stench so powerful one could hardly breathe around them. The moment of its arrival came and hit Thelton full force. He felt his head become dizzy while his lungs rebelled. Huge coughs waved through his body. He tried to take little breaths, with each one choking down the rancid air. He was ready; the troll was inches from him, hiding in the bushes, waiting to attack, and Thelton knew it was there.

Thelton didn't wait for its strike, rushing toward the bush, he swung a club violently. With a loud war cry, his club slammed into the stocky troll, but it didn't even phase it. Unexpectedly, Thelton felt the rush of the troll jump on his head as it sunk its moldy claws deep into Thelon's left arm. He was trapped, or so the troll falsely believed. Reaching up to his head with his free hand, Thelton grabbed the greasy hair of the Troll, yanking the gruesome creature off with full force. The troll plummeted into a tree.

Thelton was large for his young age. He had spent most of his childhood hunting and gathering and had built a well muscled frame. Sometimes he had latched onto other hunters as mentors, but most of the time he had learned through trial and failure. He was lucky there was only one troll to deal with, because they usually traveled in packs.

"Ahhhhhh," the young Thelton yelled, as the troll returned and sunk his teeth into Thelton's hand.

The affliction sent a shot of adrenalin through him. After he had ripped the toll off his head, the troll turned his attention from Thelton and took hold of the boar that Thelton had recently caught. With the boar in hand, the troll dragged it away.

The young Thelton had to stop him. He took another deep breath of tainted air. The troll's smell was worse than fighting with them. Thelton didn't mind the jousting; after all, he was a hunter. It was kind of fun, like a sport, plus it made him feel grown up to fight the troll by himself. The smell, now that was the real battle. Positioning his club, he swung at the thieving troll. The blow knocked the troll to the ground. The troll feared his defeat and scampered away.

With strained breathing, the young Thelton gathered his wild boar and quickly departed the area. Tiredness racked his body, for he wanted to rest. He dragged the wild boar for three more kilometers, putting distance between him and the troll. The night was almost over. By now, every muscle in his body screamed at him to stop. He knew of a little cave he could rest in. It wasn't the safest place, but it was alright. The intense exhaustion made him willing to take his chances. Thelton dragged his things into the cave and collapsed.

As he fell asleep, he felt proud of himself. Surviving the troll alone, he felt like a man. He was determined one day to be reverenced as the greatest hunter around!

...

Stumbling Emma tried to rise off the ground, her protruding belly threw her off balance and she took a face plant, tiny pebbles cut into her cheeks. She tried to rise again, this time with more success. Once up, she took off in a run. It was a clumsy run, her ankles twisting as she tried to sprint over the uneven levels of ground, dirt crunching under her feet. Her heart beat loudly, the pulsation rang in her ears. Realizing they had been seen, the trolls broke out in a full dash, their element of surprise gone. They had to stop their dinner from getting away. The human was with child and would be a great tribute to the troll king; also, she would be an easy catch.

Emma ran as fast as her bulky body would let her. Every cell in side screamed at the pain of the chase. It didn't help that she couldn't get in full breaths of air, partly because the baby crushed her diaphragm, but mostly because the stench of the trolls overwhelmed her ability to breathe in fresh air. No matter how hard she pushed her legs to move, the trolls gained ground fast. Emma could almost feel their breath on her. Realizing she didn't have a chance, she stooped down the best she could to try to find a rock or a stick, something to defend herself with. There was nothing there because the land had been cleared for seeding.

The trolls pounced on her. She fought the best she could, but tired quickly. She let out a deafening scream as they dragged her toward the Vegus Forest. They weren't going to eat her yet, for she was an offering for the king.

Trolls stood about 1.2 meters tall, almost to the waist of most men. Although they weren't very big, they were feared by almost everyone. Trolls hunted in packs. They were scavengers, willing to eat anything, including humans. They had large noses and ears. Their face looked much like a man, yet with hideous features making them very unpleasant to look at. Their teeth were sharp. Mold grew all over their skin along with patches of coarse hair. They had very pointed claw-like nails on their fingers. Their nails were brown and full of feces and other decaying matter. Whenever their claws tore at someone's' flesh, it would leave a nasty infected wound. From a distance, they could look like children, but their putrid smell gave warning to their presence before they were ever spotted. Their smell was deathly to some creatures, and for humans, it was very hard to breathe when they were around. Their odor would constrict most people's breathing.

Trolls could be found almost anywhere, but they mostly stayed close in or around the forests. There were many clans of trolls, all which had their own king. Sometimes the trolls would kill their prey and eat it on the spot, while other times they would bring live prey back to the king. They communicated in a grunting, nasal sort of language.

...

The young Thelton was asleep in the cave when the stench of trolls aroused him. He looked around the cave to see if they were inside with him. He was alone. Shaking the cloud off his mind, his hands tightened around his club.

"Not again," he cursed. His head throbbed.

He stood guard over the entrance, for he would not let them steal his prize. Slyly he peered out through the trees, trees so thick he had to strain his eyes to see past them. The trolls must have followed him to the cave, but where were they? While his eyes searched, he heard a muffled shriek in the distance. The noise caught his attention, and he turned in time to see a new group of trolls off to his far right, dragging something behind them. The new group of trolls didn't know he was there and they certainly didn't know about his wild boar in the cave with him. Relaxation set in. They must be taking off with some farmer's sheep. As he headed back into the cave, he heard a blood curdling scream. It was not the yelp of an animal, but that of a human.

The young Thelton looked behind him at his safe cave. The trolls didn't know he was there. He was tired from the fight earlier with the lone troll; therefore, he would rather go back and rest. Hungry and tired, he didn't want to get involved. He tried hard to convince himself the human was not his concern. Laying his head on a rock, he attempted to go back to sleep, but all he could think about was the troll's capture. After an hour, and deeply against his own desires, and despite his youth, he decided to rescue the human.

The troll's left a trail of broken twigs, smashed leaves, and smeared slime. The young Thelton ruffled his hair as he continued to follow after them.

"What am I doing?" he questioned himself. He was young and no one had ever put any effort forward to save him, why should he do the same for someone else?

With his great speed, it only took an hour for Thelton to catch up to the trolls. He knew he was close when he began choking on their stench, his burning eyes watered. Through the tears staining his dirty face, he pulled out his bow and arrow, for he was fairly skilled with it. Once he reached them, he charged forward, launching his arrows at the trolls.

He killed two and seriously injured two more before the fifth reached him. He had failed to see it slip behind him with a giant bolder. The troll chucked it at Thelton's head. The crash shocked Thelton, sending him to the ground. His brain went numb and everything darkened. Seeing his advantage, the troll went over to Thelton and sunk his pointy yellow teeth into Thelton's right cheek, pulling away with a mouthful of flesh, blood dripped out of the troll's lips while he prepared to take another bite. As he brought his teeth dangerously close to Thelton's face, something struck the troll cold to the ground.

Behind him, Emma had pulled herself upright, standing with the last ounce of strength she had. Weakly, she dropped the rock she had managed to lift. To her amazement it worked, because the troll remained prone on the musky forest floor. She had knocked it out with her rock. One injured troll came at her, as it did she heaved the same rock at its face, knocking him down, but not out. He stood up mumbling incoherently, and then he and the other injured troll ran off.

With all the trolls dead or gone, Emma collapsed next to the young Thelton. She wished he would wake up. He had saved her life, and she had saved his. With her heart racing, her fear continued, she wanted him to hold her and protect her. He looked very young to have such skills. She wondered how old he was, twelve maybe fourteen? As she cradled her bleeding body, she wanted him to wake up, for she didn't want to die alone.

While wrapping her body around her protector, Emma felt herself drift in and out of consciousness. Her body shook as hyperthermia set in. In her mind she began seeing herself dressed in the tailor's best, looking beautiful and proper. In her vision she pranced around while all the village girls enviously looked at her. Suddenly, a strong contraction brought her back into reality. The pain began at her belly and ricocheted through her entire body. Oh no, the time had come, the baby was coming. Why now? She couldn't have a baby in her condition. No baby should ever be born in the Vegus Forest. She would welcomingly take John's rough hands over the situation she found herself in. Blood dribbled out of her nose as she looked around for a solution.

"Wake up, oh please, wake up," she said trying to shake Thelton. He slept peacefully. She didn't even know if he was alive. "Oh please wake up, I need you."

The howl of a wolf bounced off the trees. It was returned by another, and then another. Goose bumps shot up her arm, while a contraction tightened her belly with intense agony, her breaths labored. This situation seemed to frighten her more than the one with the trolls. She covered her ears, as if that would make the wolves disappear. Thelton mildly snored. She could no longer wait for the child to awake and save her, for she had to get herself somewhere safe. She was having a baby.

Emma crawled along the forest floor until she found a hollow tree. Several bushes grew in front of the hollow, with their long draping leaves, the hollow stayed hidden to any passerby. She worked on shoving her body deep into the back of the hollow, it being a tremendously painful and trying task. The bark tore at her skin as she crawled in. The fit was tight, but at least it concealed her. The contractions again hit her strong and with their intensity; she found no relief from the end of one to the beginning of the next. Within the hour, her body released her baby. Emma barely had the strength to catch the precious bundle.

The baby let out a wail, and Emma began to cry. She could no longer feel her pain because she was overcome with the emotions of a new mom, having given birth to the most beautiful baby girl. At that moment, her joy was blissful, her cares and fears easily forgotten. Smiling, she brought the soft pink bundle to her lips. A kiss was gently placed on the baby's cheek. Next, her fingers traced every curve of her new daughter.

"Hello, Indy," she said. "I am your mommy."

Emma wiggled out of her torn underskirt and wrapped the baby in it. Next, she brought Indy to her breast, the baby eagerly took the nipple and began suckling while a rush of colostrums filled the baby's mouth. Prolactin released inside of Emma and filled her body with relaxing hormones. While the baby ate, Emma rested comfortably in the hollow. Once her eyes closed, Emma happily drifted off to sleep, never to awake again.

Meanwhile, the young Thelton awoke to a pounding headache, one making his entire head throb, while rubbing his temple's he looked around at the carnage of three dead trolls. Panic struck him as he searched for his wild boar, then he remembered he had left it safe in the cave. He tried to recall why he had ever left his prized boar, but he couldn't, his head still suffering from his concussion. His hand rose to his bleeding cheek, it stung where the troll had taken a bite.

The young Thelton looked around as he realized he was in a new part of the forest. Although he really wanted to stay and explore it, there was a dreaded tug in the back of his mind as he remembered his unguarded boar. He didn't have time for leisure, he must return to his things.

### Chapter 8

At age twenty four, Thelton felt like he should have gotten to know the forest better. Leaving his horse on the rim of the trees, Thelton entered the Flankton Forest alone. He hadn't gone very deep when he began to find signs of the dragon. There were broken twigs everywhere. It was impossible for a dragon to pass through the trees without leaving its mark, it was too big. Next to the smashed vegetation, Thelton found piles of fresh dung and a mangled cow. The dragon was very close. As he searched, he found something that baffled him; a dragon's nest.

Thelton went over to it feeling very confused. Dragons never laid their eggs on the outer edges of a forest, for they protected their eggs in the deepest, most secluded of the woods. Never had he seen a nest somewhere vulnerable such as this. The nest didn't belong there. Thelton scratched his head, and ran his fingers through his sandy blond hair, while cautiously approaching the nest. His long arm hairs prickled, something was wrong. Thelton stepped inside the nest, when immediately a giant net covered his body, he was in a trap.

The net accelerated up into the air, hanging high above the ground with Thelton trapped inside the belly of it. It was made up of small metal chains linked together. He thrashed around a bit, only to conclude he was stuck. He stopped fighting and decided to reserve his strength. His captor would have to appear soon, he could wait.

Sooner than Thelton expected, out of the bush a young adult appeared. Cautiously, he circled below the net. He poked a stick into Thelton's rump. A smile spread across the young man's face. He looked almost the same size as Thelton, but a bit more filled out. He had short blond hair and young eyes. He looked scared as he gazed up at Thelton.

"You're him, aren't you? You're him." The young adult's elation rose. "We did it. We did it. We caught the Great Dragon Slayer!" The young adult did a little dance below his catch. Thelton closed his eyes because he did not want to fuel his captor's jubilation by showing any emotion. Thelton figured the young man was close to the same size as himself. He had short hair so blond, it was almost white. He was stockier than Thelton, and his face was round and young looking.

"Father, we did it. Father, come quick, we did it!" He kept yelling for his father. After awhile, a burly fat man appeared.

The man had a stomach so large it looked as if he had swallowed a baby goat. His chin was covered by a long scraggly red beard, and his head was covered by wild, red hair. He had large round freckles all over, as if someone had painted them there. He looked up at Thelton and expelled a boisterous laugh. A semi-toothless grin spread on his rough face. He went over to his son and patted him on the back.

"Well done Sterling, my son, well done."

Sterling looked up at his father; he smiled so wide it looked as if his face would rip. He was very proud of his catch. The man circled Thelton many times; he was surveying his bountiful prize.

"So, you are the 'GREAT DRAGON SLAYER.' You are the man who legends are forged from. You are the one who makes us small time hunters look weak. You are the man who everyman's worth is compared against. You are him. And now I have caught you." The look in the fat man's eyes reflected his evil soul.

"What will we do with him, Father, what will we do?" Sterling asked eagerly.

The man turned to Thelton, his malevolent eyes pierced him. Thelton closed his own eyes, for he didn't want to give them the satisfaction of looking into his soul.

"We might skewer him up and fry him over open flames. Wouldn't that be fun? Or maybe we will take the 'great dragon slayer' and feed him to a dragon. Wouldn't that be a perfect fate for him? The 'great dragon slayer' was eaten by a dragon." The man found his talk hilariously funny and began laughing. His laugh ripped through hm, causing snot to shot out of his mouth. As he continued to laugh, he suddenly lost breathe and began coughing. Violently he coughed and coughed, bulging the veins out of his neck, while his throat and lungs burned, and he couldn't stop coughing. The force overtaking his whole body. Worried, his son ran to his side.

"Father, Father, what is wrong? Please Father, what can I do for you?" The man pushed his son to the dirt floor, while he continued to cough, for he wanted to be left alone.

After a long episode of fierce coughing, the man finally contained it. He hung his head between his knees and caught his breath. He tried to pace his breathing with slow breaths in. Perspiration drenched his shirt. Snot and tears smeared around the dirt on his face. Finally, the man stood up. The experience had changed him. He was no longer as arrogant as he was before. His fragile health reminded him of his immortality and weaknesses.

The hunter became angry that his vulnerability came to light in front of Thelton. He wanted to show The Dragon Slayer his supposed superiority. He wanted to prove to him how he was the better man. His sick lungs had gotten in the way, and now Thelton had seen him on his knees. His pride had been compromised. He took his embarrassment and anger out on Thelton.

"You pathetic fool," he said. "You think you are the greatest man on this earth. You think you own the right to all the dragons, well you are wrong!" The man went to Thelton's face. "Look at me, you pathetic piece of dragon crap. LOOK AT ME!" He yelled. The man expelled a huge yellow greenish snot ball on Thelton's face; it dripped between Thelton's round nose and landed on his lips. Thelton did not respond.

"Never mind you. I guess you showed you are not a man. A man, a hunter, would look his enemy in the face. You choose to cower behind your own eyelids. I thought you might want to see the face of the man who has stolen your legend. That's right, dragon breath, I killed your dragon. You were too slow, too weak to take this dragon down. I did it. The legends are about to change. They will no longer reverence your name. They will hollow my name while yours they will crush in the mud. Flance of Candleshaw. That is the name everyone will be saying. Who is Thelton? No one will remember you."

Sterling calmed down, glad to see his father doing better. Lately, his father seemed to struggle more and more with his breathing. Sterling worried one day he wouldn't recover from a coughing episode. He feared the day.

"Boy, watch our prisoner. I have a gift to fetch."

Sterling brought out his sword, it seemed awkward in his hands as he pointed it at Thelton, staggering back and forth, the weight throwing off his balance. As Flance walked away, he watched his son's display of manhood. He smiled as pride swelled in his chest. His boy was brave, like him.

Thelton heard Flance walk away. He kept his eyes closed for awhile. He had to change his tactics. What was he doing with his eyes closed? Flance was right, that was a coward's stance. Thelton opened them.

Thelton knew he was a mighty hunter, better than the two fools below him. Why was he closing his eyes? That was no way to escape or to show intimidation. Hunter's surveyed their surroundings. He looked around the small alcove of trees. They were thick and heavy, like most of the Flankton Forest. He peered down into Sterling eyes. His intense stare caused shivers to shot up the young man's spine. He did not like Thelton staring at him. There was enmity between them, and Sterling didn't know how to handle it, so he turned his back and placed his attention to his sword.

Thelton watched him. Sterling had a baby face, one looking full of innocence and life. He was a skittish man, and he looked frightened often. Thelton thought Sterling would be his chance to escape. With that in mind, he looked at his own swords still in their sheaths. At that moment, he knew his swords would be of no use if he couldn't get out of the chained trap. Several escape attempts went through his mind. He tried to factor in all of his seen and unseen variables. As he pondered each strategy, he remembered the emerald dagger on his leg. He studied the chain links, and he knew his escape.

Enough time had passed and Sterling had fallen asleep. Meanwhile, Thelton busily worked each link behind his back while using the dagger to separate the seams. It took a great amount of effort and time on each one. The job was steady. After a little over an hour, Flance returned.

Thelton peered down at Flance, his anger flared by what Flance was carrying.

Flance came in the clearing grasping the giant dragon's head. The head had seven horns and was by far the largest head Thelton had ever seen.

The weasel fat man had gotten to his dragon first and stole his prize and glory. Thelton's ego took a hit. He had never met someone who was competition before and he detested it, but this was far worse. His competition held him prisoner.

"Oh yes, you are seeing what you think. I got it, I killed the dragon. Not you. And this dragon is a monster. Can you believe that it had a wing span over nine meters? I'm sure you never in your life caught a dragon this size. I did, and I know that you will always remember it. But, even better, the world will always remember it. You brought home babies, I slew giants."

Thelton glared at Flance and hated him, and not only did the idiotic man trick him and capture him and steal his dragon, everything the man said was true. He had done what Thelton was too late to do. His prize superseded all of Thelton's dragon heads.

Sterling ran to his father's side, he stuck his hand out and placed it on the brown dragon's head. "Can I touch it father, can I touch it?"

Flance chuckled while his son explored the dragon's majestic head. While chuckling, his chest began to tighten. Flance stopped laughing and was able to control his lungs. His coughing attack was suppressed although his face stayed deep red. Warm tears moistened his cheeks as he kept control of his lungs.

Putting the dragon's head directly below Thelton's hanging trap, Flance taunted Thelton. He wanted his prisoner to stare into the eyes of defeat. It didn't take Flance long to weary of his own taunting. He dropped the head on the ground and began scavenging for wood. A fire was built and roaring in no time. He cooked up some dragon meat while he and his son had a delicious feast. Thelton watched their every move as he continued stretching open the links. In their merry state, the father and son did not notice what Thelton was up to behind his back.

"You know something, dragon dung?" Flance yelled up to Thelton. "I used to admire you, like the rest of the fools out there. I even went to attend your twentieth birthday party. It was such a big deal. Almost every farmer in the village put their farm on hold for that special Sunday when we were invited to a carnival in your honor on the castle grounds. Do you understand what it takes for a farmer to shut down their farm? They never do it. But they did that weekend. I'm not a farmer, but I too put my life on hold for the chance to steal a glance of you.

"The glorious day came and on Thursday night we began our journey to the castle. It took us until Sunday to arrive. We were tired, it was a long trip, but it was worth it. To our utter devastation, at the gates, we were met by the guards. They told us to go home. The carnival had been cancelled. You, the guest of honor had ducked away from your own party two nights earlier. The gates were shut and the people were kicked out.

"We heard every dignitary had come to honor you from the tri- kingdoms. Even some of the other kingdoms were represented. They brought you presents and tokens to show their affection. Four kings made their appearance for you. And WHAT DID YOU DO? You left after the first couple of hours of your party. You shamed everyone when you disappeared. You spit upon the kings. You spit upon the dignitaries. You spit upon the peasants and you spit upon my son. That was the day I decided I HATE YOU. I will never allow you to disappoint another person again." Flance stuck the end of a dragon bone in his mouth and began sucking on it.

"Father, are you gone to kill him?" Sterling asked a little worried. He loved and supported his father. He had enjoyed capturing Thelton, but he wasn't sure if he wanted the fallen hero to die.

"I may be a hunter, but I would never take another man's life, even one that deserves it. No boy, I won't kill him." The boy relaxed at his father's words. "But, I don't have to save him, either."

Flance looked up at Thelton, "You don't have to worry, I won't be killing you; however, once you are good and dead, I will return for your sword. I am sure I can fetch a good amount of gold for them."

The conversation grew silent, and all was heard was the popping of the flames. Every now and then an insect would chirp or a wolf would howl in the distance. Smoke filled the forest around them.

The fire smoldered out and the father and son team began to drift to sleep. Thelton decided within an hour he would have created a big enough hole to escape through. While the guards slept, Thelton continued to work.

As he worked into the second hour, he heard the approach of the hellhounds. His skin prickled.

"I hate hellhounds," he thought. They were vicious and very strong as they fought in packs. They were as large as a wild boar, but extremely fierce. There was no glory in killing a hound, relief once they were dead." The Vegus Forest didn't have hellhounds, but Flankton Forest did, many of them.

He looked down at Flance and Sterling, they were still asleep. Thelton quickly stretched the hole apart and jumped out of the net. Flance heard the hounds approach and awoke. He was still groggy when he looked over at the pack of animals. Their teeth were snarling and their eyes piercing, they were almost two arms lengths away. They saw their prey and charged forward. Flance panicked and grabbed several boulders and chucked them at the hounds. It didn't hurt them, only momentarily stunned them.

Sterling awoke upon seeing their predicament. He immediately cried out. Flance threw his body on top of his son to protect him. The alpha male charged toward Flance. It jumped into the air and didn't stop until his teeth pierced into Flance's arm. Flance screamed out in pain. Sterling shrieked out in fear. Soon another hound leapt forward and wrapped its jaw around Flance's leg. A new scream of pain rang out.

Thelton flew forward with his swords ready for action. Two hounds turned around and came at him. With great force, he sliced through the side of each hound. They didn't stop. Thelton coiled his massive arm inward and then slashed again. One hound sunk his teach into Thelton's foot. Thelton took the point of his sword and drove it into the hound's head. The hound shrilled out in agony. The other hound was making its way for Thelton's thick neck. Thelton met it with the golden sword, stabbing it through the hound's neck, striking an artery, blood gushed everywhere. Both hounds fell to the ground. Their bodies jerked as they inched their way toward death.

There were two hounds latched on Flance. His right arm had already been torn off by one, causing Flance to scream in total agony. "My arm, my arm!" He screamed.

Thelton took the emerald sword and pierced one of the hounds side. The other hound released Flance and bit Thelton's calf. Thelton yelled out. It stung. With a sword in both hands, he swung and sliced at each hound until they both lay stiff on the ground. All the hounds were dead.

Flance and Sterling embraced each other. They were both bawling. Flance bawled for the pain of losing his arm, and Sterling bawled out of fear.

"Where's the rest of the dragon?" Thelton asked looking down at the two. His leg throbbed.

"I'm lying here on the ground dying, and you want to..." Flance began coughing. He coughed so hard the blood pulsated out of his wounds with each attack. He gained composure and continued. "All you can think about is stealing my prize?"

"The dragon?" Thelton demanded. "Where is it?"

"Not a chance," Flance replied.

Thelton raised his sword to Flance's neck, while he stared straight into his enemy's eyes. Flance could feel the sharp tip poke into his flesh. The animosity was thick and heavy. "Tell me now," Thelton demanded.

Flance began to cough again. Once settled, he said. "I should have killed you. The dragon is eighty paces to the east."

Thelton sprinted off into the thick of the forest. Flance turned into Sterling and sobbed. "I am so cold, hold me, my boy; share me your warmth."

Sterling snuggled close to his father. He cried with his father, he was afraid. The father and son held onto each other for support.

...

The agony in Thelton's foot, and calve hurt, yet he ignored his pain and kept running. He had to get to the dragon before the trolls did. He was hurting and wasn't up to another battle, for he wanted to get the dragon out of the forest without incident. To his setback, as he got closer, he smelt the pungent odor of the trolls.

Thelton's lungs burned as he took in the stench. "No," he yelled. "Not now." As he continued to run, he ripped off his shirt. He tied it over his mouth and nose. Within moments, he was to the trolls.

There were four trolls atop the dragon's body. They were noisily tearing the animal's flesh to pieces, so enthralled in their gluttony; the trolls didn't notice Thelton approach. With much ease, Thelton sliced the head off a troll. The other three turned and launched their bodies at him. With haste, he took them all down. Never had he killed a group of trolls that quickly, but with his adrenalin pumping, he was fast, for he knew he had little time to spare.

Thelton raced to the dragon and sliced out its bladder and then he turned it into a pouch where he shoved in all the dragon's vital organs. He grabbed only a handful of scales and then ran back to Flance. He had an errand to attend to, taking precedence over collecting the rest of the dragon parts.

At Flance's side, Sterling was crying for his father. His father was not dead, but because of his loss to massive amounts of blood, he was lapsing in and out of consciousness. He looked up astonished to see Thelton return. The boy's fear intensified. His father was about to die and now his enemy had returned to kill him.

Turning his back on the two, Thelton took some twigs and placed them in the fire pit. He stirred them up until they caught flames. He added more twigs to make a blazing fire.

"Save my father," Sterling begged.

Thelton ignored Sterling as he pulled out the dragon's heart, stomach, and scales he had collected. Taking out his dagger, he shredded the heart. This caused most of the blood to drain out. He captured half the blood in a canteen and let the other half seep into the bladder pouch. After adding the scales, he folded the bladder up and then placed his handy work in the flames.

Satisfied, he turned to Flance, whose breathing had gone sporadic and slow. Thelton crouched next to, where he opened his enemy's mouth and dumped the dragon's blood from the canteen down his throat. He waited for several moments then went back to the fire and removed the dragon bladder pouch. Opening it up, he began kneading the hot mixture in his hands. The heat instantly burned blisters into his skin, but he didn't stop. He kneaded the mixture for awhile longer. Taking the concoction over to Flance's open wounds, he used it to dress them. He worked with the stump where the arm had been, there he placed his newly made dragon's elixir on it, and then he treated the other wounds with the elixir. Once Flance had been cared for, he turned to Sterling.

"Do you have any wounds?"

Sterling looked away. He barely uttered no.

Thelton stretched out his muscular body next to the fire and covered his own wounds. He would rest. It had been a long day and night.

It took two days for Flance to be nursed back to health. He was amazed at how quickly his wounds healed over. The dragon elixir was powerful. There was still an immense amount of pain behind the new skin, but no infection.

While Flance was recovering, Thelton had pulled apart some of the chains on the net. He wove a few of them together and with them he shackled Flance's remaining arm down to his feet. With the boy, he tied both arms behind his back and then secured the ankles together, leaving enough room for them to walk. The roles had reversed. They were now the prisoners and he was the guard.

"What are you going to do with us?" Flance asked over and over again. He hated how terribly wrong his plan had gone. Thelton ignored him as he gathered his gear to leave. When he was ready, he stared at Flance for awhile. After about a few minutes of contemplation, he knew his plan.

The second contraption he had made was a surface he could pull his prisoners on. Thelton possessed an impressive amount of strength and was able to carry both prisoners on top of the chain surface, using additional chains to secure Flance and Sterling to the chains on his matt, this made father and son completely trapped. Thelton grabbed the dragon's head and tossed it in the middle of the two.

"What are you going to do with us?" Flance continued to yell. "This really hurts, please release me, I promise I won't run. How can you treat us like this? Are you heartless?"

As if on cue, Sterling held his face to hide his tears. Thelton looked at him in disgust, because he was too old for tears.

Thelton dragged the net with Flance, Sterling, and the dragon head through the forest. It wasn't much different from pulling a dragon. When he got outside the forest, he stopped, his arm muscles burned. Bending over, he lifted the dragon head out. He turned his back to his prisoners and began to walk toward the village.

"You can't leave us here, you barbarian. Save us, let us go. At least let my son free."

Thelton stopped mid tracks. He put the dragon's head down and turned back to his prisoners.

With tartness in his words, he said. "How does your motto go? I'm not going to kill you, but I am not going to rescue you either."

Flance thrashed around, his violent movements only cut the chains deeper into his flesh. Sterling wailed out in sorrow. Thelton wished to ignore their wailing, but he couldn't. Against his wishes, the crying softened Thelton's heart. Thelton returned to his prisoners, reaching down he undid the chains around Sterling.

"Save your daddy," he said as he turned his back to them. He grabbed the dragon's head and walked to the village. Sterling tried to unchain his father.

...

Thelton found his horse close to the walls of the castle. The horse had wandered to a small unburned alfalfa patch. Thelton mounted the horse. With his right hand he guided the beast of labor into the castle grounds, with his left; he held the dragon's head.

As he made his way toward the castle, all who saw him cheered, he had done it, he had ended their nightmare, the dragon's head proved it. Women dropped to their knees and sobbed. Grown men patted each other on the back. Their problems were over, the dragon was dead.

Thelton met the main guards at the castle doors. Unexpectedly, he tossed the head into their arms. The force sent a tall one back on his bottom. When the guards looked up, Thelton had already turned around and was taking off in a gallop.

"Hey, Sir Thelton of Andleburg, the king will wish to see you. Come back sir, come claim your reward."

Thelton's horse carried him out of the kingdom.

### Chapter 9

Fourteen and a half years earlier

A bolt of fire burst across the forest, followed by a rumbling roar. The queen dragon was not in good spirits. As she surveyed her nest, she found only one baby. Three had hatched a few days earlier, or at least she thought it was three. She couldn't quite remember because her mind constantly played tricks on her. There could have been as many as four or even as few as two? She didn't know. Her brain hurt as she tried to figure it out.

The queen took her massive claws and scrapped at the broken egg shells. She couldn't see very well, and it was possible one of the babies could be hidden under the broken shells or under the bed of leaves. She found nothing, still only one baby, with disappointment, she roared again. The lone baby dragon looked up at the queen.

The newly hatched dragon had soft brown skin with spots of green and darker hues of brown. She was forty-six centimeters long, a pretty small beginning for the forest's greatest beast. The baby dragon would spend the next five years growing big and strong. For now, it was small and soft, having no abilities for defense.

Roaring again, the queen dragged her tired body out of the nest. She was very old, over two hundred years. She didn't want to go looking for her lost babies, but she knew if she didn't, they would die. Although she was worn out, she must find them at all costs, she couldn't take the chance of losing them, because one might be the future queen.

With an acute sense of smell, she searched the ground trying to lock onto their scent, hoping it would lead to their location. Not much worked on her decrepit body anymore, except her nose. She had lost most of her sight, and now she was only able to make out shapes. Too bad her ability to smell couldn't help her with her judgment. If dragons could get dementia, she had it, for most of her days she spent in confusion. She was ready to join her ancestors in death, yet she couldn't until she had a progenitor, another female dragon to replace her. In the last two hundred years she hadn't found one worthy of her spot. It couldn't be any dragon; it had to be strong and fierce. Also, it had to develop certain evolutionary functions to nurse and raise young, and until that time came, she would continue laying new eggs every year.

Using her sense of smell, the queen began searching for her lost babies. She smelled around the camp unable able to pick up the scent of any of her babies. Frustrated, she smelt the air and that is when she picked up a small trace of a baby, the smell had carried in on a slight breeze. The queen followed her nose a kilometer away from the camp, because of its strength, she knew her baby was close by. As she searched with her nose and her hands she felt the smoothness of her baby. The small creature was stuck in between two rocks and was already dead. With her poor eye sight the queen saw the outline of her baby and picked up the small body, bringing it to her nose. She tossed it back and forth, the life was already gone. She let out a booming roar sadden by her loss, then she instinctively ate the dead baby.

She was about to turn back to camp when she caught scent of what might be another baby. It was faint but she decided to follow it. The wind was strong and carried the smell from very far away. She followed the smell for several kilometers until she came to the hollow of a tree.

Reaching her hand through the opening, she felt a dead human in the tree, but she could feel something else, something soft and squirming. Snatching the small body she pulled out the little bundle of life. Could it be another one of her babies? With her poor eye sight it was hard for her to tell. Desperate to find her baby and return to the nest, her mind was willing to accept anything as the reality she searched for. The baby felt a bit different and yet very similar to the other babies. It was the right size to be her baby. The queen brought the small baby to her nose, it smelt of milk and blood, her poor vision could sort of see its little body squirm- must be hers. The queen wrapped the baby into her wing and with relief and satisfaction she continued home.

The Queens' thoughts raced excitedly because maybe this would be the dragon who replaced her. In all her hundreds of years of having babies, she had never had one catch a human in its first year of life. As a matter of fact, no dragon had ever captured a prey until after they were weaned. And yet, there she found her baby munching on a human body. Somehow the little dragon had brought down a human. The queen was impressed and would keep a close watch on the baby.

Baby Indy squirmed around, she was wrapped tightly in the wing of a dragon, it was not a comfortable place to be. She protested a little, but the movement of the dragon quickly rocked her to sleep.

Back at the huge nest, the queen placed Indy on top of the long grass and leaves. The other baby dragon came over and sniffed Indy while the queen positioned her body next to them. The baby dragon went over to the queen and began nursing. Soon, five more dragons of various ages joined them in the nest, each latching on to a nipple. The queen let out a fire sigh and fell back to sleep.

Indy lay next to the queen, too helpless to do much. As the queen rolled closer to Indy, a nipple made its way into Indy's mouth. The newborn latched on and the magical milk burst into her mouth.

Dragon's milk held the vital ingredients to the rise of dragons. Although not an attribute to regular reptiles, or even to the rest of the dragon kingdom, it was a mutated feature, showing up every hundred years or so, and when it did, a queen was born. The ability to generate mammary glands and secrete prolactin was one of the defining characteristics of a queen. With the exceptional milk, the young dragons received the growth factors that aided in their progression, helping them mature into strong and powerful animals. Besides sustaining life, the next most important function of the milk was wing growth. The milk had factor thirteen that formed and developed wings. If a dragon didn't nurse for five years, then it would not be able to grow out wings and fly.

With a belly full of milk, Indy fell asleep. When she awoke her eyes moved back and forth, since her eyes hadn't developed fully, there wasn't much for her to look at; however, she did catch the sparkle of the queen's scale and held her attention for a moment until sleep overcame her.

The queen stretched her long body forward. She was spectacular to look at. Her scales glimmered with a translucent shine. The sun would reflect off them and cast rainbows and prisms on the surrounding canopy. Her wing span stretched six meters across, she wasn't the largest dragon in the forest, but she was close. At the tip of each wing was a thirty centimeter long claw, which came in very useful in killing prey. Her wings and the front of her breast was a mixture of descending color starting with sea green and ending in teal. Her coloring changed with the sun or darkened with the shadows. She had two hands with three fingers and an opposable thumb protruding from the edge of her wings, this helped the queen grasp objects and have control, and it also helped each digit was tipped with fifteen centimeter claws. Once she grasped an object, the only way for it to escape was to be torn to shreds. On the bottom of her body were two feet each consisting of three toes apiece, her toe claws equaling the length of her wing claws.

A powerful ensemble of muscle made up the queen. Despite her age, no beast around could match her strength. Her head was her masterpiece, having a very long snout with razor sharp teeth in her mouth, all aligned in rows descending down the back of her throat. The top of her head was adorned in horns and spikes, spikes running the entire length of her seven meter long tale. Like her body, the tail was mostly tight formed muscle and with it she could maneuver almost any object. She was a powerhouse, not one to be messed with.

With her two babies sleeping and a few of her other young as well, the queen left the nest.

...

With the changing of the seasons, the babies grew and the queen readied herself to lay her new eggs. When the time came, she went over to her freshly built labor nest. The year had passed quickly, was it pushing egg time out already? She squatted and began heavily breathing.

To the right of the queen was the dragon's camp. There were seven dragons who still nursed daily, ten young dragons, four adolescent dragons, and six adult dragons who shared the camp. A good number of her other children had already left the safety of the forest and ventured to new lands. Fights broke out daily amongst the dragons, but for the most part they stuck very close to each other and protected one another.

The nesting grounds were hidden deep in the heart of the Vegus Forest, a very dangerous and deadly forest. While many men had tested their bravery in the outskirts of the forest, not many went very deep into the forest. The nest had stayed hidden from man.

The colony of dragons kept the camp going most of the time, the queen occasionally would venture out of her nest, but that was usually to grab something to eat, other than that, she slept most of the time.

While the queen began her labor of the eggs, a few dragons made plans. Even though the queen had been fooled about baby Indy, the other dragons knew better. Indy developed differently than they did, she cried differently than they did, and she moved differently than they did. Everything about her was different. In her dementia state, the queen saw baby Indy as a powerful baby dragon, she was sure Indy would be the next queen. Whenever there was a fight for a nipple, the queen would chase the dragons off until Indy had first pick. If any of the siblings tried to fight with Indy, the queen would quickly snatch them out of the nest and toss them across the camp. It soon became understood that you didn't mess with Indy.

With the queen laying eggs, the other dragons found their chance to rid the nest of the strange intruder. Not only did they feel she didn't belong, they felt jealous of Indy because the queen favored her.

While the queen was heavily laboring out an egg, the midnight dragon made its move. He pounced on Indy and scooped her up in his hands. He began flying higher and higher above the canopy. As he moved northward, a violent blow struck his side, his wing tore, pain overcame it. Looking over at his attacker, he saw the queen. Despite her painful labor of eggs, she was not going to allow the midnight dragon to kill her favorite. She mustered every drop of strength she had to rescue Indy. She knocked the dragon again and tore his other wing. Without the ability to maintain flight, the dragon dropped quickly to the ground. The queen rushed to his side and grabbed Indy out of his grasp. While holding Indy in her right hand, the queen tore apart the midnight dragon in midair. He died within seconds. All the other dragons watched the fight. When she landed, the queen was still panting very heavily; such a maneuver during the middle of her labor was very taxing.

She carried Indy over to a corner of the camp. Indy was screaming in pain as blood ran down her arms, claw marks showed where the midnight dragon had clung to her. The queen coughed up a phlegm salve she spit onto Indy's wounds.

The queen screeched and roared in agony as the last egg popped out. The labor and the fight were too much, causing her body to quickly fall asleep, she slept for three months. The young dragons still had access to her nipples and drank from her while she slumbered, but her neglected eggs became cold, the new life inside them died.

One thing became very clear to all of the other dragons, although Indy was an outsider; she was never to be messed with. She was indeed the queen's favorite and it would be a death sentence to hurt Indy in any way, from that day on, the dragons guarded and protected Indy.

### Chapter 10

Thelton made sure he spent his twenty-fifth birthday alone. His twentieth party had lasted him three lifetimes over. He never wanted another one again.

Peacefully, Thelton roasted a boar over the fire. The musky smell penetrated the area, stroking Thelton's hunger. While he waited for the meat to finish cooking, he rested his head on his arms. Looking up into the sky, he enjoyed the plethora of stars above. Thelton had spent the last week camping in the royal woods. The woods were relatively free from dangerous animals. If one was lucky, they could find deer, boar, turkey, fox, and a few other small game in the forest. The king had taken Thelton on many hunts in his forest, and Thelton knew it well.

While Thelton lazily waited for his boar to finish cooking, he fell asleep. Thelton wasn't sure how long he had been asleep for, but even before he opened his eyes, he knew something was wrong. The smell of boar roasting had been replaced by burning wood. His skin felt hot and painful. When he opened his eyes, he sprang up to his feet. He was surrounded by flames. The forest was on fire, and he wondered if he had caused it, while he slept.

Thelton spun around taking not of his surroundings. He noticed the fire was around his backside, burning and crackling, but it hadn't come from the fire he had built. He could see the flames stretch far behind him. At least he hadn't started it, but the damage he saw already brought him sorrow. Around his fire pit the grass was still damp and untouched. He felt relief for not starting the fire. The fire came from the direction of the castle.

Was the castle in danger? He had to go and help the king, but the wall of fire prevented him. While he thought of his approach, he could hear the fire roar as tree limbs cracked and broke. The stars above were blocked by the thick smoke lingered over the forest. Thelton took a direct breath of smoke and began coughing; the smoke seemed to singe his lungs. The flames ignited the bottom of his trousers. He swatted it out, and then headed toward the southwestern part of the forest.

He couldn't go the southern way, for it would take him a full day to get out of the forest, and then he would be of no use to the kingdom. Thelton tried to up his pace, hoping to shave an hour or two off of his journey. When he was halfway through the forest, he came to the Glowery Lake. It was named after Alashia's great, great, great grandmother. She was a Glowery from overseas. Her betrothal strengthened ties to her kingdom, guaranteeing safety and free trade between the lands for many years to come.

Thelton looked at the lake. He was sooty and hot. The fire had kept an impressive speed, following closely behind him, consuming much as it spread along. He wondered if he had time to take a quick dip to cool off, for the water looked inviting. He wondered if the fire would trap him in. It was probably best to move on, but he was so hot. He walked to the West to get around the lake. Suddenly something in the lake caught his eyes. There was movement from an object very large. He wondered why had hadn't seen it before.

In the middle of the lake, a massive silver dragon stood. It had its colossal wings spread open and was fanning them back and forth. The sun had begun to rise, and the pinks and reds of the sky reflected off of the dragon's scales. It almost looked like the dragon was a mixture of colors, changing and glimmering. The beast was a magnificent sight. Thelton forgot about the fire as he made strategy as to how he would slay the dragon.

Because Thelton's temperature began to rise, he realized the fire was right behind him. Now he needed to get into the lake for protection. Carefully he dropped to the ground and crawled into the edge of the lake. He did not want the dragon to see him. The icy cold water startled him, his skin filled with bumps and numbed. Ignoring the cold, Thelton slowly swam to where he was positioned to the dragon's backside. The dragon was still a good way out in the lake.

He wanted to attack the dragon in the lake, but he needed something to hang onto, for he knew he couldn't tread water. To his great luck, he found a large piece of driftwood in the water. He slowly swam to it and wrapped his right arm around it. With his left arm and legs, he swam toward the dragon. Being very careful, he swam at a slow pace, making as little movement as he could. It took him an hour, but finally he made it directly behind the sleeping dragon.

Being where the dragon couldn't see if it awoke, Thelton submerged beneath the water. He swam to the front of the dragon. He had to be accurate on his approach, because he might only get one chance. Finally, his lungs forced him out of the water. With everything he had, he shot up. He reached forward with both hands and grabbed hold of the dragon's chest. The scales sliced into his hands, causing immediate pain and blood. Because he held a sword in both hands, it made it extra challenging to firmly grasp the dragon. Thelton ignored the pain and reached higher for the next scales. He hoisted his body up the front side of the dragon, using his arms and legs, he pulled himself higher.

The dragon awoke, caught off guard. It had no idea what had clung to it. Startled, it began flailing around, working at removing the unwanted attachment. Huge waves of water rippled around the thrashing dragon. Thelton climbed the chest of the dragon speedily, for he knew at any moment, he might be flung off, or worse, bitten.

A couple of times the dragon descended below the water. Thelton closed his mouth and hung on. It took a great deal of work, but Thelton was strong. The dragon tried to bite at Thelton, but it couldn't reach. Every time the dragon tried to snatch a hold of Thelton, Thelton would slice the dragon's hand with his sword.

With nothing else working, the dragon opened its enormous wing span and set to the sky. By this time, Thelton had reached the position he had hoped for. His task would prove more difficult than he anticipated because of the velocity of the wind. Thelton grabbed a scale tightly with his left hand, and then he reared back with his right hand and thrust his emerald sword into the dragon's heart. The dragon let out a monstrous roar. Fire spewed out of its mouth. The dragon jerked with such force that Thelton lost his grip and fell straight down into the water. A large splashed mushroomed up into the air.

When he emerged, he looked up into the sky and watched as the dragon flew east, flying away with his emerald sword still lodged in its heart.

"No!" Thelton screamed. "I can't believe I failed to kill the dragon." But worse than failing, he hated watching his emerald sword fly away. It was his favorite sword. He still remembered the day the king gave him the sword. King Wolfgang had never seen a dragon slayer with skill matching Thelton. The fact Thelton had brought dragons down on his own at such a young age left the king in total awe. Therefore, he took Thelton under his wing and showered him with many gifts. Thelton's favorite was the emerald sword, followed by the emerald dagger.

The king had the sword custom made for Thelton. The blade was of exceptional sharpness and quality. The handle was inlaid with over fifty emeralds. Thelton believed the sword made him a better hunter. He used it to kill all of his sequential dragons. And there in the lake he stood, barely floating, watching his prized sword fly away.

Disheartened over his lost sword, Thelton struggled to tread water, bobbing under several times, sputtering and gasping as he submerged.

"It's no use, the sword is gone, and the dragon is not coming back." Thelton stopped watching the dragon and worked on swimming. He made it to the edge of the water, but didn't get out, for he couldn't. The whole lake was surrounded by fire.

During his fight with the dragon, he had failed to notice all of the surrounding trees ablaze. Sprawling out in the shallow end of the lake, Thelton's dispirited mind went numb because of the charred trees. He loved nature. Even though the fire didn't burn him, it felt as if it was setting his hope to flames. He had failed at killing the dragon. He had lost his sword. And now, the forest was on the brink of being completely destroyed.

Thelton sadly watched the trees burn for hours until they began to smolder out. He had gotten rather chilly hanging out in the lake. Finally, when he could no longer feel his extremities, he got out on a barren bar of sand. It didn't take long for the heat from the fire to warm him up. He sat there on the sand, mourning over his losses. He was stuck in a stupor. At some point between boredom and remorse, he fell asleep.

Thelton awoke a long time later. The smell of the burnt forest overpowered his nose. He looked around to see if he could see any flames. To the North he did. He looked back toward the direction of the castle grounds. The fire no longer burned in that part. He had to get to the castle and help King Wolfgang.

Despite the darkness of the night, Thelton began his journey. As he walked, he reached into his side pack and brought out some hard crackers. The forest was silent. Thelton could hear himself crunch as he ate.

He had walked a distance when something to his left caught his attention. Several meters away he took note of an immense darkened area. It took much squinting for him to decide if it really was different than the rest of the forest. It was hard to tell with the night so black and the trees dark. Elation carried his thoughts away. Could it be true? Were the fates really that compliant? With great anticipation, Thelton took off in a run toward the vast darkness.

Out of breath, Thelton reached his destination. His zeal peaked when he learned what the dark shape was. He came to the tail first, which was crisp and charred. The beast must have fallen and caught on fire. The rest of the body looked untouched by the flames, but the tail had certainly been cooked. Trees around the grand body had toppled to the ground when the dragon had landed on them. With most of the trees burnt through, they had collapsed easily under its weight.

Thelton still felt overjoyed to have found the dragon. He studied it as he walked toward the heart. He remembered how stunning it had looked in the lake, when life flowed through his vessel. Its silver scales had captured the light of the sunrise, reflecting the pinks and orange from the sky. Now as it lay dead on the ground, the scales had dulled, and they only consumed the darkness around them. He wondered if the scales would again reflect light. As he reached the dragon's heart, he felt powerful. Once again he had killed a dragon. This victory came a little different than most had, but it had still come by Thelton's hands.

Rejoicing in his accomplishment, Thelton reached down and wrapped his hands around his emerald sword. The very touch of the steel rejuvenated his spirits. He reared back and tried to pull the sword out. It didn't budge. He flexed and relaxed his muscles, and then he tried again. With his face turning red, he pulled on the sword. He felt it shift a little in the beast's flesh, but not much. Thelton let go and pumped his arms up and down. He jogged in place, and then readied himself to do it again. Giving it everything he had, he pulled again at the sword.

Without warning, the dragon sprang up. It reached its hands to Thelton and yanked him away from its heart. The surprise scared Thelton. He had been sure the dragon was dead. The dragon lifted Thelton high into the air, and then slammed his body into the unforgiving ground. Thelton felt a rib crack when his body met the ground. His head hit the dirt and bounced up and hit it again. Before Thelton had time to feel the full pain of the assault, the dragon raked its claws from its other hand across Thelton's stomach. Blood oozed everywhere from the long sharp razors.

Although Thelton felt depleted of strength, he took the small amount of energy he could find and pulled out his emerald dagger. He shoved the dagger deep into the dragon's hand. The pain caused the dragon to drop Thelton.

Thelton rolled out from under the dragon. As he jumped up, he flung out his golden sword. The dragon had already forgotten about the pain in its hand, and it began to reach for Thelton again. Thelton swung the golden sword with everything he had, and he sliced off the dragon's right arm.

The dragon was in pain and shot a ball of fire at Thelton. The fire skimmed by his body, close enough to catch Thelton's hair on fire. Thelton dropped to the ground as he tried to extinguish the flames. Meanwhile, the dragon shot up into the sky and flew away.

As Thelton rubbed a massive amount of dirt into his hair, the flames went out. He sat up, his ribs screaming at him in agony. He watched as the dragon again flew away with his beloved sword.

"No, no, no," Thelton yelled. "Not again. And now, not only do you have my sword, you now have my dagger!"

Thelton still had a handful of dirt. He threw it in frustration. A breeze caught the dirt and sent it back into Thelton's eyes.

Thelton dropped to the ground and cursed, his hands madly rubbing at his eyes. He thought finding the dragon had been an omen of good luck, but it had only brought ill fortune. And again, he had failed at capturing the dragon.

...

The sun had risen as Thelton continued to walk through the forest, coming closer to the castle grounds. In less than an hour, he would be there.

"I can't believe most of the trees are burnt. What a shame." He was also aware he walked slower then he usually did, for everything on him ached, and his soul was in turmoil because of the loss of the forest.

He looked forward to being pampered at the castle. "Although I have no gift, and your forest is burned down, will you let me take a bath, dear king?" Thelton rehearsed in his mind what he would say.

Thelton's mind was lost in fantasy when his eyes caught view of something. A sliver of hope crept in. Redemption could be met, but he must first come up with a strategy. Thelton unsheathed his golden sword and as quiet as he could, he tiptoed to the dragon body in front of him. Noiselessly, Thelton made his way to the dragon's heart. Without a second of hesitation, he thrust the golden sword into the dragon's heart, right next to the embedded emerald sword. He pushed the sword in as deep as he could, and then retracted it. Again he shoved it in. The dragon didn't even budge.

"Are you already dead?" he asked. He didn't care if it was. "I won't make the same mistake twice." He said as he stabbed it in the heart three times. "I am sure you are dead this time, but in case, why not one more time." He said as he shoved it again.

Without even wiping it off, Thelton re-sheathed the golden sword. He quickly grabbed his emerald sword, almost afraid somehow he would lose it before he could retrieve it. Twisting it back and forth, he loosened it and then slipped it out of the flesh. Once out of the dragon, Thelton kissed the emerald sword and sheathed it. Satisfaction filled him as he went to the dragon's hand and pulled out his emerald dagger.

As he examined the dagger, he suddenly doubled up in pain. The dagger fell out of his hands while he reached for his chest. Blood still trickled out from where the dragon had torn him there. Most of the laceration had scabbed over, but there were still parts that remained opened and bled. Thelton noticed the area was inflamed, but thankfully none of the wounds looked very deep. He knew he needed to treat his injuries before he did anything else, for he didn't want them to get infected.

When Thelton was able to control some of the pain, he straightened up. He picked up his dagger off the ground. Wiping the dirt off, he rubbed the blade against his pants and then used the dagger to pop off some of the dragon scales. After he had four scales, he went to the dragon's chest and sliced open a good sized hole where he filled up his canteen with dragon's blood.

Thelton took the blood and smeared it around his chest and then he dressed his wounds with the scales. Ripping his shirt into strips of material, he bound the scales to his body. He knew with the blood and scales, he would be fine, his body would quickly heal, for dragon's blood and scales had a healing element to them. With his cuts taken care of, Thelton sat down and leaned into the dragon. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep, for he was drained of all energy. He awoke midday in excruciating pain, the type of pain would debilitate most men, but, Thelton was not like most men. Despite the agony he felt, he got up and busied himself on butchering the dragon.

He spent the rest of the day harvesting the most needed parts of the dragon. He always collected the scales. It was a painstaking task, one that always cut up his hands, but it was worth it. The medicine woman paid him decent for the scales. It was a good idea to be in favor with her, for she was the most powerful sorceress in the land.

He also cut out all the vital organs, those he took to market and sold them to the highest bidder. He wished he could take the dragon meat and sale it, but at the time he had no way to transport it. When he first began killing dragons, he would return with a wagon to collect the body. Without fail, the wild animals of the area would get to it before him. After awhile, Thelton knew it was in vain to return for the meat. So, after he killed a dragon, he wastefully left behind the carcass, but he never left behind the scales or vital organs. And of course the head, he always gave to the king.

...

"My fine boy, it is gone. The forest has blessed my home for generations is gone. Sure, there is still much forest on the other side of the castle ground, but all of the forest to the south is burnt away."

Thelton sat with King Wolfgang in the war room. The king had huge dark circles under his eyes. Distress filled his soul. It would take years to re-grow a forest. In his lifetime, he would not be able to enjoy the new growth.

Although many things throbbed on Thelton, he felt refreshed. He had been welcomed in the castle with open arms, especially since he came with a dragon head. The king had allowed him to bathe and had let him spend the night. One of the rooms in the castle belonged to Thelton; the king had given it to him years ago. The invitation to sleep in it was always open. In fact, the king had offered Thelton to move into the castle. Thelton had quickly turned down the invitation to live there, but on occasion he would spend a night or two.

After his warm bath, Thelton slept for two days, only awaking when meals were brought to him. On the third day, the king had requested to meet him in the war room. Even though he felt like he could sleep for two more days, Thelton had joined the king. When he at first had entered the war room, only Alashia sat there. Thelton rolled his eyes, what was she doing there? He had to hold back his ire, for he despised her.

Alashia sat with a huge smile on her face. Her hair had been styled to perfection. Her gown was a shiny red and crinkled with each move she made. Her perfume stifled the air in the room.

"Hi, Thelton." She said in a sexy voice. Thelton bowed and then stood. He desired to return to his room and come back later when she was gone, but he knew he better be there when the king arrived.

"I heard you had quite the battle between the dragon and the fire." Alashia said, and then winked.

Thelton had not shared the details of the kill with anyone. He didn't want to look weak for almost losing the dragon twice. He had tried to hide his injuries, but the bath man had seen some of them during the bath and had informed the king. Alarmed, the king sent his physician to treat Thelton right before he had bedded down. Thelton tried to resist, saying his dragon scales were adequate, but the king refused to listen. Despite Thelton's protest, the physician was sent in and bound Thelton's wounds and chest, in hopes to set the ribs back in place.

The princess worried about him and had been restless the two days while he slept. Happy to see him looking healthy, she stood up and made her way to Thelton. Not only did she have a beauty surpassing even the flowers, the delicateness of her features made her seem almost perfectly crafted, a treasure to behold, but Thelton was blind to her looks because he refused to let her lure ensnare him. He despised her persistence and wished she would leave him alone, but she didn't. She went to his side, and without even asking, she lifted his shirt.

"Princess, I must decline your intentions." Thelton said in a soprano voice. What in the world was she doing? The king would be walking through the doors any minute. Thelton did not want the king or anyone else to see the princess groping him. Thelton stumbled backwards.

Alashia fluttered her eyes and pouted her lip. "I wanted to see where the dragon had clawed you."

Thelton pulled his shirt down. "It is all bound up, there is nothing to see." She was exasperating.

Alashia stepped into Thelton, her shoulder rubbing against his. She put her face directly in front of his. Everything she did felt seductive, and he was not interested, also, he struggled to breathe because of her overpowering perfume.

"You are so brave to bring down that nasty dragon that burnt down father's forest. So, so brave." She brought her finger up to his cheek bones and traced the scratches on them. Her delicate touch electrified Thelton. He had stopped breathing.

Outside the doors, Thelton could hear the king talking to the guard. Quickly, Thelton bolted away from the princess. He found a chair and stumbled into it. He despised the idea the king would find him alone with Alashia.

The doors flew open and the king, Trevor, and four guards entered. The guards took their places along the walls.

"Alashia, what are you doing here? This is no place for a princess."

"I was seeing if Thelton needed anything."

"Our servants will attend to his needs. Off with you."

"But father, I wanted..."

The king's patience had extinguished days ago. His thoughts were a dark burden he carried. Without compassion, he barked at his daughter. "Guards, take her out NOW!"

It humiliated Alashia to be yelled at in front of Thelton. Without waiting for the guards to further her embarrassment, she ran out of the room. With her gone, Thelton could relax.

The king sat next to Thelton as if nothing had happened.

"My fine boy, it is gone. The forest has blessed my home for generations is gone. Sure, there is still much forest to the other sides, but the northern end is gone."

Thelton didn't know what to say. The king had lost much because of the dragon, but Thelton knew it could be worse; at least his castle was still standing.

"Not only is the forest gone, but the dragon burnt down my armory. And there's more than that. Numerous families in the kingdom had their barns and fields burnt down. There is a rumor that it was more than one dragon. There have been reports of at least three dragons."

"I consider myself to be a just and fair king. I care about my followers. When they have a loss, I have a loss. How can I care for my people when the dragons come in and take everything from us? How can I?"

The king rubbed his head in his hands. His voice choked up. Kings were not supposed to get emotional. It angered him that his feelings were betraying him in front of Thelton. He sat up and slammed the side of the table with his hand. His knuckles stung from the impact, turning red and blue.

"This can't go on!" He yelled. "It can't. We cannot idly sit down why the dragons take our kingdom from us. You are doing your part, Thelton, I know you are. But you must do more than you are doing. You must kill all the dragons. Go to their nest and rid Vegus Forest of the dragons once and for all."

Thelton's temperature rose as the king yelled. What was Wolfgang thinking? Thelton had no idea where the nest was. He had spent most of his life searching for it, but as of yet, he had never found it.

The king sat and thought for a long time. He suddenly jumped up; his eyes looking crazy, a mania surged through him.

"That's it, Thelton, that's it! You will go to the heart of the Vegus Forest to the dragon's nest and kill the queen. Of course, you will kill all of the dragons, but with the queen gone, then no other dragons can be born."

Thelton's hairs stood up. What in the world was the king babbling on about? No one knew where the dragon's nest was, not even Thelton.

The king flew around the room, adrenalin dictating his every move. He seemed delusional. Thelton feared the king's disposition, for he had never seen him like that before. The king carried on with his plans without even pausing to take a breath. Finally, after an hour of ranting, he dropped right next to Thelton's face.

"Are you healed enough to leave tonight?"

As if on cue, Thelton's ribs throbbed. "Leave tonight, and do what my king?"

"Have you not heard a word I said? You are going to slay the dragon queen." The king put his eyes directly on Thelton.

"Uh, well, you see my king; I regret to tell you I don't know where the nest is. I have spent my life searching for it, but as of yet, I have not found it."

"Well, that presents a problem, doesn't it, my fine boy?"

The king walked over to the diorama of his kingdom. He picked up a flag and put it in the middle of the Vegus Forest.

"The queen's nest is in the middle of the forest. Trek to the middle and slay the queen. Thelton, I have done much for you over the years. You owe me this. No, you owe your kingdom this."

Under his armpits, a large amount of perspiration formed. Thelton sniffed at his arms. He usually didn't notice his smell, but since the aromatic bath had washed away his grime, he could now suddenly smell his own stink return.

"Well?" the king asked.

Thelton's momentary distraction had caused him to miss what the king had said. He tried to fake it. "Is that what you think we should do?" Thelton returned the question with a question.

The king's voice elevated. "Of course it is what I think we should do. I need to know I have your full support."

Thelton let out a deep sigh. The king was neurotic. Thelton might be able to find the nest, but he couldn't bring a whole colony down. It was a death sentence.

"I will locate the nest and stake it out. Before I can charge into their camp, I need to know how many dragons I will be dealing with."

"How much time are you asking for?"

Thelton stood up and went over to the diorama. The Vegus Forest spanned half of the table, and it was considerably larger than he had thought. "I am not sure my king, it might take me several weeks to a month to find it, study it, and then return and report."

"Months? Months! My fine boy, we don't have months. What do you expect me to do, sit around and watch the dragons destroy my kingdom why you take a holiday in the forest? Your plan is no good. We must attack, and we must attack NOW!" The king threw his arm over a village on the diorama, the homes toppled over. He turned and faced Thelton, drool was pooling up at the corner of the king's mouth. He looked and acted like a raging lunatic.

"I expect more from you."

If Thelton could buy a few days, then maybe the king would calm down and reality would enter in. Right now he expected the impossible. The king turned back to the diorama. He picked up a handful of wooden knights and with a loud scream, threw them into the miniature forest. The wooden men scattered around and landed in multiple spots. The king seemed to have a revelation, one compelled him forward.

"That's it, that's it. THAT'S IT!" He yelled. "Come here, come quick." The king beckoned to Thelton. Thelton looked questionably at the king, for he was already standing next to him.

"You see in the forest, what do you see?"

"Little brown knights." Thelton replied.

"No, you are wrong. Those are the people of Andleburg. What do you think they are doing?"

What game was the king playing? They were there because the king had lost his temper and had thrown them there. What answer was the king expecting Thelton to give?

The king grew impatient waiting for Thelton to respond. "Those men are looking for the queen's nest. They are the answer. I will have a contest. Peasants love contests, the idea to transform their grueling placement in life for something better. In my contest, I will offer a parcel of land to the man who locates the queen's nest. It may take one man like you a month to find the nest, but with thousands out there, the nest will be found within days."

Thelton stood alert. Had the king really suggested sending in others to do his job? He did not like that one bit. He was the only one who killed the dragons, not other people. He took offense to the king's idea.

"My king, give me the first chance. If I have not found the nest in a week, then maybe you should consider other men to aid in the location."

"Too late, my fine boy, for my plan is brilliant. There will be many men there that the nest will be found soon. Also, they will be motivated by the hope to be the first to find the nest. The reward will propel them faster than you will go. My mind is made up. We will send out the proclamations in the morning."

"Well, my king, then I will have to work harder than the rest. I will leave tonight and have a head start."

"Oh no!" The king said, turning to Thelton. The wildness had not left his eyes. "I cannot send you out. You need to be here at the castle; ready the moment we know the location to the nest. I cannot have you lost out in the forest while your men wait for their leader."

Thelton's stomach twisted up. "What do you mean, my men?"

"Once we know the location of the nest, you will lead forty to fifty men to the dragon camp. Together you will destroy the dragons once and for all."

Panic began to rise inside Thelton. "What do you mean lead the men to the camp? My king, I am a solitary hunter. I do not lead men. I do not go with men. I go alone."

"Do not forget your place, BOY! I am the KING! Without me, you are a nobody. I told you to lead the hunt, and you will lead the hunt. You can't bring the dragons in on your own. Do not worry, though, I will still give you full credit to ridding the kingdom of all dragons. It will be your name echoing through the ages, no one else's."

The king chuckled, and soon the chuckle became a full roar. His laughter had an eerie madness about it. "That is not true," he said as he tried to compose himself. "They will echo our names together, for I am the king who sent out the hunt." The king slapped Thelton on the back. "We will be remembered forever, boy, you and I. Look at me, what king out their shares his glory with another? None. None I say, and yet I will share this with you."

Thelton's head spun as the room began to darken. Quickly he sat down. His breathing increased while his body became cold. He couldn't handle what the king was suggesting. Thelton hated people, hated them. Now the king ordered him to lead a group of men. To Thelton, it almost felt like a death sentence.

The king enthusiastically flew around the room, the whole time talking faster than his mouth could keep up with. He spent two hours devising his plans. The whole time Thelton sunk deeper and deeper into despair. Maybe in the morning the king would wake up refreshed and cancel his wild scheme. Thelton could only hope.

After Thelton left the room, Trevor turned to the king. "May I join The Dragon Slayer on his mission?"

"Now why would you want to do something foolish like that?"

"Well, I have always had a fascination for the Vegus Forest. I would like the chance to see the dragon nest."

"But you are no hunter."

"I don't plan on hunting, really, I want to go as an observer, really."

"I can't imagine something so folly. You might die, and then what would I do without you, for you run this kingdom."

"Aren't you worried The Dragon Slayer might die?"

"No, for he is invincible, but not you."

"I will be fine my holiest king. If you rather I stay, then I will, for I don't want to displease you."

King Wolfgang thought for a moment. "Fine, you may go, but if you die, I will cut your family dry, do you understand."

"Yes my holiest king, you are too kind."

### Chapter 11

Distressed, Thelton stayed in his room for days.

"I hate staying here," he thought. "I want to get out of here. This is the king's home, so what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to walk around like I live here and tell the servants to wait on me? It is so awkward here, everything is awkward. I feel trapped here, trapped like an animal." He spent the first four days in his room, but the lack of stimulation caused him to become very restless in his quarters. The servants brought him any food he wanted and that was the only pleasure he experienced.

On the fifth night, Thelton went stir crazy.

"I must get outside." He snuck out the back of the castle and wandered around the gardens, being outside felt refreshing. He took in deep breathes of fresh air, a breeze blew by, closing his eyes he pretended he was in the Vegus Forest, far from the confinement of the castle.

...

The princess sat at her vanity and admired her image in the mirror. Her long golden hair shined as her maid combed through it. As the princess was preparing for bed, there was a knock on her door. Another maid entered the princess' chambers. She had been out on the princess' errand, and was returning with good news.

"My Princess, he has left his quarters."

Princess Alashia sat up. She had been waiting to catch a glimpse of Thelton since she learned he was staying in the castle. She had fallen in love with him the first time he had come to the castle. She had never removed him from her heart. She shook in anticipation.

"Quick, change me into my nicest night coat."

Her servants scrambled around the room as they gathered all the supplies. Slipping off the princess' pajamas, they adorned her in a silk and lacey one. They reapplied her makeup and fixed her hair. She looked radiant. No man would be able to resist her. Feeling confident and frisky, the princess hurried off to the gardens.

...

Thelton wandered aimlessly around the well manicured grounds. He had little interest for flowers and ornamental brush; it felt good to be outside again.

He wondered how long the king intended to keep him as a prisoner. Did the king really plan to succeed? There was no way he would ever rid the world of dragons. He would be lucky to even find the dragon's nest. Thelton meditated the idea of taking on all the dragons at one, could he take on a whole colony by himself?

He had reached a fountain in the middle of the gardens. There were several statues of mermaids in the middle of the pool as crystal clear water cascaded off of the mystical figures. Moonlight danced on the water's edge. Thelton reached his hand into the pool and cupped the water, bringing it to his face, he splashed himself with it. His face felt refreshed to the shockingly cold water.

"Are you in need of a bath?" He heard a sweet voice say. Thelton looked up. The princess was next to him.

He bowed to show reverence. The princess reached out and grabbed his hand, with it she pulled him up. Just touching him sent her nerves vibrating. He was more handsome than she remembered. His eyes made her melt while her brain became foggy and numb.

"You mustn't bow. You are worthy of the same adoration as I, Sir Thelton of Andleburg." She said in the sexiest voice she could produce. It came out a bit too raspy, for she didn't have experience for luring a man in.

He was uncomfortable when Princess Alashia touched him, and he hated the way she pierced her eyes into his soul. He recognized the lust in them. It was the same look he was bombarded with by women all the time. He knew he was handsome and he believed he had reached hero status.

He tried to retrieve his arm but failed, because the princess kept a strong grasp on his hand. His free hand wisped the hair out of his face which sent another shiver down the princess. Princess Alashia kept her eyes locked on him. Her intense stare made him uneasy.

"Dearest Princess, I would dare not be caught out in the gardens by moonlight with you. Your father might take my head." Thelton tried to pull his arm away again, but she wasn't returning it.

With her other hand, the princess brought her fingers up to his right cheek and traced the ridges of his scar. Thelton's skin prickled beneath her touch.

"Is it true, did a troll really bite you here?" Her finger pushed deeply against the scar. Sweat permeated under Thelton's brow.

Thelton's mind became foggy, barely being able to formulate words, he replied, "yuuh....yes, my Princess, it did."

"I bet you made good work of him." The princess leaned forward and kissed Thelton's scar. It was too much; he ripped his hand out of her grasp.

"It was really nice seeing you. I must retire." Thelton turned his back to the princess. She grabbed his shoulders and spun him around.

"Don't you find me beautiful, Sir Thelton of Andleburg?"

"The most beautiful woman I have seen," he replied not looking into her eyes.

"Then why do you try to run from me?"

He didn't want to play little lover games. He wanted to slip into his room and be left alone. Actually, he would rather leave the castle altogether. Why must the king keep him as a prisoner? The princess ran her hands across Thelton's shoulders. "Your arms are so strong. I bet your arm is bigger than my waist. Do you want to feel my waist?" He began coughing. His eyes dilated. The sound of an owl hooted behind them. He tried to push the princess' hands away, but they returned.

"Look, dear Princess," he swallowed hard to say his next words. "I find you the most desirable woman I have ever met. I am a gentlemen and I will show respect and honor for your name. One way to do that is not to have secret rendezvous with you in the garden by moonlight. I would never want to put you in a position where one might question your virtue."

The princess locked with his eyes again and as she reached forward, she held both of his hands. "I don't worry about rumors, and I am not looking for a gentleman. I know you are not a gentleman, Thelton. You are a warrior, a hunter. You move by instinct and lust. I am giving you permission to lust the most wanted woman in the kingdom. Every man alive would sell their soul to be in your spot right now."

Thelton was used to having women throw themselves at him. He had been encountered by some very bold pursuers. If he had to use force to push a woman away, he would, but he was in a sticky situation. He knew she was the king's daughter, if he hurt her feelings, she might create rumors that would send him to the guillotine. He had to say enough to please her, but not enough to lead her on. He had an idea. "Beautiful, Beautiful Princess. Have you ever heard of lovers hide-n-seek?"

The princess' eyes widened. "No, it does sound intriguing. How do you play it?"

"This is how you play it. One person hides, while the other one seeks. When the seeker finds the hider, they are allowed to do anything of their choosing to the other. Would you like to play?"

The princess jumped up and down and clapped her hands. "Sounds fun."

"Would you like to seek, or would you like to hide?"

The princess thought for a moment, her finger pushed her lips in. "I want you to hide." She said as she put her face directly into his. "And I know what I will do when I find you."

Thelton pointed to the hedge next to them. "You go behind that hedge and count to one hundred. When you have reached a hundred, shout out, ready or not."

As the princess slipped behind the hedge Thelton reached down and grabbed a rock and then, he ran faster than he ever had in his life. He was half way through the gardens when he heard the princess shout out. He stopped for a second and took his slingshot out of his elastic waist. He placed the rock in it and then shot it nine meters behind the princess. Beguiled, she turned to the direction of the noise.

"For a hunter, you are not a very good hider, you are kind of noisy." The princess teased. "I think someone wants to be found." The princess headed toward where she had heard the noise, the opposite direction from Thelton. With the princess on the wrong lead, he ran back to the castle, up the stone stairs, and into his room. He bolted the door behind him and slipped into bed. He breathed heavily.

...

When Thelton awoke the next day, he found a note under his door, He picked it up. The note was bathed in perfume. He choked as the fumes entered his lungs and stung his eyes. As he read the note, he blushed.

Thelton sat on the edge of his bed examining the note. Things were too much; he would go and find the king. He needed to leave at once. He slowly opened the thick mahogany door, the hinges squeaked. He looked up and down the hallway. He had no idea where the princess' room was, but he sure didn't want to run into her.

With the hallway clear, he began to make his way to the throne room. He silently moved along the massive corridors barely admiring the many pictures and armor lining the pathway. The lighting was dim. As he walked, suddenly his eyes were covered by petite hands.

"I know where you are going." The voice said. He immediately recognized it. He had not eluded his admirer.

"You want to find the dragon room, don't you?" The voice sang.

The princess had caught his attention. He had never been to the dragon room. He was curious to see the accumulation of heads he had hunted for the king. He turned around and faced the princess. She looked stunning. Her hair was piled high atop her hair. There was a collection of flowers weaved in and out of her curls along with strings of pearls and beads dangling from her hair. Her makeup was perfect and she wore a stunning velvet evening gown. The sun was barely rising; the princess must have been up for hours to be adorned so.

"I would like to see the dragon room." Thelton said taking the bait.

The princess latched her arm through Thelton's and led the way. During their stroll, she bombarded him with unceasing chatter, yet he didn't hear a word. He feared the king would see him with the Princess. Surely something like that would be frowned upon. He was claustrophobic at the princess' intense interest in him. He decided once he saw the dragon room, then he would leave the castle. It was becoming too much for him

They took many turns through what felt like a never ending labyrinth of halls, finally stopping at a massive black door where the guard kept watch.

"This is Father's greatest room. Not very many people are allowed in. He loves to take other kings and nobility in there, but only with him, and only accompanied by a guard."

Thelton wondered if it was wise to go into the room without the king. "Perhaps, Princess, we should wait for the king. I am sure he would like to join us." Thelton hesitantly turned his back to the door.

The princess kissed Thelton on the cheek. "You are so serious. We will be fine." The princess turned to the guard. "Stand aside," she said.

The guard was troubled. He didn't know if the king would pardon him for letting Princess Alashia in. On the other hand, the king might revoke him for not letting her in. Confused, he stood aside and opened the door.

Excitedly, the princess grabbed Thelton's hand and pulled him into the room. She turned to the guard, "Now, shut the door."

The guard swallowed why his eye twitched. The king always had him accompany anyone in the room. Now, the princess was changing the orders. The guard feared the trouble he had gotten himself into, for he felt trapped between the princess' temper and the chance the king would find out what he had done. On the other hand, with the door closed, no one would see the princess and Thelton in the room. Maybe the guard's weakness would not be discovered. The guard quickly shut the door before anyone walked by.

With the door closed, the princess snuggled into Thelton, her eyes already closed; she braced herself for a kiss. He didn't even see, for he brushed right by her. Mesmerized, he scanned the room. The room was adorned with forty eight dragon heads. Pride squeezed his chest, had he really caught that many dragons? There was more than heads in the room, there were also pictures made from scales. The room was a dream. If Thelton ever decorated his house, he was sure it would look something like the room.

The princess opened her eyes when Thelton had brushed by. She began to pout her lip. Why did he not kiss her? She then saw the reason; Thelton had found his first true love. She let her lip relax when she realized he hadn't resisted kissing her, it was because he was in his realm. She knew she couldn't compete, and she was content to wait and let him take it all in, for she liked the change in his demeanor, he seemed to soften as he explored every detail of the room.

Thelton completely let his guard down. He examined each head, paying particular attention to a purple and green one. He laughed out loud as he pointed to it.

"There it is. That is the first dragon that I ever killed. My, my, I was only fourteen, just a boy. I thought that I was so old. Do you remember Gremell? He wasn't very good. He lost more than he caught. However, he was still the only slayer around. I was an orphan. I met him when I was eleven. He was a legend. I begged him to take me in. I knew I was meant to slay dragons.

"I bugged Gremell until he finally let me tag along, using me as his slave, I didn't mind, because I used that time to watch and learn from the old man. Most of the lessons I learned, I taught myself, because Gremell was very careless, I learned mostly what not to do from him.

"Once we went on a hunt where Gremell had gotten sloppy drunk and fell into a hole. He had hit his head very hard and it did something to him because he didn't wake for several days. While he was in the hole I had to keep vermin and monstrous bugs off of him, there were so many, I couldn't stop them all. Some of the bugs laid eggs in Gremell's skin, they hatched a week later." The princess squirmed at Thelton's story. "Watching Gremell pass out in the hole and having no control over his body or environment, I learned one of my most valuable lessons."

"What was it?"

"I learned not to drink." Thelton said as he took his beefy finger and traced the dragon's face.

"You can't tell me a hunter like you doesn't touch alcohol?"

"Never."

The princess was astonished. Alcohol was what ran the kingdom. It was at every meal, every party, and every social event.

"You are a strange man, Thelton. You are twenty-five, right?"

"That I am."

"You are a man of the woods and you don't drink. But, more odd than that is that you are not married. Why is that?"

The room got hot. Thelton did not choose his words closely, for the next words gave the princess hope. "I guess I haven't met the right woman." Thelton didn't mean what he said he was only trying to quickly dismiss the direction of the conversation. What he would really have liked to said was, "Why would I do that? Women are whiny, needy, and annoying. They are nothing but baggage. I never plan on marrying one." Wisely he didn't say it, for it would not be prudent to anger the princess, especially when he was in a restricted room with her.

Princess Alashia grinned from ear to ear. She knew she was the right woman who he was waiting for. She had a fascinating way of looking at him, which made him uncomfortable. "You have at least loved a woman before?"

"Sorry to disappoint. I am not interested in drinking and women. I like to live alone and do things my way. I am a little unusual compared to the kingdom's standards."

The princess was pleased with Thelton's ethics. She was giddy to know Thelton was saving himself for her as well.

Thelton dashed to another head, eager to change the topic. "That one, that one, I remember that one. It was a baby dragon, probably on its first hunt. I had seen it fly in with the queen. It was the first time that I had ever seen the queen. Wow, was she magnificent. I vowed then that one day I would slay her. The queen flew straight at me, I was unprepared. She knocked her giant head into me and sent me on my rump. To my surprise, she didn't clasp me in her massive claws, but instead she flew out of the way and let her baby come at me.

"So her baby picks me up with its claws. I could have gotten away, but I didn't try because things were working to my strategy. The queen, satisfied at her babies catch, flew back toward the forest. The baby followed slowly behind her mom. The queen had gained a considerable height and distance on her baby. When I was sure the queen was not paying attention, I pulled my sword out and stuck it straight into the belly of the baby dragon. The baby dropped fast and we had hit ground before the queen had even noticed.

"To my luck we were in the swamps. I stabbed the baby a couple more times to make sure it died. Quickly, I buried us under the peat and moss. We were well buried by the time the queen turned back looking for us. I don't think she could smell us because the bog had a strong sulfur stench, it masked our own smell. She soared overhead squawking and searching. She must have loved that baby, because she stayed close by for three days.

"Still hidden in the peat, I had fashioned a breathing hole for me. As I got hungry, I was forced to eat the baby raw, and I drank its blood to quench my thirst."

The princess grimaced as he told his story. The image he was painting made her want to vomit.

"Eventually, the queen gave up and headed back to the forest. Yes, yes, yes, I love that head. I outsmarted the queen and stole her baby from right under her."

Despite the graphic details, as she listened, the princess fell more in love with Thelton. She was glad to see him finally relax around her. When he wore his smile, he became even more desirable. Everything about him thrilled her.

He stopped at a green and red dragon head, a worry line crept across his brow, troubled he said, "This one, I don't recognize this one. I know this head isn't mine. Where did it come from?"

Not paying attention, the princess replied, "Don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Where did it come from?" Thelton's voice elevated as he tensed up. It scared the princess.

She thought for a moment and then said, "Some hunter from Candleshaw."

Thelton slammed his fist into a table, leaving an indent. Where had his pleasant mood gone? The princess began to get apprehensive. "Don't worry, Thelton, he was nowhere as good looking as you."

"Do you remember this hunter's name?"

"I don't know, maybe Lance."

"Flance," Thelton growled under his breath as he slammed the table again, it cracked down the middle.

The princess wrapped her arms around Thelton's shoulders. "Don't worry, dear, he has only brought daddy one dragon head. You are still, and always will be, the greater hunter."

Thelton didn't even hear the princess, he was boiling in anger. Fearfully, the princess decided to try and distract him. She pulled his hand and led him over to the biggest head in the room.

"Tell me about that one," she said.

Thelton looked up the nostrils of the head. "That one," he said. His disposition instantly changed. She had tricked him into letting go of his anger.

Thelton finished going around the room and telling the princess how he had caught each dragon. She had grown tired of his bragging a long time ago. She did enjoy being alone with him, and she enjoyed his passion, therefore she let him talk. While he rambled, she would hold his hand or rub his arm or chest. He was so lost in reliving each tale, that he didn't even notice her embrace.

After Thelton told about the last head, he stood staring at the room.

"Do you want to love me, Thelton?"

Thelton jerked as he looked at the princess. It was if he was realizing for the first time she was even with him. He gasped. It was hard to resist the pull of her flawless beauty.

"Do you want to love me, Thelton?" The princess grabbed his hand and placed it on her shoulders. Thelton immediately tried to pull away but, she held it firm. She stood on her tippy toes and gently placed her lips on his lips, they were soft and wet and locked onto his while her tongue tickled him. Her nerves were on fire.

Thelton jumped back, shocked. He didn't know what to think. He hated and yet loved the experience. Scared, he ran to the giant doors and pounded on them.

"Let me out," he shouted.

The doors swung open. Thelton shot passed the guard and ran to the throne room. He needed to leave.

The princess slowly walked out of the dragon room. If she wasn't lost on her cloud, she might have noticed Thelton had not kissed her back. Instead, she was blind to the world, because being around him gave her a sensational feeling. Maybe he would love her now.

The guard quickly closed the door. He was glad no one had seen Thelton leaving the room. Hopefully, the king would never learn about it.

In the throne room, the king was snoozing when Thelton bolted through the doors. The noise startled the king to consciousness. He wiped the drool off his chin.

"My fine boy, I have not seen you around the castle. I thought with you staying here with me, I would see more of you."

Thelton bowed, and then rose. "To tell you the truth, Dear king, I am not comfortable here. As you can imagine, I am a man of nature. If it pleases you, I would like to wait at my home until we hear word on the queen."

"My fine boy; no can do. This thing is too big. Almost every man from the village is searching for the queen's nest as we speak. We must be ready, boy. For the minute they bring me word to where she is, you are to go out and take her down. I cannot let you leave. You are the most valuable part of the plan."

"My holiest king, I promise once your messenger reaches me at my own home, I will be out quicker than I would from the castle because, I live closer to the forest than you."

The king slammed down his fist on the arm of the throne. "No! You are the key to my plan. And Thelton, don't get mistaken, although you are a legend outside these walls, in here, you are a hunter. I make the rules, not you, and you will never defy me again!"

Thelton was aghast because the king had never treated him so coldly before. He had always had a very open relationship with the king. They talked freely together with very loose boundaries.

It took every bit of Thelton's pride to force his head up and to look the king in the eye. "I am sorry, my Lord."

"Never, Thelton!" The king yelled. "Now leave."

Thelton went back to his room. The whole day had been too much, the seduction of the princess, and now the king's fury. He lied on the bed and fell asleep. Out of boredom, he slept for two days.

...

The room shook to the banging on the outer door. Thelton sat up. He feared to who may be behind it. Was it the princess? Was it the king? Maybe it was the executioner. "Enter," he said as he straightened his hair.

He relaxed when he saw it was only a servant. "Sir Thelton of Andleburg, you are expected to dine with the king tonight. You have two hours to ready yourself." The servant was holding a change of clothes for Thelton. "Would you like me to help you dress, sir?"

Thelton yanked the clothes out of the servant's hands. "Absolutely not, now leave."

"Very good, sir." The servant closed the door behind him.

Thelton looked at the tunic suit he was to wear, scratching his back, he still remembered how itchy and uncomfortable he was at his party when he had to wear clothes from the king.

"Why must wealthy people dress so bad?" He looked down at his own worn out clothes. "Now these are comfortable and the way I like them."

Once dressed, he staggered into the dining room. He had dined there many times with the king. Sometimes there would be distinguished guests, but never more than fifty, and he never had to change his outfit before, because people seemed to love to see him in his 'natural' attire.

He looked around as he walked in, positioned at the table were almost two hundred guests, all of them stood as he entered. He noticed even the kings from the surrounding kingdoms were there. Thelton was the last to arrive.

He really wished he could have arrived to dinner in his own attire. All eyes were on him causing him to feel very awkward; he wondered what was going on. At the head of the table reined the King of Andleburg. Thelton was taken to an empty seat directly to the right side of King Wolfgang.

"Come sit down, my fine boy, come sit down. We have waited for you."

Thelton sat.

"Doesn't he clean up nicely," the king joked. The guests roared in laughter. Thelton grew more uncomfortable, the wool in his tunic severely itched his skin, he was sure he could feel welts form.

"Wolfgang, don't delay this any longer, why are we here?" The King of Candleshaw asked. Only a king could address another king by his given name.

"Good question from you, Trenton. You are all here for a very important reason. Tonight is the night I announce the engagement of my most beautiful daughter, Alashia."

"A bit unorthodox, Wolfgang." King Trenton responded. "I know we talked about Alashia and Jonvalon marrying, but that isn't for a few more years. Why start the engagement this early?"

Prince Jonvalon of Candleshaw wiggled in his seat. He was only fourteen, and he didn't want to marry. He shyly looked over at Princess Alashia. She was so old. He figured she was almost old enough to be his mother, not his wife.

The king roared out in laughter. "Trenton, I am unorthodox, for I have done something without your consent. I do pray you will forgive me in front of all of our guests."

Thelton stretched out in his seat, for it was nice to have the attention off of him, and even better, the princess was engaged. Maybe now she would leave him alone.

King Trenton face turned red, because he had been set up. All the guests eagerly watched to see what his reaction would be.

"Trenton, I fear to tell you Princess Alashia is no longer betrothed to Prince Jonvalon."

The King of Candleshaw's face grew even a deeper red. How dare Wolfgang drop the news on him in front of all the other royals? "If you value peace in your kingdom, Wolfgang, you will not dissolve the betrothal so easily."

King Wolfgang laughed even harder at his little joke. He turned his attention to Prince Jonvalon. "Jonvalon, tell me boy, do you really want to marry a grown woman?"

Prince Jonvalon s face turned pink. He dreaded the thought of marrying Alashia, even if she was lovely.

Thelton bit into his roll and chuckled. The royal acted so strangely. He found their ways pathetic, but he was sure enjoying them as his entertainment.

Jonvalon ducked his head down and shook it no.

"Jonvalon!" King Trenton yelled out.

"Hold your undergarments, Trenton. I still want my daughter to wed Jonvalon, but it won't be Alashia."

Confused, King Trenton calmed down.

"Princess Stephanie, stand up." The king called out. A very innocent princess stood up. Her hair hung by her face in perfect ringlets.

"As you all know, the gods played a joke on me. Not a son born through my loins. We tried and tried, but only daughters. Princess Stephanie is Eight. When Jonvalon is good and ready, he can take his bride with her."

Prince Jonvalon looked up and snuck a glance at Stephanie; she waved at him, all the guests laughed. Stephanie was not shy. Prince Jonvalon was, and he bowed his head again. He liked the idea of marrying her infinitely better than marrying Alashia. Alashia was too old.

"You old curd," King Trenton called out. He left his place at the table and dashed to the king's side. He slapped King Wolfgang on the back.

"You set me up, Wolfgang. You gave us all a laugh." King Trenton hugged King Wolfgang to show there were no hard feelings.

"What do you think, Jonvalon, will Stephanie do?" Jonvalon glided his head up for a second to show a huge grin. The guests laughed again. The kings laughed as they hugged and shook hands. The bond was made and it was a much better arrangement than it had been.

When King Trenton took his seat, he humorously asked. "So is this Jonvalon's and Princess Stephanie's engagement party?"

"No way, not at such tender ages. Besides, we can't have an engagement party for them until Princess Alashia is married."

"The god's have been short on males to all of us." The King of Crenshaw blurted out. His kingdom was three kingdoms over and was not part of the tri-kingdoms, but they were friendly to the tri- kingdoms.

Thelton had quit paying attention to all the drama. Social events bored him. He let his attention be consumed by the fine food in front of him. He had downed his first three courses and was making good work on the fourth. As he shoved some duck into his mouth, his attention was unexpectedly seized by the king.

"The gods have been kind and have sent me the perfect match for Alashia. We have all been blinded to this possibility. We have searched high and low for a prince. Only Jonvalon have we found, no offence Trenton, but we both know it wasn't a very good match."

King Trenton laughed in agreement. Prince Jonvalon even laughed.

"Alashia's groom is not of royal blood or royal lineage."

Many of the guests gasped in shock.

"But when I present him to you, there will not be a one of you who will throw ill will toward this match." The king held silence for several minutes. He let the anticipation build. The queens could hardly control their eagerness to hear the mistake the king was going to present.

"Family, friends, neighbors. I give you Princess Alashia's groom to be..." The princess beamed, because she knew who it was.

The king motioned next to him, "I present to you, Sir Thelton of Andleburg."

In horror, Thelton jerked away from the king, just then the duck got stuck in Thelton's throat. He violently began coughing, had he heard the king right? As he worked on clearing the duck out of his throat, the dinner party all stood and clapped their hands. They agreed and supported the king on his match. The duck lodged deeper, cutting off his air supply. Thelton tried to cough, but nothing happened. The pressure in his head built, his face darkened. He felt the meat was going to rip out of his throat. Its presence hurt badly. He forced everything he had to cough; it worked. A loud explosion burst out of his mouth along with his soggy piece of meat. It flew into the King of Crenshaw's lap. As Thelton cleared his throat, he looked around the table through his tear soaked eyes. Everyone was staring at him.

...

Thelton removed his scratchy clothes and dropped them on the ground. He gazed at himself in the mirror. Everything was spiraling out of control.

"There is no way I am marrying the princess, for marrying her is a death sentence. For starters, she is baggage. Not to forget taking her hand would imprison me to the castle forever. I can't think of a worse fate, for death would be better than that.

"I will run. That is the only answer. I hate it, but if I walk away from the throne, I walk away from the kingdom. I won't be accepted in the kingdom or any of the outlying kingdoms. I will no longer be able to hunt dragons on this side of the earth. If I ran, then I would have to run far away where no one would ever recognize me. I would walk away from my fame, from my lively hood, and from my legend. I would become a nobody in a foreign land. How can I lose everything from one dinner party?"

He was very tempted to leave that night. He knew it was not wise. "I must have time to gather all of my gold," for he had it hidden in several kingdoms. "If I leave now, then it would be too dangerous to return for it."

"Maybe I will gather it over the next few days and hide it in Vegus Forest. Then, when I run, I can easily obtain it." Thelton smiled at his plan. He could make it work. A darkening thought hampered his spirits.

"That won't work because the forest is crawling with common men right now. Dragon crap!"

Thelton had forgotten to bolt the door. The hinges creaked, and he looked up. The princess slipped in. Thelton let out a big sigh, not her again. She was the reason his life was over.

"I bet you were shocked," she said as she placed her hand on his thigh.

"You better believe it." He said as he picked her hand up and threw it off, but it returned.

"Both of our dreams came true tonight. You have me to thank, darling." Thelton watched her balletic movement. He cringed at hearing her call him darling.

"All I can think about was our kiss. I went to father and told him all the reasons we must marry. I even told him you were a virgin."

"Thanks," Thelton sarcastically said.

The princess missed the sarcasm. She slid her body close to his. Thelton had an irascible response, but he held it inside, for it wasn't wise to make a princess cross. She smoothly placed her hand into his. Thelton jumped up fast, hitting his head on the back bed post.

"Dearest bride to be; I still value your virtue and I am going to ask you to leave now."

The princess pouted her lip. It had always got her anything she wanted from her father. It didn't do a thing for Thelton. He pointed toward the door. Firmly he said, "Good night, Princess."

The princess pouted even more as she slowly walked by him. He was the only person she had ever met she didn't have power over. She would change that, for she knew her features where exquisite, pleasurable to behold, and everyman desired her. She didn't doubt she could sway him her way. She blew him a kiss as she walked out the door, it banging closed behind her.

He was flustered, "I need to get out," he thought. Foolishly, he again forgot to bolt his door. He climbed into his covers and drifted asleep. Half way through his slumber, a figure slipped into his room. It stood by Thelton, breathing very heavily. Thelton awoke to its presence, but because of the darkness of the room, he couldn't see who it was.

"What do I have to do to get rid of you? Leave my room NOW!"

"Is that any way you talk to your future father?"

"The king," Thelton gasped, as he sat up. "I am so sorry. I must have been dreaming."

"I will forgive you in lieu of my good news. A rider came in the castle tonight. They have located the queen's nest. They saw the queen her very self. How long do you need to gear up?"

"If I can have until midday tomorrow, your Gracious, I will be fully ready."

"Good, good. How about a hunting party, how many men do you need?"

"I work alone."

The king's voice rose, "Don't be cocky, my fine boy. They reported over fifty dragons with her. You may be the best, but you're not that good."

"I promise I can still get her, and I will do it alone."

"I want more than her!" The king yelled. "I want every dragon dead. I want every egg seized. We are exterminating the forest."

Thelton groaned, for he wasn't a people person. He despised people and he hated working with them. Everyone had their own ideas. Everyone wanted it their way. Everyone wanted the credit. Thelton hated people.

"I insist the man who found the nest goes with you. I personally know him and he is an exceptional hunter. Plus, I would like at least forty other men with you."

"Forty?"

"Yes. And don't worry, my fine boy, I will not let them steal your thunder. This is your expedition, and you will get ALL the credit."

The king patted Thelton on the back. "I have faith in you, my new son. Go do well, and your bride will be here waiting for you when you get back. That does give you something to return to." The king winked.

"It sure does," Thelton said.

The king stood up, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, a proclamation goes out tomorrow to the three kingdoms. It will be announcing yours and Alashia's engagement.

"Fabulous," Thelton replied. His fists balled up.

Before the sun rose, Thelton had left the castle to collect his gear. His first stop would be the medicine woman.

Meanwhile, the village was crawling with messengers. They were putting flyers on every house to announce the engagement of Princess Alashia and Sir Thelton of Andleburg. The wedding would be two weeks after the forest was rid of the dragons. Indeed, the two events would collaborate for the largest celebration the kingdom had ever seen.

...

Flance of Candleshaw sat in the King of Andleburg's courtyard and stared at the yellow proclamation, feeling rather disgusted, he wrinkled it up and spat on it.

"What does it say, father?" Sterling asked. He scratched his head, and ran his fingers through his shortened hair. He missed it, for it had been shaven off awhile back when he had gotten lice.

Flance glared at his son who had grown into a man. "You failed me boy, you failed me. If you hadn't let The Dragon Slayer getaway, this would be my wedding announcement. It would be me marrying the princess, not the enemy. I would be the Great Dragon Hunter, reverenced by all the kings and every villager. It is your fault, my boy."

### Chapter 12

It was still very dark outside when Thelton knocked on the knobby pine door. He heard a croaky voice respond to his intrusion.

"Who raises me out of my slumber at such a forbidden hour? I have only now chanced to come upon sleep." The voice murmured from inside the cottage. "If you dare face my wrath, then enter. Otherwise, leave and let me continue my slumber."

Thelton slid his hand over the knobs and uneven slabs of lumber, looking for the familiar ridged hole. The door was uneven pieces of pine, looking like it had been stuck together by a child. There was no door handle; such a thing would suggest all were welcome to enter. No, the medicine woman was too private for that.

Thelton felt around until his finger dipped into the ridged hole on the door. He pressed his finger inward, it unlatched the hinge and with an ear piercing creak, the door fell open. The medicine woman glared at the intruder. Because of her poor eyesight, she could not see who had entered.

Her anger boiled inside, "How dare anyone enter unannounced," she mumbled.

Thelton walked into the main room of the small cottage while the smell of cumin, hemlock, and mildew danced on his nose. The cottage was dark. While he stood at audience for the medicine woman, the door behind him closed. He did not turn to look at it, but stood facing the back of the room. He knew she would be there, in her tattered straw bed.

The eerie silence was broken by a cackle and whoop of delight from the shadows in the back. While Thelton's eyes continued to adjust, he felt the force of a figure thrown upon him. An ear piercing squeal accompanied the assault.

"My child, you have come and remembered an old lady. I so have missed you." The medicine woman wrapped her bony arms around Thelton's waist while plastering his face with wet sloppy kisses. Her breath reeked of rotten boar. Thelton was the only person in the world who could call upon her without an invitation. He choked on her stench while pushing her away.

Shapes began to transform into images as his vision finished acclimating. The medicine woman looked two hundred years old. Her eyes were squished tight with little slits. Her face was prominently wrinkled, with a big nose crinkled in the middle. Her ears were almost the length of her face with wild little hairs escaping from their openings. Each time her mouth opened, a vapor of stink escaped, showing her bare mouth with only four pointed rotten teeth left. Thelton was sure it was her elixirs keeping her alive so long, for she looked like death. Her clothes were tattered and dirty, and everything about her made Thelton uncomfortable. His visits were always to give her dragon scales or other dragon parts, and he tried really hard to keep them short. She was in his debt for she needed the things he had to sale. This time was the first time he came looking for a favor from her. Thelton gazed around the small cottage. It was cluttered and every corner was stuffed with her collection of weeds, grasses, bark, powders, cloths, and many other items.

"Oh Thelton, you are so late. I was called upon by the Duke of Frantro. I hate the guy, but he had a devious plan for which he needed my help. I only agreed because I liked the chaos he was planning. When I went to mix his position, I was embarrassed, for there were no dragon scales left. I tell you, I would have so liked to have helped, not for the spineless little man, but for his plan, it would have caused great destruction. Hurry, my love, give me your scales."

The medicine women greedily held out her arthritic, twisted hands. The skin was pulled tightly on them, looking like they would tear open. She was drooling and shaking at anticipation. She depended on Thelton.

Thelton slightly bowed, "I am sorry. I am not here to sell anything toady."

"What?" the medicine woman loudly screeched, hurting Thelton's ears. His hands instantly covered them to block off her shrillness. "How must I make my medicines if you have nothing to give me?" The medicine woman began running around her cottage in a fury while her flailing arms knocked clay pots off the shelves.

Thelton grabbed her and steadied her.

"I didn't mean to disappoint. The king has held me in the castle for some time, because of that I have not had a chance to hunt. But my Lady, I go on the biggest hunt today, and for this time I will clear the forest of all dragons. If I meet success, I will have over fifty dragons worth of scales to bring to you."

The medicine women stood still, panting heavily. "Fifty dragons you say? That would be enough scales to see me through many moons."

"Yes."

"So, why are you here?"

"I need your help."

The medicine woman's heart leapt, because never had Thelton needed her for anything. Her blood began to warm her cold extremities. Her clammy hands captured Thelon's.

"What may I do for you?" she asked with pride.

"Two things. First, I need something to help me bring them down. I will need powerful magic if I am to succeed."

The medicine woman began laughing hysterically. She released Thelton and fell to the ground with uncontrollable laughter. "You are looking to cheat. The Great Dragon slayer is going to cheat." She continued laughing.

Thelton did feel a little sheepish about his plan. Nonetheless; he really didn't want to take any chances. Without any defense, he stood there and endured her ridicule. The cottage was humid and muggy. He struggled to breathe. He hoped she would settle down and help him soon, because he was beyond ready to leave.

When the medicine woman found composure, she asked. "And the second thing is?"

"I have a dilemma. The king is insisting I take forty men with me. I do not hunt with others. I need a diversion to rid myself of their presence. Any ideas?"

The medicine woman became extremely serious. "Oh, I have the thing. Luckily for you, it doesn't require dragon scales to make."

The medicine woman ran to a pile of dried weeds and began madly rummaging through them. Little pieces of stalk dropped all around her because she was not very delicate. Thelton stood watching. She turned to him and grabbed his hand.

"You sound to have a busy day. Come; rest on my bed while I make your order." She dragged Thelton over to the crumpled pile of bedding in the back of the cottage. As they approached it, a rat dived behind the bedding. Fleas were jumping around on the bed and there was rotten food crumbled all over it. He cringed at the thought of touching such a disgusting piece of furniture.

"I decline," he said.

"Nonsense, you need your strength." The medicine woman shoved a bitter film in his mouth, instantly it dissolved.

"What was that?" he demanded. Thelton's mouth burned at the thought that she had slipped something in. He spit all over her floor in attempts to rid his mouth of her unwanted gift.

"Don't worry, dear, it is merely a sleeping agent. It'll give you robustness for your hunt. I am like the king. I want those dragons, and for that, you must be well rested and strong."

Thelton's vision went hazy. He quickly lost consciousness. Despite the medicine woman's small frame, she was able to lower him to the bed. She returned to her dry weeds while Thelton slept. A piece of yellow paper slid under her door.

When Thelton awoke, it looked as if the princess was sitting on the corner of the bed. He sat up in a hurry, he was confused.

"Princess Alashia?" he asked.

"I can be," she replied. Thelton scanned the room to gather his bearings. It all came back to him, remembering he was at the medicine woman's cottage. Her now soft hands ran up his arm.

"There is no way you are the princess. Who are you?"

"I am whoever you want me to be."

Thelton suddenly caught on, he knew who it was. "You are the medicine woman, but why did you make yourself look like the princess?"

The beautiful girl stuck her lip in a pout as she handed him the king's proclamation.

"Thelton, I will be whoever you want me to be. But, it looks here like the princess is your type." Thelton looked at the king's proclamation announcing the marriage of his daughter to Thelton.

"Listen, I am a lone man. I travel alone. I will never marry the princess, of course I won't be telling the king yet. You can undo your ridiculous spell because I assure you, she is not my type."

"What is your type, my lovely? I am old and ready to settle down. Can you believe I too have never married? I'm changing in my old age. I am getting lonely. I will be whoever you want me to be." Her attempts of affection made Thelton physically sick.

He put his hands on the medicine woman's shoulders. "I want you to be you. I will call on you and make visits, but I will never settle down with a woman. Not even a beautiful medicine woman in her own natural beauty." Thelton winked at the medicine woman, he knew how to play people when he wanted to.

"Oh well, it was worth a shot. After you kill those fifty dragons, I might put a spell on you to change your mind."

"All right," Thelton said. "We shall see. I must be off now. Do you have the potions ready?"

...

A small army of men gathered in front of the castle. Many of them were farmers, but most of them were peasants. The king had chosen commoners because he felt they were expendable. If something happened to them, it wouldn't be detrimental to the kingdom. At first he had thought about using his soldiers, but he felt their services were better used to guard the kingdom, and besides, his army of soldiers was small since he had always reigned in peace. They were costly to maintain and if something happened to them, he would have to put out more money to train more soldiers. He felt confident Thelton would be safe, because in his eyes, Thelton was invincible. He was well skilled and he would lead the men to success! As the men waited for the king's orders, their excitement elevated. Never before had they had a chance to serve the crown. Now was the time to prove their abilities. They were about to make history. Their anticipation peaked as the king walked out on his balcony. The men quieted and turned and bowed. With his permission, they arose and awaited their leader.

"Thank you fine men for assembling on such short, and yet, very urgent notice. Today is a monumental day, one that will be recorded in the history books. Today we rid our kingdom of dragons! No more will farmers watch those beasts destroy their livelihood. No longer will our animals be carried away. We end it today!"

The crowd cheered in acceptance while their adrenaline surged and elation rose. The king was stroking their already burning internal flames. They were up to the king's task.

"As you go off into battle, I have secured the finest leader alive; Sir Thelton of Andleburg. I expect you to follow him and obey his every command. He is the best."

The men cheered. Most of them revered Thelton. He had been an icon in the kingdom for several years now. Each man there had their own agenda. They saw themselves getting on first name basis with the hero. They would toast a flask of ale with him. Jokes would be shared. Here was their chance to work side by side with the legendary dragon slayer. It was happening. It was real.

Thelton walked out onto the balcony and took his place on the right side of the king. The men went wild with excitement while Thelton basked in the praise. He liked the honor; however, he looked at the men with a sour taste in his mouth. He had no desire to work with them.

"As Sir Thelton leads you, there is another great person who will guide you. I want you to meet the man who accepted the king's challenge and found the queen dragon. Without him, there would be no hunt. Flance of Candleshaw, step forward." The men parted below the balcony and Flance took a few steps through the crowd and bowed to the king. When he arose, he glared up at Thelton.

"I have one final man to offer for your hunt. Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor. He comes to represent me. You will watch over him at all costs, for we cannot afford to lose him as a kingdom." The men cheered heartily when Trevor walked out with the king. Most of the kingdom had heard about Trevor's kind heart. They were all convinced his utmost intentions were to serve the people.

"Thelton will lead, Flance will guide, and Trevor will advise. Good luck men." The king turned and went into the castle. Thelton scowled back down at Flance, what was he doing alive? Things got complicated.

### Chapter 13

The hunting party had everything in order; there were three wagons filled with food, weapons, tools, bedding, tarps, and clothing. The morning air was still chilly and the wind rushed through all layers. The men wiggled a bit as they waited to begin the expedition. Despite the brisk air, they had the thrill of the hunt to keep them from freezing. They waited for Thelton to join them and give them orders. While they lingered in miserable frigid conditions, Thelton seemed to be taking his time in the castle. The men grew anxious and annoyed. They were cold and ready to get started. Flance saw this as his chance to ditch Thelton and rule the men.

"Fine men; how noble of you to leave family and friends and be on the king's errand. I and I alone know the way to the dragon queen. I say we proceed and serve our king."

"We must wait for The Dragon Slayer," a man yelled out.

Flance put his left hand on his son's shoulder. "Aw, it sounds like a good idea, but where is Thelton? While we are outside freezing he is in the castle eating with the king, drinking ale, and staying warm, not once caring about the fact we are out here getting frost bite while he is inside peeling off layers of clothes. He has no regard for us. I have personally met him and he did that to my arm." Flance pointed at his missing right arm. "Yes, your hero took my arm from me. He is not one of us. Thelton is not the hero you think. He is conceited, arrogant, and he doesn't care about any of you. He will use you and spit you out. The king has appointed me as a leader as well. Let us start now, forget Thelton. I will lead you to battle." In his excitement, Flance inhaled the frosty air. It penetrated his lungs and sent him into a coughing fit. The men stood by, unmoved by his inability to breath, they began turning their backs to him. His son looked up at his father in fear.

Although Flance had the respect of the men, they didn't know or trust him. He wasn't even from their kingdom, he was from Candleshaw. They were unsure of his true motives. Thelton was their own and always had been. Their alliance remained firm with him.

When his coughing stopped, Flance raised his sword in the air and began walking to the direction of the Vegus Forest. The men parted out of his way. Flance took a few steps but could sense he was alone. He turned and faced the men, not one had followed him.

"Brave men, why do you not follow? Do you not know I have slain several dragons? I am a warrior fit to lead. You heard the king recommended me for the task. Let us begin."

"Ahh, shut up," someone yelled.

"Dear men," he tried again. A half eaten apple flew out of the crowd and hit Flance on the side of the head. His face reddened as his blood boiled. He was not winning the men over. He decided to shut up. He didn't want to drive them away. He would be quiet for now. As they traveled, he would use whatever measure he could in order to win the men away. He had a few ideas in his wagon.

As the sun broke through the horizon, the air began to warm. The men's breath was still visible, but at least they could feel the sun's rays on their skin. Their extremities began to thaw and tingle. A few birds awoke and could be heard in the trees. Finally, Thelton walked out amongst the men. They all gathered around, waiting to hear a victory rally. Instead, they received nothing; Thelton didn't even look at a one of them. He stared forward, passed them and began to walk away from the castle. The men grabbed their things and fell behind.

Alone, Thelton could make it to the Vegus forest from the castle in a full day. As he walked, he could feel the men dragging him down. His anger built. He was not going to spend idle time waiting for them. He was resentful to be stuck with them. They weren't going to be helpful. Already they were slowing him down and getting in his way.

He didn't look behind to keep an eye on them, for he kept trekking along. The more he walked, the more he could sense some were falling behind. When he had a quarter of the journey to the forest left, he felt someone yank his shoulder. Thelton swung around in anger.

"What?" he barked.

"Sir, it is an honor. My name is Freelone, please sir, the men are tired and need a rest. Food for the belly would also be nice. A rest is in order."

For the first time since they started, Thelton looked at the men. Only half had kept up. He looked over the valley and saw the rest of the men scattered behind pretty far.

"Then eat." Thelton said and turned around. Freelone yanked harder on Thelton's shoulder. He wasn't afraid of a fight. He was considerably taller than Thelton and his muscles were twice as round.

Thelton grabbed Freelone's hand and crushed it in between his own. "Don't touch me." Tempted to fight back, Freelone restrained himself. He still saw Thelton as a childhood hero. Freelone was twenty and had spent his teen years trying to be like Thelton.

"Sir, you are our leader. The men are behind, they are hungry, and they are tired. We all need a break. It is your job to lead us. As a leader, you must stop."

Thelton got right in Freelone's face, "I mustn't do anything. I don't need any of you. I have slain more dragons than all your dreams combined. I don't need any of you here. So all of you go home and leave me to the 'real' hunt."

Freelone's eyes tightened, "We will do no such thing. We are in the service of the king. We are not in your service, you must remember that. The king knows you need us, and that is why we are here. Thelton, you have been given the mantle of leader, don't spit upon that. Lead us. If you don't, we will take you out." Freelone couldn't believe he was using such aggression on his hero.

Freelone and Thelton stood eye to eye. The air grew quiet and tense. All the men remained still as they watched the two men battle their wills. Finally, Thelton stepped around Freelone and sat on the ground. Without saying anything, he pulled out his side pack and produced a chunk of bread. He ate in silence. He'd put up with them for the time, but in the end, he would succeed while they would fail. He would make sure of that. Relieved for the break, the men gathered around. The stragglers caught up. Flance wore a huge grin because he thought Thelton was making things easy. As Thelton pushed the men away, Flance would easily swoop in and win their loyalty.

Two of the men built a fire and began preparing food. The king had supplied them with beans and breads. As the men rested, Flance approached the cook. He said in a voice loud enough for the men to hear, "I brought a wild boar on my cart. I would like to donate it to tonight's meal."

The men cheered for Flance. Thelton didn't look up. He saw the men were planning on camping there for the night. Beddings were being prepared and a few rough tents were being constructed.

"The fools," Thelton grumbled to himself, "they haven't even made it to the forest yet." He laid back on his pack and closed his eyes. He badly wanted to ditch the men, but they had something he did not. They have the location of the dragon nest. Until he knew where it was, he was stuck with them.

Flance stared at Thelton and smiled. Things were working out well. Thelton was alienating himself. It wouldn't be long until the men quit following him. Meanwhile, with his food offering, Flance was winning over the men's approval. When the time was right, he would take the lead.

When the men's bellies were full and the camp was set, the music began. One man brought a flute and another brought a banjo. The men joined in song and made the night merry. Everyone seemed to be having a good time except Thelton. He kept his eyes closed and stewed in his anger.

Before the first light of morning appeared, Thelton was on his feet. "Men, as your leader, I give you an hour to be ready to go."

The men grumbled and moaned. Many had stayed up most of the night singing and telling stories. They were tired and not ready to move. No one argued, in a way they were glad to finally see Thelton lead. They groggily packed their things and most readied themselves for the journey. When Thelton felt an hour had passed, he began toward the Vegus Forest. Those who weren't ready were forced to grab their things and catch up.

By mid morning, they reached the forest's edge.

"The carts stay here." Thelton said.

The men complained. No one wanted to leave their supplies behind. Why would Thelton not let them use wagons?

In response to their complaining, Thelton said. "You don't have to leave your supplies. Everyone will carry in what they need. Look at me; I have all I need on me."

Flance stood in front of Thelton.

"Men, it seems our leader has some hard orders to follow. I have slain many of dragons, and I always bring my wagon. You must trust me, I am as good as Thelton, and I know the way. I feel like it is a wise decision to wagon your supplies in, that way you are not overly exhausted and can use your strength on the dragons. Does Thelton expect us to freeze and starve in the forest? We are still four days away from the queen's nest. We will need all of our supplies. As one of your leaders, I declare you can keep the cart."

The men stood in place. They had no idea which leader to follow.

Flance turned to Thelton, "Don't worry Thelton, I know what you think. I will not let our things scare away the dragon. When we are two kilometers away, we will leave the carts. It will work out."

The men liked Flance's leadership and decided to follow his words. Thelton picked a twig off the ground and put it between his teeth. He chewed on it in anger as he turned his back to the men. In the end, it wouldn't matter. Thelton would rid himself of them.

"Is it really four days away from the queen?" Freelone asked.

Flance jumped at the chance to share information. "It depends how hard we push ourselves. We have four to five days. Young man, I am not in a hurry. The queen is not going anywhere. If the men need to take it in five, then we will." He shot Thelton a challenging stare.

Freelone shivered, as brave as he tried to be, the Vegus Forest scared him. In fact, it terrified most of the men. Five days seemed like a long time to spend in it. And then, they would have to do it all again on their way out.

"How far do you plan to get today?" Freelone questioned.

Flance replied, and immediately regretted sharing the information. "We will make it to Firelake tonight."

That was all Thelton needed, he had the direction for the day's travels. He might not know the rest of the trip, but at least he controlled the day.

"Come men, stop stalling," Thelton said as he entered the Forest.

The men filed behind Thelton. Flance bit his tongue, bothered he had lost his momentary lead. He had given Thelton control. He would make sure he never did that again.

The carts squeaked as the big wooden wheels grinded over the rocks and dirt. The men pushed forward, none in a hurry to enter the deadly forest. It was rumored that there had already been fifty deaths from the men who had searched for the dragon's nest. The forest was dangerous and unpredictable. It was almost a death wish entering in.

That day, Thelton pushed the men hard. Going fast meant nothing to him, for his body was healthy and strong. He carried very light supplies, while the men tried to pull their wagons through some hard terrain and thick trees. Thelton was in excellent condition where many of them were sluggish and slow, their bodies not use to much walking. He had no sympathy for their limitation. They shouldn't have volunteered for the hunt if they couldn't handle a little exertion.

By afternoon, the men were starving. Once again Freelone reached out for Thelton. This time, he decided to tap his shoulder instead of grabbing it.

"Thelton, the men are hungry." Although Thelton wanted to fight, he resolved against it. He stopped and looked over the men, they looked exhausted. He decided to hold to his lead for the time, "Eat," he commanded. The men joyfully dropped their things, their backs ached and their legs felt like rubber. It would feel nice to take a break.

The cook brought out the food from the night before. The men ravenously dove in. Thelton refused the offer of food. He ate his bread. While the men ate and rested, they heard some noise in the distance, there was a rustling of leaves. Something was close by. The men grew quiet while their flesh prickled. They were in the Vegus Forest; the noise could belong to any devilish creature. A few men stood on their feet and drew out their swords. Thelton was the only one who didn't seem to notice. He kept eating his bread. The men were dead silent, as the sound came closer and louder.

All hearts seemed to stop as the noise was about to emerge. In alarm, the men gripped their swords, ready for anything. Out of the bush the mysterious figures appeared. Four farmers from Andleburg stepped from behind the bush, and they were startled to see such a large group before them. The farmers grabbed at their swords, fearing for the worst.

The two groups stood in silence for a few minutes sizing each other up.

"Parcin!" a king's men called out to one of the four. He jumped to his feet and ran to the tallest of the men.

"Edward," Parcin replied. They slapped each other on the back. The tension began to dissipate.

"What an impressive group of men you travel with, dear Edward. Have you found the queen?" The farmers had not heard about the discovery of the queen. After a disappointing pursuit, they were returning to their homes.

Edward's face erupted in a huge smile. He was proud of his mission. "Indeed she has been found. We are on the king's errand to slay her and her entire nest."

"You," Parcin replied, "the king picked you?" Parcin began to laugh, the idea of Edward being picked by the king as a hunter seemed unorthodox.

"He picked all of us." Edward waved to the men. Since they were no longer a threat, the king's men had stopped paying attention to the farmers and had returned to eating.

"Wow, your food smells good," one of Parcin's men said.

"This is Twine, and the other two are Gerrold, and Timothy. We have been searching for the queen's nest. It is grand to hear it has been found. Won't it be something when there are no longer dragon's in the land?"

"I delight in the day," Edward replied. He looked at Twine who was licking his lips to the aroma of their meal.

"Come men, we are all in service of the king. Come get a bite to eat," Edward offered.

Parcin's men joined the ranks and filled their bellies. They shared their tales of the time they had spent looking for the queen's nest. It had been a dangerous journey for them. On the previous day they had lost two of their companions to the Razor Spider.

"Are you for real?" Edward questioned Parcin with amazement and fear. "The Razor Spider took two of your men? I thought the spider was a tale mother's spun to get their kids asleep at night."

All four men's eyes widened with fear. "The spider is real," Timothy said as he shook. "Everything about it is real. The spider digs a huge hole and covers it with branches and leaves. Jack was ahead of us and fell straight through the covering. The hole was about two meters deep and full of sticky web. He became suspended in the web, glued to his spot. When the spider appeared from below, Jack screamed shriller than I have ever heard in my life. The spider's legs were covered in razors shooting out at Jack and piercing his skin. Jack didn't die, but he became flaccid and whimpered in pain." Timothy bowed his head to gain his emotions, remembering the experience was hard to relate without getting choked up. When he had steadied his voice, he proceeded with their tale.

"It was sort of like he was paralyzed; unable to move his muscles much, yet he could still feel the pain as the venom burned in his body. Staton was the other man with us. He wasn't about to let the spider take Jack. He jumped into the hole with his sword drawn. He flew toward the spider, but it was of no use. The spider had filled him with razors before he reached it.

"Then the spider crawled on top of Jack and began eating him alive. I can still hear his screaming. We yelled at the spider, but it didn't do anything. The spider looked up at us and began launching more razors our way. We were far enough away and avoided getting hit. We knew there was nothing we could do. Our friends were lost to us."

The other farmers tried to listen without letting their emotions betray them. Their hearts hurt for their comrades, but they still wanted to appear brave.

Edward put his hand on Parcin's shoulder. "I am sorry."

"Hey, Parcin, I know you are a fine warrior, better than me. Why don't you join us and help us take out the queen?" Edward offered.

Parcin looked to his men, they all quickly agreed. They would love to be part of something so big. In some way, taking out the queen would help avenge the death of their two dead friends.

Thelton listened to Edward with his friends. Again he was outraged. Four more men to join the circus. Thelton let the men rest for two hours then he could take it no more. His anxiety rose and he jumped to his feet.

"Men, you are wasting my time. Just look at you. We are supposed to be clearing the land of dragons and you sit here and wallow in your fat bellies and gluttonous ways. There will be no more stops until we get to Firelake. You have one minute to get your gear in order."

### Chapter 14

The men began readying their things. Their minds focused on their tasks when a loud roaring penetrated the perimeter, with it came a horrible pressure, intensifying as it manifested behind everyone's eardrums. They felt like they were going to explode. Everyone stopped what they were doing as their hands shot to their ears, trying to find protection from the internal squeezing.

With the pressure came intense winds, articles that hadn't been tied down were lifted into the air. Dirt, pebbles, and loose leaves were caught in the blast as it darted into men's eyes and slapped against their skin. The loud rumbling continued along with the pressure, and then everything instantly ceased. Silence hung over the area.

A loud _zip_ broke the silence as it echoed off the trees. In the middle of the bivouac, a whirlwind had formed as it spun in one place. Bringing great shock to the men, the whirlwind shot out at Twine and sucked him into its belly. Parcin screamed, not ready to lose another man. He charged at the whirlwind and was also sucked into its powerful force.

The rest of the men stood staring at the wind. Stunned, they watched Twine and Parcin being spun around unmercifully. _Zip, zip, zip_ , again the zipping nose appeared, this time bringing three new whirlwinds. The winds charged at Freelone, Calvin, and Royster and gobbled them up, spinning them violently around.

Trevor turned to Thelton, "What is going on? You know this forest better than any man, what is happening?"

Thelton's coloring had drained. He was showing signs of fear. While looking up into the canopy, he replied, "I have an idea as to what it might be."

_Zip_ , another whirlwind appeared, sucking up a new victim. Thelton kept looking up in the trees. Meanwhile, Sterling was incredibly afraid, he had always scared really easy, and he was terrified of the winds. They didn't seem to be letting up, in fact, new ones kept appearing. Sterling ran behind the men and ducked under the wagon, hoping its sturdy frame was enough to keep him from being sucked up in one of the whirlwinds.

Trevor waited for Thelton to respond, but when he didn't, anger exploded in Trevor. If their leader had an idea as to what was going on, then he should be sharing it with the rest of the men. He looked over to Thelton who still had his sights up in the trees.

He put his face straight into Thelton's and yelled, "What is going on?" Trevor was use to men cowering at his feet, honoring his every wish. He did not like how Thelton did not reverence him.

Thelton's voice responded in annoyance, "Don't you talk to me like that, boy. I am not causing this. Harness in your anger."

Trevor tensed his voice, "I am the First Advisor to the king. You will not call me boy, and you will show me honor and respect!"

Still without looking at Trevor, Thelton answered. "It is a gyroid. They control wind and love causing destruction. The best way to catch them is to..." _Zip_ , Thelton was sucked up into a wind.

Trevor gaped around, noticing most of the men had been sucked up into whirlwinds. He glanced up to the top of the trees where Thelton had been looking. After adjusting his eyes, he saw it, the cause of the winds, it was the gyroid.

At the top of the tree sat a small little man about 0.6 meters tall who was laughing and laughing. The gyroid was dressed in very elegant clothes with thick velvet edged in purple sequins, tuffs of material dangled up and down the sides of his chest, his trousers were hunter green, and he wore black gloves and a black top hat. His face was squished pushing his features close together. He had wild red hair billowing around his head and down to his shoulders. On his feet were giant black boots. The little man was in hysterics as he watched the chaos of his actions.

"There he is, charge," Trevor commanded the men. The rest of the men quickly responded as they made their way to the tree where the gyroid sat in. _Zip, zip, zip_ , the last of the men became consumed in new whirlwinds, even Trevor. Sterling laid safely under the wagon, his presence unknown to the gyroid.

Tears poured down Sterling's face, out of his blue eyes as he watched his father black out in one of the winds. Sterling noticed most of the men had passed out.

"If the gyroid doesn't stop, all the men will die," he thought to himself.

A sickening thought hit Sterling, "I am it; I am all that is left to save the men. Do I really have the bravery to do it? I have an advantage, for as far as I know, the thing doesn't know I am here." He ran his fingers through his very short hair. The wagon was at the gyroid's back, because of that, Sterling could sneak out from under the wagon, climb the tree, and kill the gyroid. He could, except he wasn't brave enough. Each time he would build up courage to move, he would talk himself out of it. He couldn't find his valor.

Sterling closed his blue eyes for a minute, when he opened them he looked at his father. His father looked green as he whirled around and around.

"If I don't act now, father will die. I will never live with myself if I cower while father dies." He slowly crawled out from behind the wagon. It was the hardest thing he ever did. He had to force himself to move because his fear almost paralyzed him. Quietly, he tried to make his way to the tree the gyroid was in. Just as he came beneath it, he tripped and crashed into a pile of trees which created a loud noise.

Sterling froze. The gyroid sat at the top of the tree and continued to laugh, for he had not heard the noises Sterling made. When Sterling was sure he was still hidden to the gyroid, he began to climb the tree.

He arrived at the top, where the gyroid sat, and quietly crawled out to the strange creature. Reaching forward, Sterling grabbed a handful of the little man's hair. With all his might, he pulled the gyroid off his branch, flinging him down and causing him to dangle above the forest floor. The only thing stopping him from falling was Sterling's grip on his hair. The gyroid tried to look behind him to see who was holding him, as he swung his head around his face was met with a fist. Sterling slammed another and then another fist into the gyroid's face. Blood began dripping down the newly created lacerations. The gyroid finally got his face close enough to Sterling's arm, and he took a bite before his face was met with yet another blow. The gyroid could feel himself began to black out. Before Sterling threw another punch, the gyroid raised up a mighty wind which knocked the two out of the tree. Only centimeters before the gyroid hit the ground, the wind picked him up and carried him away. Sterling's back and head met the hard forest's floor first, causing Sterling to momentarily lose consciousness.

All the whirlwinds stopped and every man dropped to the ground.

When Sterling awoke, he quickly sat up and looked around for his father, eventually finding him next to a pile of boulders, still unconscious. Sterling ran to his side and shook him back and forth, trying to revise him. Flance moaned. His son dashed to the wagon and grabbed a water canteen off the back. He dumped the warm water on Flance's face. Flance began coughing and coughing, his body rolling into a ball. He opened his eyes then closed them. His boy poured a little more water. It tickled into his beard, nose, eyes, and mouth. Flance opened and closed his eyes again, working out the water.

"Wake up Father, wake up, are you all right?"

Flance finally opened his eyes. Everything was blurry. He coughed again and again. Sitting up, he reached forward and held tight to Sterling, he wasn't much of an affectionate father, but he felt he needed to grasp something.

It took the rest of the day for all of the men to wake up and regain consciousness. Their heads felt like they would split open from their headaches. Every bone and joint ached, all feeling centimeters from death. Luckily, the king had sent along a doctor who mended and set their wounds, including his own.

Sterling was in the best health so he made a fire and prepared a small meal of beans for everyone. Even Thelton ate the offered food. The mood in the camp was very gloomy.

"Why didn't you warn us" Trevor asked Thelton toward the end of the evening. A tight band of material bound his ribs. He wanted to puke from the vertigo he still felt. "I've never been through something that horrible in all my life. There was only one of those little men, and a whole army of us. We could have stopped him if you had prepared us."

As Thelton took a bite of salty beans, he glared at Trevor. His side molar wiggled back and forth in his mouth. It had become loose in the jousting he had taken. His tongue kept pushing it while Trevor lectured him.

"Dragon Slayer, I'm talking to you. Why didn't you warn us? Or better yet, why didn't you slay the wind thing?" Trevor taunted.

Thelton kept eating, for Trevor wasn't much of a threat. He was the smallest man there. Why was he King Wolfgang's first Advisor? He seemed like a little man to Thelton, almost a nothing. A vapor in the wind.

"Don't ignore me," Trevor yelled at Thelton. Deep down he knew it wasn't anyone's fault for the gyroid. It was one of the many horrible things found in the forest. When he had heard about the hunt, it had sounded like a wonderful adventure. Trevor had scarcely done anything daring in his life. It had seemed like a romantic idea to be with the men while they slew the queen dragon. He also saw it as boasting rights he could add to his propaganda when he overthrew the crown. A sharp pain stabbed him in his side, probably a loose rib. Why had he come? The adventure had only started and he was already sporting battle wounds. Since he felt ill willed and needed somewhere to focus his anger, he picked Thelton. Trevor went over to Thelton and stood directly above him. Thelton didn't look up.

"For a hero and a leader, you don't lead much."

Not too far from Thelton, Flance was in a great deal of pain. He wondered if his hand was broken. He never stopped mourning over the loss of his right hand. It would be devastating if his left was broke.

Trevor felt awkward as he stood above Thelton. Thelton didn't acknowledge his presence. Angered, Trevor picked up a stick. He was use to complete submission from all he dealt with, excluding the royal family.

"Hey, hero, I am talking to you. You know these woods. You should be preparing us for the dangers in it. You should be leading us. Get up old man and defend your ways," Trevor took the stick and broke it over Thelton's head.

Thelton shot his hand out and grabbed Trevor's feet, yanking them out from under the impudent boy's body. Swiftly Trevor's face met the ground, cracking the bones in his nose. Thelton rolled him over and shoved his face into Trevor's.

"If you want to live, you will never touch me again."

"I am the king's first advisor. You will pay."

"Advisors are dispensable. I am not. You know the king adores me, after all, I am betrothed to the princess. We will see who will pay." Thelton spit into Trevor's face.

Trevor looked away, his disgrace swelling. He had been humiliated in front of the men. His pride was wounded. The rest of the men roared in laughter. Trevor would not forget this. Thelton would pay, and then he would be sorry. The king would not rule forever. For many, it hurt too badly to laugh, and they promptly stopped. Thelton went back to eating his beans. Flance looked away disappointed. He had hoped more would have come from the squabble. Trevor scampered to the edge of the camp, too scared to go out on his own.

Tents were constructed and beds brought out. The men went to bed early without much talking since they all had been through a lot and they ached. The eerie sounds from the night kept many men awake.

In the morning, Sterling made breakfast. Everyone slept in, even Thelton. No one was in a rush to awake to their malady. The morning passed by quickly as everyone rested. Toward mid afternoon, many of the men were still sleeping.

While Thelton and half the others slept, Flance gathered a few men a short way from the camp. They conversed quietly together.

"He is not a leader. He would ditch you in a second if he could. He is so sure of himself that he even thinks he can bring in all the dragons alone. No man can do that, not even him.

"This mission is not about the individual man. It is about the king and it is about the kingdom. I am aware every man is valuable, everyman. We learned yesterday when my son saved us all. Everyone plays their part. Everyone gets the glory.

"I am a dragon slayer. I am good. The king has trusted me. And I am the only man here who knows where the queen's nest is. This is not about me, this is about our kingdom. Chose me to lead. I will not let you down," Flance whispered, trying to rally the small group.

Trevor rubbed his face, it hurt, but his pride hurt more. "I'm with you. Thelton is not fit to lead. I believe he would ditch us. I would follow you anywhere, Flance." Trevor said.

Edward didn't trust Flance, challenging him, "Flance, what do you mean this is about the kingdom? You aren't even from Andleburg, you are from Candleshaw."

"The dragons are bigger than Andleburg, which I highly respect. The dragons are about the tri-kingdoms. They are about every one of us. If we leave this mission in Thelton's hands, he will betray us all. I will not. I will value everyman's skills, and we will work together as a team."

Edward replied to Flance. "I agree Thelton is not a people person, but he is highly skilled. Until this mission, I have never even heard of you. I put my trust in the king, and he puts his trust in Thelton. My loyalties stay with Thelton."

"I completely agree with Flance, come on men, and join me in uprising against Thelton. I am the king's First Advisor." Trevor declared. He wanted to avenge Thelton for making him look like a fool.

The majority of the men in the secret combination liked Flance's words. Thelton had turned out to be an uncaring person. Most of the men were put off by him. Still, they were hesitant to follow Flance, after all, he was from another kingdom, an outsider.

Freelone had been quietly resting away from the men. He could sense an uprising was taking place. Since he valued Thelton; he was not interested in the party revolting. Vegus forest had already proven itself as very dangerous, therefore, they needed to stay united and work as a team. They needed Thelton's expertise. He stood up, pain radiating across his body. His head pounded. He limped over to the circle of men.

"Any plans you have of overthrowing Thelton ends here," he said. His large stature demanded respect as he challenged them.

All the men acted surprised at such an accusation.

"We were only discussing the possible dangers of the forest we have to meet," Flance lied.

Freelone stared hard into the group. "You better be right. We need to be united men. We cannot waste our energy fighting amongst ourselves. As you have already seen, we need each other. I will warn you now; I will personally take any man out who tries to stir up the men. That includes you, Flance." Freelone sat down in the middle of the men, daring them to continue their plans. For the moment, Trevor decided to hold his thoughts in.

...

During the early evening, camp was packed up, and the men were on their way. Thelton was a bit more humble and slightly less rushed with his body hurting like the rest of the men's. They continued walking in silence for hours. Every man aware of their own afflictions. The mood was heavy. The foul weather added to it.

It was hard to see the sky because the thick canopy over the trees. Only traces of the sun made it past the trees, bringing minimal light to the forest. Soon after the men arose, the light had dissipated even more. They had to fire up their lanterns to be able to see clearly. As they walked, the forest echoed with several loud booms of thunder. Momentary flashes of light followed, the lightning bolts straight above. Huge drops of rain came splashing down. It hit their skin with sharpness then burned it. Any part of the skin the rain touched, sizzled and reddened. The smell of onions radiated with the rain. A drop stung Thelton's hand, forming an oval splash mark. Thelton reached into his side pack and pulled out a poncho made of Torris leaves. The Torris leaf was thick and impermeable. He draped it over his body and kept walking. While he walked, he removed a small amount of salve and put it on his wounds.

The rest of the men stopped walking because they were screaming and scurrying about. Most were unprepared for the acidic rain.

"Thelton," Flance yelled out. "You must stop!"

Thelton turned to face the men. "As the leader, I will make those calls. There is no point to stopping. The rain will come down on you if you move or if you stay still. We must keep going so we can reach Firelake by nightfall."

Several of the men dropped to the ground and howled in pain. A few had ponchos of Torris leaves draped over their body and were able to find protection. Some of the men got the rain in their eyes and were clawing at their sockets. There was much moaning and agony.

"Thelton, then go on alone. The men need help!" Flance shouted.

Freelone approached Thelton. He had found a covering and was hiding under it.

"What is going on, Thelton, why is the rain burning the men?"

"That's what happens in the Vegus Forest. If it is too much for you, you are free to leave."

"I know what happens," one of the men named Nate said, coming face to face with Freelone. "There is sulfur acid on the leaves. I work with chemicals and I recognize it. With the mixture of the sulfur, rain and the electrical charge in the air, the rain becomes acidic. I am sure your small mind has no idea what I am saying. Basically, it means the rain will burn away your skin. It would be best for us to find cover."

Thelton began walking away from the men. "Your men can all stay here, and sizzle away. I assume it will rain all night. According to wizard boy there," he said pointing to Nate, "You will all be dead by morning." Thelton coughed as the vapors burned his lungs. "I will continue on to Firelake. The lake is in a clearing away from the trees, and I doubt the rain will be acidic next to the lake."

Freelone found wisdom in Thelton's words. Since the acid was being caused by the sulfur from the leaves, it would be best to find a clearing, or maybe a cave. He decided to rally on Thelton's cause. "Listen, men, I know you are being burned by the rain, but if you stay here, you will die. Keep walking, and there will be a clearing by the lake. It is the only way to survive," Freelone instructed.

The men followed Thelton as the searing rain continued. Their skin felt like it was melting off their bodies. Twelve men didn't make it, the rain was more than they could handle. They took off in a run, looking for shelter. The rain had lightened to a mist after an hour. They continued to walk for four more hours. It finally stopped raining.

Ahead, the forest began to illuminate. Over the top of the trees, light was shooting up into the dark sky. Many of the men began running as fast as they could. It was all they could think about, getting out of the acid mist.

Through the clearing of the trees, the lake was a brilliant sight. Flames of purple, orange, yellow, and blue danced on top of the lake. The flames rose as high as three meters in some places. For most of the men, this was their first time at Firelake. Their souls filled with energy and excitement at the brilliant sight of fire on water. Their burning skin from the acid rain was momentarily forgotten. The flames seemed to dance in rhythm. Some would rise while others fell. They would intensify and fade. Patterns would form, and flames would shoot straight into the sky. The men had never seen anything so magical in their lives. They all walked toward the lake in a trance-like state. They were hypnotized by the energy of the fire. The closer they got to the water, the warmer they became.

The lake was not barren. There were five different camps set around it. All of them were on the same quest, to find the queen dragon's nest. The word had not reached them that the queen had been located. Thelton rolled his eyes as he saw the camps. "More men. I am so tired of the men," he thought.

Thelton dumped his things in a pile and walked toward the lake. Everyone watched in shock. He was the only one who knew the secrets of Firelake. He walked straight into the water. The flames quickly consumed his skin. Every part of him was covered in fire. Thelton didn't call out in pain. He didn't move at all, calmly standing there as the fire danced on him. The men kept watching, wondering what would happen to their leader. The established campers were confused by the arrival of all the men and by the actions of Thelton. The crackling of the fire was the only sound. After an hour, Thelton emerged from the water. Flames and water dripped off his bulky body. He walked over to his things and dropped to the ground. With a smile on his face, he went to sleep.

Some of the men feared the lake while others were curious. A group of five decided to follow in Thelton's footsteps. They went to the lake's edge and slowly went in. First a toe, a leg, and then up to their waist. The water was tepid and comfortable. The flames immediately attached to their bodies. One man screamed in fear even though there was no discomfort. The flames were warm and therapeutic. They could feel their muscles relax and the pain from their burns dissipate. Heads stopped pounding. Broken bones mended. The fire seemed to possess healing powers. While their physiological body healed, their minds were carried away to their deepest fantasies. For the time they were in the water, every sense was enlightened.

Soon more men joined in. After awhile, every man around the lake was in the water. As they stood in the midst of the restorative power, everything healed; also there was a sense of spiritual enlightenment and revitalized strength. Over time, some men finally became satisfied and exited the lake and went to sleep. Other men refused to leave the therapeutic waters. It was the greatest they had ever felt in their whole life.

Flance stepped out of the water, noticing the welts from the acid rain were gone. He also discovered his broken toe had healed. He wondered if the lake had restored his diseased lungs. With much hope and faith, he drew in a huge breath of air. Immediately, he began coughing. Disappointment set in when he realized his lungs were the same.

In the morning, Thelton awoke. He took note of the situation at hand. Most of the men were sound asleep. There were still twenty men in the water. The flames danced on the men as they were lost in their minds. The sun shone down on everyone, sometime in the night everything had dried.

"Men," he called out. "We will leave camp in an hour."

After breakfast, and the camp packed, the men took off. Twenty stayed behind in the lake, their minds lost to the power of the fire.

Thelton noticed even though they had lost twelve men on the way to the lake, and twenty stayed behind, they still added forty more to their original number. There were now seventy eight new men in the party. Thelton wished they all had stayed in the lake.

### Chapter 15

Since Thelton no longer knew their direction, Flance was in the lead. Thelton spent most of their journey deciding best how he was going to rid himself of everyone. The men wouldn't be hard. But, without Flance, Thelton had no idea where the queen was. He needed to get Flance to tell him the location of the nest. He had his plan laid out in his head. He would do it that night.

Flance had his own plans for the night. Once they stopped, they would only be two and a half days away from the queen. He had been working hard at aligning himself with the men. He was pleased with Thelton's lack of leadership and his heartless character. Many of the men were finding they didn't care for Thelton at all. Flance would use the night to overthrow Thelton, and he was sure he would have the men on his side.

As the men walked, they joked and told stories. They all had been energized by Firelake and felt great. Time passed quickly. Toward the later part of the evening, they came to a large mud lake. The men with wagons avoided the mud and went around. Thelton, Flance, and Freelone went around. Some of the other men were curious about the deep brown mud. They put their hands in it, finding it warm, smooth, and gooey. After feeling satisfied with their test, some jumped in. The mud felt amazing as they swam across. They called out for other's to join them. Thirty men jumped in. It was refreshing. They had mud fights, mud wrestling, and mud fun. They played and played until they noticed the hunting party was well ahead of them. None wanted to be left behind in the forest.

As they joined the party and walked, the mud began to dry. The more it dried, the hotter it got. When it was almost set, the mud began to burn. The thirty men began screaming. The mud scorched everywhere it touched. They tried peeling it off, but it didn't move because it was set like stone. After five minutes of intense heat, the stone covering cooled down. When the heat stopped, the stone was solid, trapping the men inside its cocoon. For some men, their bodies had been entirely covered in mud. They were encased within and couldn't move anything. Others only had their feet covered, and the dry mud held their feet in place, making prisoners.

"Help us," they yelled to the rest of the party. Everyone dropped their things and rushed to the aid of the thirty men. Tools were brought out as they chiseled and banged at the rock. Nothing. Not a chip not a scratch. There was nothing they could do. The stone seemed impermeable. They worked at it for hours. Finally, it was Flance who decided it was time to abandon the stuck men. He had a destination he wanted to reach before nightfall, and he needed to reach it if he was going to win the men's favor and overthrow Thelton.

Downhearted, the group walked away from the entombed men. The men left behind yelled and screamed, beginning not to be left vulnerable in the forest. Not one man stayed behind to protect them, for no one dared to be a lone guard in the forest.

After a hard push, they arrived at the base of a rocky mountain. Three crystal clear waterfalls cascaded over the side. Water sprayed and drenched their hot bodies and cooled them down. Rainbows appeared over each falls. A flock of eagles soared above, squealing their songs of flight. The area created a sense of serenity, causing most of the men to forget they were still in the dreaded Vegus forest. Behind the largest of the falls was a cave.

"This is where we bed tonight." Flance called out, as if he was offering them all a gift.

Inside, the men dropped their things. They were glad to be out of the elements. Some of them actually lived in caves. It felt homey and comfortable. Most praised Flance for his choice accommodations.

The cave was beautiful and very deep. The stalagmites rose from the ground while the stalactites dangled. Some of them looked like a group of trolls, double takes usually happened. Several gems stuck in some of the rock, shining and casting prisms on everything. The men's eyes widened in delight at the gems. Not knowing their value, they began collecting them.

"I have one more surprise for you men. You have all earned it." Flance left the cave and went to the wagon. He returned with several flasks of whisky tucked in his good arm.

The men became excited and quickly rallied around Flance. The gems were forgotten. "To the best men of the kingdom." Flance declared. "You men braved the Vegus Forest and your very lives to serve the king." The men cheered at his words. They felt joy to be in such a nice cave with the chance to have a drink. All hoped to forget their woes for the night.

"I forbid it." Thelton called out. "You men will not drink. You need to be alert in the forest. There is no place for alcohol in this party."

Flance walked over to Thelton's side. "Dear Thelton, the men have worked hard. They deserve it. Nothing will happen this night. We are safe in the cave."

The men agreed with Flance.

"We deserve it!"

"We want it."

"We are grown men."

"I forbid it," Thelton said again.

The men cursed Thelton and ignored him. They greedily grabbed the alcohol and made quick work of it. Flance went out to his wagon and returned with more whisky. The men continued to drink as the warm fluid flowed through their veins. They rapidly fell into a drunken state. As the alcohol took over, they became loud and boisterous.

Thelton went to the back of the cave. "How I despise alcohol," he thought. "However, if they get good and drunk it might help with my plans, make things a little easier. It has passed the time to be rid of the menacing men. Yes, let them drink. They will bring on their own curse."

As Thelton waited in the back, Flance kept a close eye on him. He was going to get the men good and drunk and then rile them up. It was easy to get men angry when they were mentally impaired. As Flance waited for the right moment, Royster approached him with some of the whiskey.

Royster was the biggest of the men. He was a farmer and worked his field with all his might. His muscles were almost three times as large as Flance's. Royster had a solid chest, as hard as steel. During the winter when he was in need of extra income, Royster would go to the town square and fight for money. Almost everyone in Andleburg knew of Royster. He was strong and unbeatable. Some admired him, most feared him.

Royster was an angry man. He despised the life of a farmer, but it was all he knew. He had grown weary of his nagging wife, and tried to spend most of his time away from home. He always wore a frown and if you got in his way, he would slam a fist into you. Usually when he entered a room, everyone moved aside.

Flance had worked hard over the last few days to get on Royster's good side. He had given him extra food and was always passing him sweet breads and jerky. Royster took the offered goods but never responded with gratitude or emotion.

"You, my good man, you have taken care of us," Royster said through his slurred speech. "You are the man. But, one must ask, why do you not share in the whiskey you provide?"

Flance had not drunk because he wanted to keep his wits about him as he rallied the men. He looked into Royster's hardened eyes while a shiver trickled down his spine. "Well, someone must keep a level head, in case there is danger."

Royster pointed the flask of whiskey toward Thelton in the corner, "The Dragon Slayers watches our backs."

Flance rolled his eyes. "He is nothing but a coward. I wouldn't put my life in his hands for anything."

Royster took two steps into Flance, looking straight down at him. Flance could feel Royster's warm, acidic breath on his face. Royster's veins bulged, his eyes popped, and his fist curled. "The Dragon Slayer is a legend and he is favored by the king. I am sure you didn't mean what you said."

Flance gulped. It wasn't the direction he had planned. He had wanted to get the men good and angry, but not at him. Also, more than anything, he needed Royster on his side. Royster pressed his forehead into Flance's. Flance's heart began racing, his face became flush.

"You are right, we are in good hands." Flance said to keep from being pounded.

Flance didn't back down to many people. He wanted to deck Royster, but he knew better. In his fear and anger, he began to cough. Huge fits vibrated through his body. Sterling saw the trouble his father was in and ran to his side. Sterling put his hand on his father, but his father pushed him away.

After Flance had stopped coughing, he looked at Royster's face, which was still tight and ridged. Flance didn't know what to do. He needed to ease the tension. "How about I join you in a drink?" He held his left hand out for the drink offering.

Royster stood over him for a minute more, then relinquished the drink into Flance's hand.

"That is more like it. I never trust a man who won't drink his own gift." Royster spat out. Flance tilted his head back and took a huge swallow. The fire burned its way down his throat to his gut. He relaxed a bit. He tried to hand the flask back to Royster, but Royster did not take it, staring at Flance. Uncomfortable, Flance took another drink, then another. Soon he found himself inebriated like the rest, with his plans of rebellion floating farther in the back of his mind.

...

By the third hour into the morning, everyone was either passed out or asleep. Thelton knew his time had come.

He reached into his side pack and pulled out a dusty leather pouch. He untied the shredded rope from around the package. Opening it up, forty iridescent balls shined in the leather. He picked up a ball and rolled it back and forth between his fingers. A blue glow rose from his hand. He looked at all the sleeping bodies.

"Yes, I am glad you are drunk This would have been hard to do if you were sober, in fact, I am not sure I could have, so thank you Flance," Thelton thought.

"Now, how am I going to do this, the medicine woman gave me balls for forty men and now we have so many more?" Thelton was worried about his plan.

He took the ball and split it in half, a puff of smoke escaped from the middle. He decided the best he could do was to split the balls. He would give the entire ball to the bigger men, men like Royster. For the smaller men, he would give half a ball to.

He crawled amongst the men, picking Royster first. As he advanced the ball into Royster's mouth, Royster's teeth clamped shut. Pains shot through Thelton's finger, for it was stuck and being crushed between Royster's massive jaws. Suppressing his need to scream, he bit his lip. He was in excruciating agony. He wiggled around, trying to be still, trying not to wake any of the men, especially Royster. When Thelton gained control of his emotions, he took his free hand and tried to pry open Royster's mouth. It wouldn't budge. Thelton looked around, for he had to break loose before he accidently woke Royster up. He reached down to his leg and pulled out his dagger, bringing it to his stuck finger.

He just might have to saw his finger off. As he looked around one more time, he spotted the whisky flask in hand's reach. Thelton stretched and grabbed it, placing it under Royster's nose. The strong smell penetrated Royster's trance, and he opened his mouth, his body craving another drink.

Thelton pulled away, thankful to still have his finger. He grimaced while holding the throbbing appendage. The flesh had been opened and blood dripped out. He tore a bit of his shirt and wrapped it around the wound. He would put salve on it later, at the moment, he needed to finish his project. He crawled to Edward. This time he tickled Edward's lip, easily slipping the ball in.

While Thelton distributed the magic balls, there was always a man stirring in his sleep. Whenever a man moved, Thelton's heart would pound. He had to hurry. Putting the potion pill on the end of his dagger, he used it to push them it into the men's mouth. The last person to get a pill was Flance's son. It was a half a crumble of a pill, all that was left. Thelton returned to Flance's side. He had not given Flance a pill because he still needed him to find the Queen. He was glad Flance was passed out. Originally, he had planned on knocking him cold with his fists, but now he didn't have to.

After grabbing rope out of one of the wagons, Thelton tied Flance up. He wound the rope over him very tightly making it so Flance would not be able to escape. After he was good and tight, Thelton grabbed Flance's body and hosted him over his shoulders like a bag of potatoes.

"Oh, you are so fat and heavy," Thelton complained. "Good thing I am used to carrying dragons."

...

Flance's head pounded, his stomach sloshed. He felt like he was going to puke. A wave of nausea passed over his body.

"Why did I allow myself to get so drunk? Is it morning? I think I failed to rile the men. I hoped by now I would have had at least gained their trust. I have showered them was kindness and favors, and I still have plenty of whisky, I would try and get them drunk again, and I would make sure I stay sober when I do."

He was sure he could create mutiny with the rest of the men, but Royster and Freelone were going to be his biggest problem. As he thought, he felt a bug scurry across his nose. He went to swat it with his left hand, but his hand didn't move, nor did it budge. Flance opened his eyes, they stung from over dryness.

"Am I still drunk," he asked out loud. "How can I be looking straight down at the bottom of the cave?" He tried to move only to find himself completely tied up. He had been suspended from a rope trap that was tied to a stalactite at the top of the cave.

"What is going on?" he yelled. His head pounded from the hangover and from the blood pooling in it. He had no recollection to how he had been tied to the stalactite. His thoughts turned to Royster. Did he do it to him? He thought about it for a second, and realized the answer was no. "Royster would have punched my face in." He thought. "It must have been Thelton."

"Thelton," he yelled, causing him to feel the painful pulses in his head.

Flance looked around the cave. He had been so consumed by the strangeness of finding himself tied up, that he had failed to notice the men. They were still asleep or passed out, but there was something very strange about them. It appeared a plant had grown over most of them. He looked around for his son and quickly spotted him. Sterling was covered in deep brown roots, while little sprouts of leaves went up and down his arm. As Flance tried to figure out what was going on, a strong acid burned all the way from his alcohol stricken stomach, up his throat, and projected to the ground, splashing on some of the men. Without being able to wipe off his mouth, bits of emeses slid to his chin.

"Thelton, where are you?" he screamed, rubbing his throat raw.

"Isn't it great?" Thelton's voice was above him. He couldn't turn up to see Thelton sitting on an overhang ledge above Flance. "Magic is a wonderful thing. I have been watching them all night. It really is amazing."

"What did you do? What plant grows all over them? What did you do to my son?"

"Nothing much, I gave him a midnight snack."

Flance angered, he tried to break through the ropes. He was too tightly wound; there was no wiggle room or chance of escaping.

"I am surprised the men have not woken up yet. You know, I must thank you. I am not sure how I would have done this if it wasn't for you; getting them drunk, now that was brilliant."

"These men are on the king's errand. He will not take kindly to you tying us all up."

"You are the only one I tied up. The rest of the men, well they seem to be turning into trees."

"What?" Flance shouted, for he could scarcely comprehend what Thelton was saying. "Did you do that? Did you turn them into trees? Why would you turn the men into trees? How did you turn them into trees? That is the most absurd thing I have heard. We are here to help you. Why can't you understand that? You can't bring the queen in by yourself and kill all the dragons. Why would you do that?"

"They are in my way, like you. I don't need them."

"We are on the king's errand. You are so cocky. You need them, Thelton. You need every one of them. There is no way you can slay a hundred dragons on your own. They will tear you apart. I have been to their nest. I have seen them. There is no way. You will regret this."

The two sat silently for a minute. "Look, look, it is happening again. It is amazing. Just look over there, you can watch as the roots shoot out of Freelone's side."

Freelone lay prone. A giant root ripped out of the side of his chest, and dove into the ground. Another came out his knee and anchored below. While the roots grew, the rest of his skin was turning thick and brown. Flance looked at the other men, seeing the same thing was happening to all of them, even his son. Some of the men had almost turned completely wooden, while others it only slightly effected. The two of them watched for some time atop of the cave. Thelton was enjoying it, but Flance could scarcely believe the scene below.

Dustin was the first of the men to wake up. He was a medium sized man with thick black hair. His eyes shot open and he began screaming. "What is happening to me?" He tried to stand up, but was unable to because he was rooted into the cave floor. His body was thick and wooden. He screamed and screamed. Nathan woke up and screamed. It was a domino effect, and soon most of the men awoke, each with similar reactions.

They shrieked and moaned, some cried and bawled. They couldn't figure out what was trapping them to the cave floor. Many of them had lost the features of their skin and were covered entirely in a bark like covering. To add to their panic, they were all suffering from hangovers, their heads ached and throbbed. Thelton had an idea. He jumped off the ledge into the middle of the cave. The men looked at him the best they could from their debilitated state.

"Dear brave men; men who are on the king's errand, men who have sacrificed all they have to follow the king. I am sorry about your situation. It appears Flance had spiked your whiskey with a potion. He has done this to all of you."

"No way," Flance hollered from above them. "Don't listen to him. He did this to you. I would never."

"I warned you not to partake. Alcohol is a vile drink."

The men silenced and tried to think of the events of the night. The majority of them could remember Flance giving them whiskey. They tried hard to remember if they saw Flance drink, but none of them could. Only Royster and Sterling saw him drink. Royster's lips had been encased in bark. He would not be able to testify Flance drank some of the whiskey. In everyone else's mind, Flance had not drunken the poisoned whiskey.

"That is right," the men declared. "Flance did this to us. He did not drink." The men easily believed Thelton's lies for the evidence before them suggested as much.

"I did drink. I did! I promise I did not do this. It was Thelton's doing."

Flance kept yelling to defend himself. No one listened. They had been completely beguiled by Thelton.

"My father did drink," Sterling yelled. No one listened.

The men swore and yelled as their bodies turned wooden. Thelton climbed back to his ledge in the cave to watch the show. About five hours later the changes stopped. There were variant degrees of wooden men. Some men, who had the whole pill, had completely turned into a tree. While others, only half of their body had. Either way, they were all anchored into the ground, by thick roots growing out of their own bodies. Not one could break free.

Flance agonized as he watched Sterling turn wooden. His son was his reason for living. He could not bear to think of losing him. As the two men silently watched from above, the ropes continued to cut into Flance's skin. He felt hopeless. His head throbbed from being upside down.

"You are a wicked man, Thelton. There is a special place in Hell carved out just for you. Some of the men may have deserved a fate like this, but how could you do that to my boy? I hope you rot in Hell."

"It is time to make a bargain," Thelton said. "You take me to the queen and then I will tell you how to undo the spell."

"You would trade all of these men's lives to build your own honor and pride. You are despicable."

Thelton whispered, for only Flance to hear. "You and the men mean nothing to me. The choice is in your hand. If you refuse to help, I will leave you all here. I guarantee no one will rescue you. No one out there has been this deep into the forest. However, if you help me, then you can save your son. If you like, you can save the rest of the men as well."

"I wouldn't help you for anything," Flance spit out.

Thelton jumped down to the middle of the cave. "Fine with me. I will find the queen on my own." Thelton went over to Flance's son. Since he had gotten such a small portion of the pill, the effects were mild, but still enough to completely trap him. Thelton kicked at the base of one of Sterling's roots. "He will make nice firewood if you get cold."

Thelton walked out of the cave.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Flance desperately yelled out. He had been abandoned before by Thelton. "Cut me down, and I will tell you where to find the nest."

Thelton stood under Flance. "We do it my way, and my way only."

Flance spit into Thelton's face. Thelton took his finger and slid it through the slimy mess, then put his finger in his mouth and smiled. "Is that all you got?"

### Chapter 16

Turning from Flance, Thelton took a tarp out of a wagon. Flance awkwardly stood by, still heavily tied up. Thelton put Flance in the middle of the tarp and strongly secured him in the contraption. He wasn't about to untie his prisoner. He tied the tarp to his waist and began walking in the direction Flance navigated him in, pulling Flance along the forest floor. The tarp was thin and Flance could feel every rock and root they passed over banging into his body. His head continued to ache. Thelton walked for half a day when they stopped for a rest.

"You know, I could be directing you the wrong way."

Thelton went to Flance's side and kneeled down to his level. "I know you said it would take only two more days to get to the nest. If we don't get there in two days, you die. And with your death, all the men will be lost along with your son. So if it is worth your lie, then tell it."

Thelton took some dry stale bread out of his pack and shoved it in Flance's mouth. Flance choked down the dry mass, which at times would get stuck against the back of his throat. He ached for a drink of water.

...

Thelton kept his eyes open for signs of dragon tracks. He found a little here and there but nothing in significant amounts.

While looking around, he noticed new plants he hadn't recalled seeing before. One had giant feathered leaves. The wispy leaves were of deep crimson red while the tips looked like they had been dipped in gold glitter. Out of curiously he touched one. Little gold slivers penetrated his skin and instantly stung. His hand recoiled into his arm. Thelton jumped up and down at the unexpected sensation. Bringing his injured hand close to his face to see it, he removed the golden splinters.

Another interesting plant looked like a giant funnel. It was big enough he could crawl inside if he wanted. As he sucked on his hurt hand, he had no desire to investigate any more plants. He ignored his curiosity and continued through the forest. He noticed the trees were changing. The trunks were growing thicker and rounder while the rest of the trees seemed to grow higher and higher. He was amazed by the majestic qualities of the trees. He had a sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen the trees before. Even the ominous bushes looked familiar. On the bush, instead of leaves, they were sharp thorns. A chill ascended his spine. He would have to keep a careful eye out so he didn't stumble into any of the thorns.

After a moment of rest, Thelton resumed walking. Dusk set in. "I figure we'll go for at least another hour and then bed down for the night." As he walked, suddenly a foreign object dropped from the canopy onto his head. What was it? He grabbed it, flinging it into a tree. It was a five foot dark orange snake. Another dropped on him, and then another. They rained down thick and heavy, and he was covered in snakes. There didn't seem to be any relief from the orange constrictors. Flance was screaming as his body was saturated by the snakes. He felt vulnerable in his position. The snakes were not poisonous, but they knew how to constrict. They began compressing against Flance's appendages. Thelton yanked out his dagger and split open a snake that had compressed around his throat. He slashed every one that landed on him. And with each snake he killed, a new one took its place. For Flance, he was turning purple as his airway was being closed off. Snakes were constricting every inch of the prisoner. Thelton dove to his side and began killing the snakes on Flance. There was no way to keep up with the serpents. They needed to get out from under their many nests that were up in the trees. Thelton stood up and began running at full speed, pulling Flance behind. If he could get away, maybe they would be fine. As he ran, he kept an eye on Flance. He had to keep stopping and cut the snakes off the enemy. It took twenty minutes of hard running until the reptiles stopped raining down.

Finally, they were clear of the snakes, Thelton was exhausted. He dropped to the ground and kissed it. "That was something else," he said. Flance didn't respond for he hated everything about Thelton and hated even more that Thelton saved him from the snakes.

The men slept without incident and by morning light they were off again. "Flance, I must give it to you, you are a brave man to come this deep into the forest. You know, many are afraid of the Vegus Forest. I'm not. It intrigues me. I have never met a beast that I can't tame or kill. That includes you. Anyways, I like it here. I am not sure why I have never come this deep. I must make residence here when the queen is gone."

Flance tired to ignore him. His tongue was dry. Oh how a drink would soothe him.

Thelton walked the rest of the day without much incidence. Every now and then he would stop and give food and a small bit of drink to Flance. The amounts were always insignificant, leaving Flance craving more. At the end of the day they both fell into a deep slumber. In the middle of the night, they awoke to a pungent smell. Both men coughed and gagged while their lungs burned. Flance had a hard time suppressing the cough. It rattled his whole body.

"Let me out, Thelton, I will help you fight." Flance could barely choke out the words.

Thelton looked at Flance, and laughed. "You'd run."

"I won't, I promise. Plus, you need me."

Thelton crawled over to Flance. "Need you. I only need you for one thing, and that is the location of the nest. Don't presume you are of any other value to me." Thelton stood up and readied both his swords. Within a few minutes, the trolls were on them. There were four trolls. Thelton fought two while the other two went over to Flance.

"Thelton, don't leave me tied up like this! You must let me go. Thelton!"

One of the trolls bit Flance in the side. His razor sharp teeth tore into Flance's flesh. Flance screamed, "Thelton, help me!"

Thelton chopped the head of his second troll and dashed over to Flance. Kicking the troll off Flance's body, he stuck his sword deep into the heart of the other. With three dead, the lone troll ran away.

Thelton stood and watched the troll run off. He wiped the blood off onto his clothes. After assessing his body for any bite marks, he went over to Flance's side. Reaching into his side pack, a small flask and a little pouch was retrieved. Thelton opened the flask and fire shot out of the top. He dumped some water from Firelake on Flance's side then covered the wounds with three dragon scales.

"It will be like new in a week."

Flance turned his head to the side and began puking. He hated the situation he was in. Thelton had saved his life again. His muscles throbbed from being held in the same position. Big lesions were forming where the ropes tore into his skin.

"Maybe death was better than the position I am in." He thought, but he couldn't quit. He had to keep going. His son needed to be saved.

Thelton shook his head. "I would sure hate to be in your spot."

The next day was bright and sunny. Thelton had been walking for three hours when he saw heavy signs of dragon activity. Many trees had been toppled. Lots of branches had been snapped as well. There were giant dragon excretion piles. Bones were littered everywhere. Thelton knew they were close. It was time to end his relationship with Flance. He turned from the direction he was walking in, and began heading back the way they came. Flance was still being dragged behind.

Flance shouted, "Where are you going? The nest is the other way." Thelton ignored him. He walked for a long time then stopped.

"This will do." He picked Flance up and heaved him over his shoulder. At the base of a tree he began ascending it. Thelton had exceptional strength.

"What are you doing?" Flance called out.

"I don't need you anymore," Thelton said breathless.

"You still don't know where the nest is," Flance yelled.

"I am a smart man. I can figure it out from here."

"Thelton you have already done a lot of stupid things. Here is your chance to get something right. There are about a hundred dragons at the nest. Let me go, you need me."

Thelton ignored Flance and carried him about mid way up the tree. He tied him to a branch then looked in his face. "I don't need anyone."

"We had a deal, Thelton. You might be a horrible person, but I thought you were a man of your honor. Let me go. Let me go save my son."

"No. You see at this point, you can still get in my way. Once I have killed the dragons, I will then rescue your son."

"Thelton, get back here, you broke your promise. Get back here! You are evil!"

Thelton climbed down from the tree and turned back into the direction of the nest. His heart filled with joy. He had only dreamed about the nest, for he never knew he would one day go to it.

He took out of his pouch a bottle of dragon urine and splashed it all over his body to mask out the human smell. Smelly, he walked toward the nest.

...

With caution, Thelton watched every step he took. He did not want the dragons to know he was there.

He had come to a little flower meadow. There were the most beautiful flowers amongst it. Vibrant colors swayed in the breeze while sweet aroma fragranced the air. Thelton had never been much for flowers, but the ones in the meadow where stunning, even intriguing him. As he made his way toward the flowers, he abruptly stopped. What he originally thought were butterflies, he realized, were something else. He peered closer; they were little women with wings. Fairies. He dropped down quickly in the long grass; not wanting to be spotted. Carefully, he crawled along the ground until he was next to the meadow. He slithered through the grass until he was in the middle of it. Once he was where he wanted to be, he rolled over onto his back and laid still.

...

The fairies were stunning with soft light skin, hair dangling past their feet. They were about the length of his hand. Their dresses had been constructed out of flowers. They sang as they flew, and Thelton was mesmerized. He was almost in a hypnotic state that infused him with pure pleasure. He watched with great awe, when to his delight, one landed within an arm's length away. Thelton could not resist, and his robust hand darted out to collect the delicate fairy. She sensed him way before he reached her. She squalled out in fear. Her voice was a siren. The rest of the fairies joined in the shrieking.

"Quiet, please, you must stop. I won't hurt you, but you must stop the noise." he cried out in desperation. "If you alert the dragons of my coming, I will fail." Thankfully the fairies flew away as they screeched.

Thelton stayed close to the ground, fearful the dragons heard the commotion. He decided to lay low in case they had been alerted.

Knowing it would be best to find the nest when the dragons were sleeping, he allowed sleep to overtake him. The moon shone bright. When it had been dark for three hours, Thelton awoke.. He searched out the dragon tracks and followed them the rest of the way to the dragon nest.

At last, he had found it. Thelton quietly made his way into the outer perimeter of the dragon camp. He stopped breathing. There she was; the queen. Her body moved up and down with each breath she took. Thelton looked around the area and counted dragons. There were only about thirty of them. The king had said fifty while Flance said something about a hundred? Was there really a hundred or had he been exaggerating? Was there more somewhere else? Thelton really needed to know. For the next two hours, he crawled around their hideaway. He counted and recounted. If there were more dragons, then they were gone for the time. He really didn't think the camp could be big enough for a hundred dragons. He decided Flance had exaggerated.

Thelton reached into his side pack and pulled out what looked like a log. After he located the center of the dragon camp, he lit the log. Instead of fire enveloping it, smoke billowed out. Thelton wrapped some special material around his face, which the medicine woman had given him, and it protected him from the smoke. The smoke grew heavy and covered most of the camp, settling around the dragons. The dragons breathed it while sleeping. Its effects transformed the dragons into a deeper sleep. Thelton knew the smoke's power only lasted for a little less than half an hour, and he was sure it was enough time to stab every one of them in the heart.

### Chapter 17

The queen's nest was to the west of the camp, and the smoke hadn't reached her. That was alright with Thelton. He didn't need to put a spell on her, because she would be dead before she even knew he was there. Besides, he didn't want to cheat with her. He wanted to bring her down by his skill and training, not magic and luck. He tipped toed over and drew out his emerald sword. He stood for a moment admiring the legendary beast. Adrenalin powered him as he clasped the cold steal in his hand.

"My day has come. The greatest dragon slayer in the world is going to take out the queen and the rest of the dragons, and I'm going to do it alone!"

Thelton stood right next to the queen while he raised his sword high into the air. Every nerve in his body rang out in excitement. All his energy transposed to his arm and he began to swiftly bring it down. As he did, the queen continued to sleep; unaware of the danger she was in. The sword came down closer and closer to the beast.

"You are going to die. I am going to seal my legend in your blood." Excitement flowed through him.

As his moment of victory almost unfolded, something from behind slammed into Thelton's back. The sword flew out of his hand. He had been centimeters away from the queen's heart. The attack was unexpected. Thelton slammed into the ground, landing awkwardly on his arm. The queen's eyes opened.

Indy was on Thelton. She punched him in the side while tearing at his skin. Her claws instantly drew blood. Thelton was taken back by the startling attack. He fought hard and furious with his unknown assailant. The two of them rolled around on the ground hitting, biting, and punching. His enemy was strong and gave him a good fight, almost matching strength for strength. Amidst the scuffle, Thelton reached down to his leg to pull out the dagger. It was gone. At some point, it must have fallen out. He fought hard without it, but soon his attacker over came him. He was pinned to the ground while thick sharp nails held down his throat.

Through the dark, Thelton looked up into the eyes of a human; a woman! How could there be a human amongst the dragons? It was dark, and he didn't have a clear view of his attacker. He couldn't figure out how he got bested by a woman. Furious, he began thrashing about, but he couldn't break through Indy's grip. She growled at him. Her hands tightened on his throat, and he could feel her claws pierce his skin.

The queen came over to Indy's side. Indy stepped back as the massive dragon picked Thelton up in her claws. She brought him to her nose and smelled him. Thelton was sure he was about to be eaten. She kept sniffing at him for awhile. Thelton wiggled and fought to break her grip, but he struggled in vain. Her claws penetrated his skin while huge drops of blood rolled out. The queen opened her large mouth and let out a mighty roar, the wind from her mouth and saliva flew into Thelton's face. He wished he had a sword or a dagger. As she roared, he prepared for the massive mouth to swallow him in.

Instead of biting him, she tossed him back at Indy, for she had eaten four trolls earlier and her stomach was a bit unsettled. The queen turned her back to Indy and Thelton and returned to her nest.

Thelton hugged the ground. He wasn't dead. He had never been that close to death before. He was surprised at how calm he had stayed. If he could get to his swords, he might still be able to kill the queen. Thelton slowly rolled over, for he didn't want to grab the queen's attention. Standing directly over him was Indy. She stood in a fighting stance and looked ready to strike. Thelton tried to play the scenario out in his mind.

He had to get to his swords, for Indy had knocked the emerald sword out of his hand, and he had no idea where the golden sword had gone. Indy was snarling.

Without given her a chance to react, Thelton lunged at her legs and dragged her down. Her head slammed against the ground on impact, an echo rang in her ears. Thelton sprung for his swords but Indy seized his legs and brought him down. Without much of a fight, she again had him locked in a throat hold while she straddled the rest of his body.

Indy held Thelton down for a time. Attached to her back, black and purple wings folded into her body. Thelton wondered how hard he had hit his head, for was he really seeing wings on the woman? Slowly she moved away and guarded his body at his side. Any movement he made, she would pounce on him again. This went on the rest of the night. By the morning, Thelton was physically drained. He didn't mean to, but he eventually fell asleep.

Indy could not sleep. Their lair had never been invaded before. For the first time in her life, she felt vulnerable. She went over to the emerald sword. It was mysterious; the craftsmanship on it was foreign. Intrigued, she reached down and grabbed the blade. The metal sliced into her hand as a sharp sensation stung her. She dropped the sword and put her bleeding hand into her mouth, looking for relief.

Thelton stirred, Indy immediately returned to his side, but he stayed sleeping. He captivated her. She had never seen a human before. She thought he looked odd. How could he walk around and do the things she did? She noticed he had arms and legs that looked like hers. The more she watched him, the more she took notice of their many similarities. What could he be?

The camp heated up by the morning sun and soon the dragons awoke. None had been aware about Thelton's presence in the camp the night before. Only the queen and Indy knew of his presence. It didn't take long for one of the dragons to spot Thelton lying below Indy. The dragon speedily came over to Thelon, with every intention of eating him. Indy stood in a fighting stance, ready to protect her game. The two growled at each other. The silver dragon racked his claws across Indy's body and sent her flying across the camp. She slammed into the ground and didn't move. The silver dragon turned to Thelton. Thelton quickly found his sword and grabbed it.

Lifting the sword into the air, he had time to stab straight into the open mouth that came at him. The sword's tip gashed through the silver dragon's right side of the jaw. It was enough pain to push the dragon back. Thelton pulled his sword out of the dragon's mouth and with it grazed the dragon's shoulder. He had been aiming at the heart, but missed. The silver dragon screeched out in pain. Enraged, it bared its teeth and went straight for Thelton's head.

_Swoosh_. Indy grabbed Thelton seconds before the silver dragon ate him. The movement was forceful, knocking his emerald sword out of his hand. She flew him through the trees, trying to separate Thelton from the dragon. The silver dragon flew up and pursued right behind Indy. Indy zoomed low in the trees and quickly lost the silver dragon, for he was too big to pass through all the trees.

When they were a good distance from the dragon camp, Indy landed and took her fighting stance. She wasn't about to let him go anywhere. Thelton was too stunned and mesmerized to fight at the moment. Had the woman really flown him there? How did she have wings? From his spot on the ground he watched her, trying to wrap his mind over all that had happened. While he observed her, she inspected him. They studied each other for awhile, and then Thelton stood. Before he could fully straighten up, she slammed him to the ground and was straddled on top of him.

When she finally released him, he made sure to stay in a sitting position. He was worn out from their little game. He decided to try talking to her.

"Tell me your name," he said.

Indy jumped back a bit, startled by his words, for they were fluent. She had made noises out of her mouth before, but not like that. Thelton liked the response, so he kept talking. Indy watched but never answered. When Thelton grew weary, he closed his eyes and went to sleep. He slept through the night, and when he awoke, he found Indy still watching over him.

"Come on, woman, let me go. Whatever you want is yours. I can give you the world."

No response, just staring.

Thelton looked at Indy. She was the oddest woman he had ever seen. She was his equal in size. Something not common for the women of the area. Most women were a head or two shorter than him. She had wings compacting tightly against her back. He could see hues of teal and gold mixed in the blackness of them, and even a slight bit of purple. She had very long black hair, ratty and everywhere. Her arms were blanketed in thick dark hair, while her eyebrows were bushier than his. Her skin was much tanned, almost looking like leather, nothing soft or smooth about it. She was very husky, not from fat, but from well worked muscles.

Indy was very large and mature for her age of fifteen. It was because the dragon's milk she had drank for the first half of her life had caused her body to grow more powerful and stronger than she would have been on her own. The milk's growth factors had also created many dragon-like qualities to her body; the most obvious were her wings and claws. What traits she hadn't inherited through the milk, she had learned living amongst the dragons. She was very much like a dragon, and yet, she possessed many human characteristics as well.

He looked into her deep green eyes when a wave of emotion surged threw him. It was a foreign and awkward feeling.

"What was that?" He looked away uncomfortable, but quickly looked back into her eyes. Again, something overcame his body. He decided to avoid her eyes.

Indy, however, could not stop staring at Thelton. She found him enthralling. As she studied him, she realized they were about the same. He looked like her. She wondered where he came from and if there were others like him. He had a pattern of noises out of his mouth that she had never tried. She wasn't ready to recreate them, but she enjoyed listening to him when he made them.

They sat in silence for awhile until Thelton sat up and yelled, "My swords!" He had remembered they were still back at the dragon lair. "I can't go on without that sword. It was a gift from the king. I slay all my dragons with it. I slay all the trolls with it. What did you do, you foolish girl? Take me back. I must get my sword." Thelton paced around in a rage. His arms flung back and forth.

Indy watched Thelton; he was going on a rant. She could see something changed about him, but she didn't understand it. Thelton threw his fit for about an hour and then finally stopped. He sat across from Indy. She looked into his eyes, and he had to look away.

"Who are you? What kind of woman lives with dragons and can fly?"

Indy reached forward and ran her hands through his sandy blond hair. She touched her own hair and touched his hair again. His was softer than hers. It was lighter than hers. Thelton's skin tingled. Indy leaned into Thelton and began smelling him. She took her hands and ran them over his arms. Her touch excited him and brought fear to him. Indy continued to explore her prey.

After awhile, Indy grew tired. She hadn't slept much since she had captured Thelton. Lying on the ground she almost instantly went to sleep. Thelton stared at her. He had never met a woman who would sleep on the ground. The sounds of wolves carried over head. Suddenly, Thelton wanted to protect her. He was sure she didn't need any, but the feelings to protect were there. When the howling stopped, he allowed himself to drift to sleep.

...

Thelton's stomach growled and brought him out of his slumber. He was hungry. He had run out of bread several days ago. He looked over at Indy. She looked helpless asleep, nothing like the wild beast she was. Getting up, he decided to go look for food. As he began to walk away, Indy awoke. She saw him leaving her side. She didn't know what to do. She felt possessive of her catch. Jumping up, she tackled him to the ground.

"I am done with this!" he yelled at her. "Get off me."

Indy pinned Thelton down and held him there for awhile. She could feel his heat. She didn't know what to do with him, but she didn't want him escaping. Eventually, she rolled over and allowed Thelton to stand.

"I am hungry, I want food." He turned and began walking away. Indy pounced on him again, using her massive strength, she held him close to the ground.

"What are you doing? Get off me!" He yelled again. He could feel her muscles press into his back. How could she be stronger than him? After awhile, she released him.

Thelton tried to motion with his hands the act of eating. He rubbed his stomach. "Hungry, food. Eat. Can't you understand, eat?" Indy looked gently at him, and he thought she understood. He began to shuffle away when she pounced upon him again.

"Will you stop it?" he screamed. "What is your problem?" Thelton tried to push Indy off. The two of them rolled around. Dirt flew everywhere. Finally getting the upper hand, he pushed her off and jumped up. Indy jumped up next to him.

"Please, let me go get food." He again tried to use his hands to show the act of eating. Indy responded by motioning him next to her.

Thelton began to understand. Indy was trying to keep him close. He was her catch. She thought he was trying to escape. Thelton grabbed her hand and clasped it into his. Although it was very rough, it was the greatest thing he had ever felt. "Don't think that," he barked at himself while he tried to push the thought away. He pulled at her arm to follow him.

"Let's find food together," he said, and surprisingly, Indy allowed him to guide her.

They walked around awhile until they spotted a fox. Thelton released Indy's hand and reached for his golden sword. Disappointed, he remembered he didn't have it. As he looked for a rock to throw, Indy had already pounced on the small animal. It let out a shrill sound. Her thick claws pierced into the small beast's skin. Thelton's eyes bulged as he watched her.

"Did I get out hunted by a woman? More than that, did I actually see a woman hunt?"

Indy brought the fox to her mouth and tore into it with her teeth. She took several large bites and then dropped the fox at Thelton's feet.

Thelton scratched his head. "Eww." He wrinkled his nose in disgust, for she hadn't even taken the fur off as she ate it.

"I'll take your fox, but I am not going to eat it raw." Thelton dug a small hole and filled it with twigs and kindling, creating a small tepee of wood. He took out some flint and stuck it until sparks ignited a fire. He wrapped the fox in leaves and put it in the fire. Indy came close to him, mesmerized by the flames. Dragons shot out fire, something she couldn't do, but her strange catch had created it with his hands. Maybe she could make fire with her hands. She rubbed them back and forth like she thought he had, but nothing happened.

...

Thelton pulled the fox out of the fire with a stick. He brought it to his mouth and took a bite. The sweet meat tickled his senses. His stomach growled in approval. Indy straightened while her ears perked up. She looked to the sky. She could hear the dragons coming, most likely looking for Thelton. As Thelton went to take a second bite of his breakfast, Indy grabbed his arm and yanked him up. The fox fell into the dirt.

"What did you do that for," he growled.

As he bent down to pick up the fox, he saw fear all over her face; he followed her gaze upward. He couldn't see them, but he could hear the flapping of what he was sure were dragon wings.

"Oh man, this is not good." He felt defenseless without his swords, feeling rather naked without their protection. Thelton looked around, for they had to hide. He had hidden from dragons before.

Grabbing Indy's rough hand, they ran. He knew they left a thick and heavy scent behind. He had an idea. He motioned for Indy to fly. She seemed to understand. She grabbed him and flew. Flying low, they stayed hidden under the canopy.

As Thelton and Indy escaped, the dragons reached the remains of the smoldering fire. Smoke rose out of the embers. Dropping to the ground, the dragons began searching for Thelton, for they could smell him on everything.

...

Indy continued to fly low until they reached the base of a very tall mountain. She dropped Thelton on the ground without regards to his safety. He tumbled into a pile of rocks, smacking his knee into them.

"Ouch," he bellowed.

Indy went and sat on a boulder. Thelton joined her. They listened for the dragons, but heard no sign of them. The dragon's had lost Indy's scent and were momentarily unable to track her. The two rested against each other. Thelton tried to figure out Indy, was she human or was she some overgrown fairy? He didn't know.

Thelton leaned into Indy. "You fly, you hunt; you have WINGS! What are you?"

Indy didn't look at him. She kept her senses alert so she would know when the dragons were close. She knew they would tear him apart, and she wasn't ready for that just yet. She wasn't sure what to do with her strange find. She wanted to eat him, explore him, give him to the queen, hide him, leave him, and protect him. She was full of many conflicting ideas. Suddenly, the hair on her skin stood erect. She sensed the dragons were coming; she jumped up. Above all, she wanted to protect him from her dragon family.

Thelton jumped up also, he could see her fear. She wrapped her arms around him and flew up. She stayed vertical to the mountain. The higher she got, the colder it became. The altitude burned both of their lungs. While they were ascending higher, the dragons reached the lowest position on the mountain. They smelt around until they locked unto Indy's scent, then they began flying up toward them

Indy flew to the summit. It was bitter cold at the top. She landed on the ridge and watched the dragons continue to fly upward.

"We can't sit here and wait for them to get us. We must go." Thelton yelled as he tried to pull Indy up. She didn't move. The fear had evaporated from her face. She looked content. "Come on!" he yelled. He moved away from the edge. Indy sat there.

"Come on," he yelled. She didn't respond. He wasn't ready to leave her side, even though his life was in danger, but they had to go! He stood next to her and looked down at the dragons. Thelton noticed the higher they flew, the slower they became. When they reached about five thousand meters up, their wings began to get stiff, and they fell straight down, unable to move their wings.

"That's right," Thelton shouted out, "Dragons can't handle the cold or the altitude." Thelton jumped up in the air. "Whoopee," he yelled out. He ran over to Indy and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

He punched the sky, "Yes, yes, yes," he yelled in celebration. Normally, he wasn't nervous with dragons, but without his swords, he was highly skittish.

Indy wrapped her arms around her solid legs and shivered. She was only covered in Genulum leaves, they had some warmth to them, but not sufficient for the bitter cold mountain. Indy had discovered Genulum leaves when she was four. Night times could get pretty cold. The Genulum leaves had a velvety covering on both sides. At first she would drape them over her when she slept. As she got older, she had learned to weave them together using plant fibers. She covered her body in Genulum leaves as a type of clothing to keep herself warm. But at the top of the mountain, the leaf outfit was doing very little to keep her warm. Thelton was also cold, but he could tell Indy was colder. They had to get off the mountain. Thelton grabbed Indy's icy hand and they began hiking across the top of the summit while Indy violently shivered. When Thelton felt they were a good distance away from the side, he had motioned for Indy to lift them to the sky.

Indy understood his intent. She wrapped her powerful arms around Thelton's chest. Her touch felt good to Thelton. The two flew, widening the gap between them and Indy's home; the dragon camp.

After a long flight, Indy had brought them over the northeast side of the mountain. There was a village at the edge. Thelton had never been there before, and he was sure no one in Andleburg knew of its existence. He motioned Indy to follow him into the village, because she was still shivering, he wanted to help her get warm.

Thelton grabbed Indy's bulky hand and guided her to a tavern. Before they walked through the doors, Thelton looked her over. Her wings, although contracted, were a glaringly obvious sight on her. How he wish he could disguise them. He took a deep breath and walked into the tavern.

As they went through the doors, all the men inside turned and looked at them. The atmosphere was stiff and silent. Indy froze. There were more creatures like Thelton everywhere. She cowered into his arms for she was out of her element.

The men took note of her size and her strange leaf clothing.

"What kind of manner of woman are you?" someone yelled out.

"Why she is a wild woman," another answered.

Thelton ignored their cat calls. A big sloppy drunk stood up to Thelton. "Listen, you're not from our village. I suggest you take your winged-bear and go someplace else for your brew."

Thelton wasn't accustomed to hostility. He had spent his life being a legend. Everywhere he went in the tri-kingdoms, he was worshiped. He ignored the men and placed five gold pieces on the bar.

"Does that woman have wings?" someone called out. "Hey everyone, it's the fairy queen?"

"I need lodging." Thelton said, ignoring the men.

The gold spoke louder than the drunks. The greedy bar tender scooped them up. "There are rooms out back." He only charged half a gold coin for them, but if this man was willing to give him five, he would take them.

As they walked out of the tavern, a few men howled.

### Chapter 18

Flance's mind slipped in and out of consciousness. He was cold. As he hung in the tree, the blood pooled to his lower extremities, his fingers and toes swelling up. He began having hallucinations. In them he could see his son and his father. They kept trying to untie him. Seeing them made him wonder if his son had died and had joined his own Father's spirit. Every joint in his body hurt. If he ever got his hands on Thelton, he was going to kill him. That was twice Thelton left him in such a precarious situation.

Of course he knew there was no way he would get to Thelton. "I am going to die. No one will ever go this deep into the Vegus Forest." He began coughing. His throat burned. His mouth was so dry. "What I would do for a drink of water." As Flance envisioned a drink, a song played in his mind. It was one he had heard at the market once. It was about a lady who spanked her kids and they paid her back by throwing dung in her face. It was a horrible, obnoxious song, one he detested, and yet it played with perfect clarity as his mind played tricks on him. The song was audible as if the singer was right next to him, never stopping. It kept repeating over and over. Four hours into the song, Flance couldn't handle any more of it. If he could get to his hand, he would rip out his ears.

"Stop it," he screamed. "Stop IT!" Flance decided to drown out the song by singing one of his own. He sang a drinking song. He sang as loud as he could. The force sent him into another coughing fit. He recovered, and tried again.

He sang another drinking song. "And where did old Heriship go, dear Heriship? One could find him at the bottle." It didn't work, in fact the louder he sang, the louder the lady sang next to him. It was of no use.

"Just take me now," he yelled. "I am going to die, so get on with it."

"Flance, is that you up there?" he heard a voice from bellow. He didn't open his eyes for he was tired of the hallucinations.

"It is you Flance. We heard you had been tied up."

"Is that you God, have you come to rescue me?" Flance replied.

He heard men's voices roll out in laughter. Flance looked down at a party of men.

"Are you real?" he asked.

"Very real Flance, and it is a fitting situation to find you in."

"Turkish, that is you. By golly, you are the men who stayed at Firelake. Cut me down, boy."

"I am not sure I am willing to do as much. You are a traitor to the king's men. You belong in that tree."

"What in the devil do you mean? My alliance has always been to the king. The traitor is Thelton. He tied me up here."

Turkish shook his head. "Flance, we found the men in the cave. It was a horrible sight. Most of them were trees, and some of them were part trees. The men that could still talk told us all about how you drugged them with your whiskey. When they awoke, they had all commenced turning into trees. After Thelton tied you up and carried you away, the men were left there to rot."

"I would have never left my men. I was dragged away."

"Never, Flance, never? You left the men who had gotten stuck by the rock hard mud. Where was your alliance to them? You left them there to die, just like you left the men in the cave to die, after you drugged them."

Flance had no reply, for he had left the men who had turned to stone. How could he get them to believe he didn't leave the men in the cave?

"How did you find me?" Flance asked.

"It wasn't hard to track you guys down. We followed the wagon ruts all the way to the cave. Before the cave, we saw the men stuck in mud stone. We gathered them food and water and did what we could for them. Sadly, not all of them made it. Three of my men decided to stay with them.

"We found the other men in the cave. We cared for the ones who could still talk. Three more of my men stayed behind with the men in the cave."

Flance counted the men below, there were eleven of them. Only Turkish was from the original forty. The other men were ones that had joined them at Firelake.

"You left six behind, where are the other three? Didn't twenty of you stay at the lake?"

"They did indeed. While still back at the lake, Flint over there decided, we must get on with life. He worked hard at snapping us back into reality. We decided as good and refreshed as we felt, we could benefit the party by catching up with them. Later, we sent three back to alert the king of the massive tragedies we have encountered."

"Please Turkish, cut me down. I know where the queen's nest is."

"I don't know Flance. You betrayed the whole party. I feel you are where you deserve to be."

"Listen, you have to get me down. I have to save my son. Thelton turned him into a tree. I must find Thelton to retrieve the antidote from him. I promise you I did not do that to the men, but most of all, I wouldn't do that to my own son."

"Listen, we will cut you down, but I still don't trust you. I am doing it for your son. I have five sons and would do anything for them. When we travel, we will keep your one hand tied to your side, to be safe. I am no executioner. I will leave that to the king."

"Sounds good, sounds very reasonable." Flance said.

Four men climbed up into the tree and cut Flance lose. He was weak and they had to bring him down. They laid him on the ground and brought food to him. He greedily ate it, filling his gut. He had eaten too fast and his stomach cramped up in pain.

The men dropped next to Flance and allowed him a break to build his energy. All the men took a nap except Rullan; he stayed up to keep guard.

After a good rest, Flance stood up. "I will lead you guys to the queen's nest."

"I thought we were going back to save your son?"

"Thelton is at the nest. The only way to save my son is to capture Thelton."

"Oh no, I won't help you apprehend Thelton." Turksih said shaking his head.

"Fine, but we need to get the antidote from him nonetheless."

...

Flance quietly entered the premises of the dragon camp. Everyone was careful and on alert. It didn't take long to see the lair was abandoned. There wasn't one dragon left in it.

"He did it," Flance exclaimed. "He caught the dragons by himself. How did he do it?"

The men spread out and collected all the proof they could. There were scattered scales, broken bones, left over carcass, and chipped claws.

"You know, Flance, if Thelton had killed the dragons, where is the blood? Where is the sign of struggle? If there were a hundred dragons here, surely there would be some sign of death." Rullan pointed out. "And what did he do? Drag one hundred dragons out by himself?"

Flance thought about it for a minute, Rullan was right. There wasn't any sign of a battle or a fight.

"Maybe they killed The Dragon Slayer and moved camp." One of the men said.

"But where did they go," Rullan asked?

"Maybe they hated having a human know where their nest was. Maybe they left to establish a new camp."

The men stood in a circle and discussed the many possibilities to the missing dragons. Flance left the circle and looked around. Something shined on the ground; he went over to it and saw Thelton's emerald sword, golden sword, and the emerald dagger.

"He was here," he silently said to himself. Flance looked over his shoulder and back at the men who were still deep in conversation. He dropped down and picked the sword up with his fingertips. It was difficult to do with the way his hand was tied to his side. He rubbed back and forth on it until the blade snapped the rope. Picking up the swords, he quickly shoved them down his pants. He took the dagger and stashed it in his boots. He stood up and rejoined the men.

Turkish turned and looked at Flance. "Your man is gone. He probably has already headed back to the castle. Somehow or other The Dragon Slayer has taken the whole lot of them. I say we get back to the castle and check in with the king. We will report the gravity of the situation and inquire on Thelton's return. The king will help us."

Flance agreed.

### Chapter 19

Thelton escorted Indy into their room. She was very hesitant, the room was small. She felt trapped because she was used to large open spaces. Once inside, she looked around at the modest set up. The floor was dirt with a bed in the middle, along the east wall was a fireplace, and a chamber pot to the back of the room. Thelton closed the door behind her.

Indy never really had been afraid of much, for dragons didn't know fear, and living amongst dragons -the forest's most vicious creature- she adapted their fearless lifestyle. She was brave and would fight anything. But standing in the tight, small room, she was experiencing a new emotion; anxiety. She didn't like the way it felt. She didn't know what to do. Things were out of her control. The room seemed tight and cramped, causing her panic level to rise as floods of claustrophobia overpowered her. Her heart pounded as sweat drenched her skin. She needed to get out of the room and into a wide open space. She became very fidgety.

Thelton, sensing her hesitation, led her to the bed and helped her sit on it. She sunk into the soft top. For the moment, she was distracted from her anxiety. The top of the bed was cozy and bumpy. She rubbed her hand across it while she bounced up and down.

"Bed," Thelton said as he patted it with his hand. He sat next to Indy. "Bed, bed, bed." He said repeating himself. He touched Indy's thick lips. "Now you try saying bed."

Indy tried to formulate the words. "Bbbbed." She stammered. It surprised her she could make sounds like him. He used sounds a lot, and it seemed they had meaning to him, each one he used.

Thelton jumped up on his feet. "Yes, you did it, you said bed."

Indy patted the bed, with a big smile, she tried again. "Bed".

Thelton slapped his chest, "Thelton, dragon slayer."

Indy blankly stared at him. Thelton hit his chest again. "Thelton, Thelton, can you say Thelton?"

"Teltn, "Indy tried.

"Good, good, good," Thelton sang out.

It was obvious her attempt pleased him. She tried again. "Teltn."

"Yes, yes, I am Thelton. TH-EL-TON!"

"Teltn," she said with a huge grin. She was proud she could sound like the strange creature.

Thelton went to the ground and touched it. "Ground."

"Goont," Indy tried.

Thelton spent the night labeling things inside and outside of the room, and Indy tried emulating everything Thelton did and said. She forget her reservations about the room. They both enjoyed the activity.

After awhile, Thelton could see Indy winding down. He led her over to the bed. She sat down. He tried to motion the idea of sleep. He put his hands to his face and closed his eyes. "Sleep," he said.

"Seep," Indy yawned as she said it.

"Yes, you sleep."

"Seep."

Thelton went over to her and pushed her back. She lay on top of the bed. "Sleep." Thelton said. Indy sat back up, for she had no idea what he was getting at. Thelton pushed her back again. She stayed down. Thelton crouched down on the floor next to her. "Thelton, sleep," he said.

Indy patted the bed. "Teltn seep." She tried saying. It looked like an invitation to join her. As tempted as he was to sleep on a soft bed, he turned his back to her.

Indy lay back down. "Seep," she said again.

...

In the morning, Thelton led Indy to the tavern. Both of their stomachs were growling loudly. They went inside to be met by a heavenly aroma. Eggs, bacon, and ham drifted in the air. Indy's wild side sparked up. Savory fragrance never had permeated the camp before. The smell enticed Indy. She spun around madly trying to find the source of food. Her stomach acid churned in anticipation.

There was a new crowd there, different from the night before. Although they stared, they didn't seem as angry as the ones from the previous night. Thelton could tell everyone was staring at Indy and her strangeness, especially her wings. "Sit." He commanded her.

"Sit," Indy replied as she stood.

Thelton tried again. "Sit."

"Sit."

He jumped up and pushed her toward the chair. She became startled at his forceful gesture. Instinctively, she grabbed his arm and pushed him to the ground. She was snarling. Thelton tried to stand up, but she pushed him back down again. Everyone in the tavern watched. They had never seen a show like his; here a woman was aggressive and making a fool of the man, and of even further interest, she looked like no woman they had ever seen before. Were those wings sticking out from her back? All eyes were on them.

"Thelton, Thelton, Thelton," Thelton said as his head lay under her foot. He was trying to soothe her with the words she knew.

Drool dripped out the side of her lip, her eyes looked wild.

Thelton gently pushed her foot away and slowly rose. He reached up and tenderly embraced Indy's mammoth hand. Every movement he tried to make as nonthreatening as possible. He held it carefully while he brought his other hand to it and began softly rubbing it. He needed to calm her.

Indy responded to the soft touch. The crazed look dissipated from her eyes. Her shoulders dropped, while she relaxed. Thelton slowly rose trying not to startle her. He quickly slipped into his chair. He looked around the room. He saw dropped jaws and wide eyes from the crowd.

He was angry everyone saw him taken down by Indy. He knew he could have won, but he wasn't going to fight her in the tavern while everyone watched. Indy continued breathing heavily, still standing by his side. Thelton looked around again.

"Hey, can we get some food?" he yelled.

A nervous server came to their table. She really didn't want to get involved in their lover's squabble. "What may I get you?"

"Eggs, tatters, and flutties." Thelton said. Tatters were a root and flutties were a fruit like cake.

"And what for you?" she asked Indy.

Indy stared at her. The human was different than Thelton. She had longer hair and used the throat sounds in a higher pitch. Indy reached up and grabbed the lady's cheek. Startled by the unwanted touch, the server backed up. She didn't trust Indy. She had seen what Indy had done to Thelton.

"She will have the same," Thelton said.

The server quickly walked away. Thelton looked around and saw all eyes were still on them.

'"Eat your food!" He yelled to everyone. Some looked away in embarrassment, others kept gawking.

When the server brought out the food, she couldn't stop staring at Indy. Indy returned the stare. The server had never seen a lady so abnormal, and Indy frightened her. In return, Indy was mesmerized by the fabrics the server wore. They were billowy and bright. Indy kept touching them.

"You know sir, I think your girl could use some new rags." The server said, offering advice.

Thelton looked at Indy. She really did look pitiful. Her leaves were torn and frayed, her tar black hair was wild, and she was very dirty. The server had a point. Thelton hadn't considered how strange Indy looked in her homemade attire.

A plate of food was put in front of Indy. The smells soared up to her nose, her stomach growled again. She looked over at Thelton. He had picked up a fork and began eating his eggs. She reached her hand into the eggs, scooping them up as she put them in her mouth. The heat burned her tongue and she spat them out, causing the eggs to splatter everywhere. She had never eaten hot food before. The heat continued to singe her tongue and she made several beastly noises as she reacted to the pain.

"Blow on it," Thelton instructed. He jumped up and stood behind her. Air escaped his mouth as he blew on her food.

Indy really wasn't sure what he was doing. Still very hungry, she grabbed another handful of eggs and shoved them into her mouth again. That time it didn't burn as much, but the warmth was still something new to her. As she continued to cram the food in, little pieces trickled down her chin, while other pieces intertwined into her hair. She grunted as she ate. She looked a mess.

Thelton grimaced, "I have never been one for a well refined lady, but you could use a few manners."

He returned to his seat and ate his breakfast. Indy had abandoned her hands and now was head first in her plate, with particles of food slopping everywhere. She pushed her chair over and climbed onto the table, straddling her plate, still grunting while she ate. Indy made quick work of her food. When her food was gone, she crawled across the table and dove her head into Thelton's food. Thelton shook his head in disgust. All other breakfasts got cold as the crowd watched Indy in distain.

...

When they left the tavern, instead of going to their room, Thelton decided to head to the market. Indy could use a dress of some kind. He went from stand to stand, but no one had a dress as big as she was. Finally, he bought some men's clothing and took them to the room. Before he gave them to her, he cut out the back with a knife he had swiped from the tavern. She would need a place for her wings to slip out of.

"These are for you," he said as he put them in her hands.

Indy examined the material. She rubbed her finger through it and brushed the cloth on her cheek, liking the way it felt.

"Put it on," Thelton said. She stared at him. She rarely understood his intensions. "Look," he said, "this is how you get dressed." Thelton took hold of the new shirt, and with it he demonstrated to her the act of dressing. He removed his shirt and then pulled her shirt over his torso.

"See, that is how you do it." He slipped the new shirt off his body and put it in Indy's hands. "Your turn."

She smiled and put the cloths back into his hands. It was frustrating trying to communicate with her. She seemed dumb at times.

"I guess I am going to have to dress you." He grabbed for the leaves on her body. He was going to tear them off, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He remembered the statue of Demietha, the Goddess of Fertility he had gotten for his birthday, and he recalled all her curves and realized he was not ready to see those on Indy. His nervousness caused him to shake. Things weren't right; he shouldn't be seeing her unclothed.

Thelton grabbed the new shirt and pulled it over her head and down her front as it covered her leaf outfit.

"I'll leave your leaves under everything." While he did that, Indy moved around a lot, making it hard to dress her. Once the clothes were on, she liked how warm she felt. She had covered herself in leaves to stay warm in the forest at nights. Over the years, she had designed a way to get them to stay on for several weeks, and then she would make more when they didn't keep her as warm. This new thing Thelton put on her was warmer than they had ever been.

Thelton turned from Indy and sat on the bed. He looked back up at her. She was playing with her shirt. Her matted hair fell all around her, still stuck in it were pieces of breakfast and random items she had collected throughout her life.

"You know, we can do something about your hair. Women are supposed to have long hair, but yours is out of control. I bet you have never cut it." He demonstrated his intention to her. She smiled. The knife was dull. He hoped it would work. "I sure wish I hadn't lost my dagger."

He brought the knife to Indy's knotted hair. Although she was nervous with his actions, she was more curious to what he was doing. He chopped at the hair with the dull knife and her hair fell to the ground. He made sure not to cut above her wings, because she would still need her hair to somewhat cover them. When he was finished, he scooped her cut hair from the floor and dropped it into her lap. Indy sorrowfully looked at her hair. It no longer a part of her. She played with it for awhile. She flipped her head back and forth, feeling the weight of her old hair removed. She actually liked the way it felt, but felt remorse over the hair that had been detached from her. She began howling much like a wolf. Thelton backed away from her, uncomfortable by her response.

He waited for her to calm, talking note of her abnormal body. Her wings were remarkable, the way they contracted tightly against her back. When Thelton had seen them open, he was in awe over the gold lining traced around their black edges. There were teal scales weaving around the entirety of the wings, with purple hues. When she pulled them in, it was almost possible to camouflage them under her thick black hair, but there was no mistaking their majesty when they were fully opened. But now, Thelton had removed much of the hair. He hoped it wasn't too much. Maybe he shouldn't have done that.

He continued to observe her, taken back by how feminine she suddenly looked. As she bobbed her new haircut around, she appeared so innocent. He went to her side and tried to run his hands through her hair, but it was still too tangled. He had another idea. Thelton ran back to the Tavern holding Indy's hand. He fetched a basin, soap, a brush, and a pot of warm water. They returned to the room.

"Lay on the bed and we will put your head in the basin," he instructed Indy. She had no idea what he was talking about. He lowered her to the bed, placing her head into the basin. He poured the water over her hair. The tempid water relaxed her. He lathered her hair with soap and began scrubbing the dirt and snarls away. Indy closed her eyes and enjoyed the massage, for she had never felt a gentle touch before. When her hair was clean, he removed the basin and began combing through her tangles. Brushing hair was something he didn't have much practice at. He tried to be very gentle. Indy had a tough head, but sometimes when he would get stuck in a painful snarl, Indy would head butt him. Despite her hard knocks to his head, Thelton kept working on it. He was curious to see what she would look like with smooth hair.

As he straightened her hair, he focused on her face. When he first met her, he thought she looked very barbaric. He was surprised how she seemed to transform into a more beautiful version of her wild herself. Her skin was leathered by years in the sun and her hands were callused by hard work. She had a round face with large brown eyes; the brightness of her soul seemed to pour out of those brown eyes. Thelton had met many beautiful women, his fiancée the princess, included. None of them had caught his eye. He wasn't taken in by all the methods women used to beautify their selves. But there was something about Indy that sparked a bit of interest in him.

When he was finished with her hair, he pulled Indy up. She looked radiant. Her smoothened black hair hung delicately down her back, still long enough to cascade over her wings. Thelton opened the door and stepped outside. He needed some air.

### Chapter 20

Flance and his party were rushed to the king's throne where the king immediately stood up to greet his men.

"Flance of Candleshaw, why so few numbers? Where are the rest of the men; where is Thelton?" The king sounded panic stricken.

"Ours has been an ill mission, my dear king. Our men have met tragedy almost around every corner. The Vegus Forest is damned. Little by little the numbers have dwindled."

"Don't tell me you've come back empty handed. Where is the queen's head?"

"Did Thelton not bring the queen to you?" Thelton hesitantly asked.

"No, no, I have not seen Thelton. Is he the one who has the head?"

Flance began to sweat. "Dear king, I do not know if he has the queen's head or not. Things got complicated." In his nervousness, Flance began to cough. His loud coughing annoyed the king.

The king's voice rose, "What do you mean complicated?"

Flance swallowed hard. It took a minute to suppress the coughing. "Well, king, there were so many road blocks. The worst one came at the hand of your very own dragon slayer."

The doors to the throne room flew open. Princess Alashia came into the room with her long hair bouncing as she ran to the side of her father. She looked around, stress creased about her face.

"Thelton, Thelton, where is Thelton?"

The king turned to the princess. "Daughter, go to your room. I will send you word when I have it myself."

Princess Alashia looked at the men, not one of them was her beloved fiancé. "What do you mean when you have word? Is Thelton not here?" The princess had already spent many nights in fear over Thelton. She kept reminding herself he was the world's best hunter, and he would return unharmed. Not seeing him brought her fears to reality.

"Please, daughter, this is king's business. To your room."

Princess Alashia threw her arms around her chest. "I will not go until I know the where about of my fiancé."

Flance enviously looked at the princess.

"You are supposed to be mine," he thought. "I would have been the greatest dragon slayer and then the king would have engaged you to me." Her beauty could not be matched, her features delicate and fine. He was supposed to be the greatest dragon slayer. If only he had killed Thelton when he had the chance, this would all be his. It would be him marrying the princess.

Because the princess was agitating the king by disobeying his orders, he turned his anger to Flance.

"Do tell me about the fate of my future son."

Flance's blood pressure rose, while he coughed even harder. "I don't know where he is, my lordship."

The princess let out a small wail.

"Dear king...if I may," Turkish shyly stammered. It was out of place to summons an audience to speak with the king. One must wait to be called.

The king turned to the intruder of his conversation.

"You may only speak if you have word on Thelton."

"Dear king," Turkish bowed. "Me and these men here had become separated from the party for a time. As we caught up to them we were able to see the path of destruction Flance had created."

Flance turned to Turkish, forgetting where he was, he grabbed Turkish by the throat.

"How dare you impugn my honor."

"Release him," the king bellowed. Embarrassed, Flance dropped his hand to his side while he coughed again.

"Continue," the king commanded Turkish.

"We came to a cavern in a rock where we found the men. They had all been turned into trees by Flance."

"Not true," Flance said in defense. His face reddened as he pumped his left fist open and closed.

"I warn you, boy," the king said as he glared at Flance.

The king turned to Turkish. "What do you mean, turned into trees? You make no sense to me."

"Well, apparently the previous night, Flance had given all the men whiskey to drink. The whiskey had a potion in it. The men drank it, and the next morning they had all turned into trees. For reasons we can't comprehend, Flance had poisoned it and turned the men into trees."

"My fiancé is a tree?" the princess bawled.

"No, the men said Thelton had refused the drink, not being a drinking man. It was a good thing, because he would have ended up just like them."

"Where is Thelton?" the king demanded.

"We don't know. We believe Flance may have killed him."

The princess wailed out a scream.

"I did not kill him," Flance roared. "And I did not poison the men. That was Thelton all the way."

The king pointed at Flance. In seconds he was covered with the royal guards. As they were handling him, one of the guards could feel the swords on Flance. He reached his hands in Flance's pants and removed the emerald and golden sword.

Like a mad man, the king leaped for the emerald sword. He knew the sword. He had given it to Thelton.

"Your evidence betrays you. Send him to the dungeon." The king's face flared. He was livid. Thelton was his prize; he was to be his son. Flance had taken Thelton from him and his daughter. It was all he could do to retain himself from killing Flance with Thelton's emerald sword.

Flance kicked and yelled as the guards tackled him even more. As they did, another found Thelton's dagger. There were no doubts Flance had killed Thelton and poisoned the men.

The princess crumbled into a pile on the floor. She howled at the thought of her lost love.

...

Indy ran a brush through her hair as she watched herself in a small hand held mirror. Thelton had bought her those and taught her how to do simple grooming. As Indy stroked her hair, she felt overwhelmed by the new experiences, confused at what her role was in the new world. Every time they left their room, they saw more of the strange creatures that looked like Thelton. Sometimes the people would try to talk to her. She even had a couple men throw rotten food at her.

Things were so different. She did like the always available food. She had learned how to let Thelton know she was hungry, and when she did, he would take her to get something to eat. It was nice not to have to hunt it. The food she ate with Thelton tasted nothing like what she was use to eating.

Despite the excitement of everything new, she missed her family. Her whole life she had been raised by dragons. She lived with dragons. Now, she found herself in the world of man. Everything was vastly different. On their third day at the inn, they decided to walk to the market. Thelton grabbed Indy's hand and led her down the street. She was getting used to him leading her places. She felt more secure when he held her hand. Walking in the new town was uncomfortable for Thelton. No one recognized him. Anywhere he went in the tri-kingdoms, he always had people coming up to him or pointing at him. Although at times he had grown tired of the attention, it felt empty with it gone.

Thelton swung their arms back and forth as they walked. He began to whistle a tune. Indy touched his voluptuous lips, curious by the music he was making. As she traced his lips searching for the cause of the music, Thelton's skin prickled. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. He liked her that close. As he continued to whistle, Indy unexpectedly went stiff. She was starring up into the sky.

Although the sky looked clear, she could hear the distance roars and flapping of dragon wings. She knew those wings, for she had heard them come and go from the dragon camp. She became excited. She had missed her family and they were close by.

Thelton stopped whistling and looked upwards as well. The surrounding trees made it hard to see very far off. He tried to find what captured Indy's attention, for he hadn't yet heard the wings. Indy was used to their sounds coming from a distance, but Thelton was not. After searching the sky, he finally saw the dragons in the distance, and then he heard their wings. Unconsciously, he reached for his swords, forgetting they were gone. His heart dropped when he remembered he didn't have them. He wasn't afraid of dragons, but without swords, he knew he didn't have a chance.

Indy let out a screeching from her throat. The dragons returned the call and changed the direction of their course, coming straight for Indy and Thelton. Thelton searched the ground, looking for any manner of weapon. He could find nothing. The people on the street went screaming and running when they saw the dragons heading their way. Thelton grabbed Indy's hand and tried to get her to run, but she stood solid where she was at.

"Listen, I must go somewhere else. I don't have my swords, we must hide." The panic could be heard in his voice.

Indy didn't understand what he was saying, nor did she care, for she was excited to see her two brothers, and her mom, the queen dragon. She had forgotten the danger Thetlon was in.

The dragons landed and the queen quickly nuzzled into Indy. She had been very worried when Indy didn't return, the future queen. Since it took years, decades to hatch a queen, she felt anxious to find Indy.

The male dragons both went up to Indy and gave her a quick sniff, and then they turned from her toward Thelton. Indy pushed past the queen and placed herself between her brothers and Thelton. She stood in a fighting stance, snarling. They snarled back, even the queen joined in. Indy realized if they didn't get out of there, Thelton was going to get shred apart.

Indy leapt forward and grabbed Thelton in her arms. She jumped into the air and flew over the head of one of her brothers, the sea green dragon. He reached up with his claw and was centimeters from snagging it into Indy's wing. Indy flew by him untouched. She kept flying as low to the ground as she could. The dragons flipped their bodies around and speedily opened their massive wings. Their wings took up the whole street. They took to the air and followed after Indy.

Indy veered into a huge grove of trees. The dragons tried to follow, but they were too big. So, instead, they flew above the trees, continuously circling around them.

Indy and Thelton stayed for the rest of the night in the grove. The dragons continued to soar overhead.

"If I had my swords, I would kill them all." It was a good thing Indy didn't understand Thelton's words, for she wouldn't like the things he was saying.

Finally, the dragons had a plan. The queen circled above the grove while the brothers landed and entered the grove from opposite sides. Indy had fallen asleep. Thelton was on watch, but he kept drifting to sleep, and then waking himself up. He had nodded off, when a creaking of a stick woke him. As he listened, he could immediately tell there wasn't as many dragons flying above, for their sound had decreased. He heard another crack and rumble in the brush. His heart leapt. The other dragons must be in the grove with him. He shook Indy awake. She could see the alarm on his face.

Indy heard her brothers make their way toward them. She could still hear the queen and a few others circling above. Indy knew if they stayed there any longer, Thelton would get eaten. Indy grabbed Thelton and took to the sky. The darkened sky hid her flight from her brothers and the queen. The dragons continued to comb the grove for her and Thelton while Indy and Thelton made their escape.

They had gotten a good distance ahead when the queen smelt Indy in the air. She changed the direction of her flight and flew fast and hard toward her future queen. The male dragons soon joined the queen.

The queen was falling farther and farther behind while the male dragons were getting closer and closer. She was too old for such a pursuit. Indy took them to a heavy wooded area, an area thick with Cyprus trees and Mangroves. Indy flew in

"I have an idea," Thelton said. "We needed to evade the dragons. If they lose our scent, we may lose them." Thelton motioned for Indy to put them down on ground. All though she didn't think it was safe, she landed.

Thelton took her hand and led them to the fast moving river. The rigid water shocked both their systems. It was so cold. As he dragged her into the water, Indy couldn't figure out what Thelton was doing. Grabbing a drifting log, he hoisted Indy's top torso over it. The two hung on as the current swiftly carried them away. Within moments, the dragons came to the river. They could no longer track Indy and Thelton's smell. Thelton's plan had worked.

Eventually the queen joined up with the other dragons. They continued their search, but it was in vain. After several hours went by and they didn't find Indy, the queen grew very angry. She led the dragons to the town where they set it ablaze.

...

As Thelton and Indy floated down the river, Thelton searched his brain for a way to escape from the dragons. If they walked, then the dragons could follow their scent. If Indy flew, the dragons would see them and set after them. Indy shivered next to Thelton while the water was brutally cold. She had experienced cold many times in her life, but never like that. After the river carried them five kilometers from town, Thelton had another idea.

He climbed to the side of the river bank and pulled Indy up. She sat on the ground shaking, chilled entirely. Thelton grabbed her face, "Fly," he said pointing into the air. Following his prompting, she wrapped her arms around Thelton and took off into the sky. Because she was so cold, it took a little more energy than normal, but she pushed herself because she didn't want to see the dragons rip Thelton to shreds.

They flew for half a day when they realized the dragons were back behind them. Thelton had been sure they had gotten a good distance from them, but somehow, they had re-found them. It didn't take long for the male dragons to close the distance on them. Thelton looked down to see where they were.

"If I am right," he thought, "we are above the Flankton Forest. This is good. We can use this to our advantage."

The Flankton Forest wasn't nearly as big as the Vegus Forest. Thelton remembered meeting Flance and his son in it. As they continued to fly over, Thelton wondered how much longer it would be before they reached the middle of the forest. He wasn't sure, but the dragons were getting closer. They had to be over the center by now. He motioned Indy to fly in.

On the ground, they began running. The dragons landed and chased right behind. It wouldn't be long until they caught Indy and Thelton. Fireballs flew past Indy and Thelton. Thankfully, none of them hit them. Thelton hoped more than anything his plan would work. He wasn't sure what his backup plan would be if it didn't.

As Indy and Thelton rounded a corner, they were right at the edge of the Flankton Forest dragon camp. Thelton shoved his heels into the dirt and stopped running.

There were nine dragons in the Flankton lair. They all perked up when Indy and Thelton ran into it. One large black dragon lunged toward Thelton. Thelton grabbed a thick tree branch with a very sharp tip and began defending himself. Indy screeched. The black dragon turned from Thelton and grabbed Indy in his claws, its claw piercing straight through Indy's hand. She screamed in pain. Thelton took his branch and stabbed it into the dragon's heart. It didn't go deep, but it hurt. The dragon let out a roar while the rest of the dragons surrounded them. The black dragon was still holding Indy. At that moment, Indy's dragon family surrounded the Flankton Forest's dragons. The war was on.

The Flankton dragons turned from Indy and Thelton and faced Indy's dragon family. Without delay, all the dragons charged at each other while a massive dragon battle erupted. The black dragon fell to the ground as death took over its body. Thelton worked hard at pulling the dragon's claw out of Indy's hand and releasing her. He ended up tarring through her skin even more as he released the massive claw. Indy was brave and didn't whimper; her attention focused on the fight her family was involved in, eager to help them. As soon as Thelton freed her hand, she shot off toward one of the enemy dragons. Fearful, Thelton grabbed her uninjured hand and pulled her to his side. She wrestled him because she wanted to help her family. Thelton knew she didn't stand a chance, although she might be strong for a human, she was an easy kill for a dragon, and he could see these dragons would not be friendly to her.

Indy fought hard to get Thelton off her. The more he dragged her away, the stronger she brawled back. He struggled to hold her massive body while she kicked and screamed in his arms. His adrenalin took over and he lifted Indy off the ground, and ran. He ran for awhile until he tired and ended up dropping her. She rolled in the dirt. Eager to get out of the forest, he knew they were not safe.

"Fly," he told Indy.

She turned back toward the lair, she couldn't leave. Her family needed her.

"No," he yelled at her. "They will kill you." Indy tried to run back, but he held her down. He grabbed her bleeding hand and held it to her face.

"They will kill you." Indy studied her hand for a moment. For some reason she decided to obey him. She wrapped her arms around Thelton and flew up into the sky. Thelton directed her to Candleshaw. She grew pale as she lost large amounts of blood from her hand. Thelton worried for her.

...

Indy was distraught as they entered their rented room. She had many emotions surging through her. Thelton sat her on the bed, it creaked beneath her weight. She breathed heavily as her body tried to compensate for the blood loss. Her head felt dizzy. An overpowering thirst racked her. Thelton pulled out the last of his Firelake water and poured it on Indy's hand. He had two dragon scales left, and he put them on her wound. They barely covered it. He tore a piece of his shirt and wrapped it around her hand. He continued to hold her hand, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

Indy was confused. She wanted to be with her family. They needed her, and she needed them. She worried about them fighting with the other dragons. In her lifetime, they had never been challenged before. She looked at Thelton. She wanted to desert him and return to her family's aid, but there was some kind of pull to her human that kept her from leaving. She couldn't seem to depart from him, taken in by her new life and still connected to her past. As she sat on the bed, tears drizzled down her cheeks. Her emotions were new and so where her tears.

Indy collected a tear on the tip of her finger. She put it in her mouth. The salty liquid tantalized her tongue. Thelton took his fingers and gently wiped away the rest of her tears. Letting go of her hand, he wrapped his arms around her. She cuddled into him and fell asleep. He relished the way it felt when she trusted him. He delighted at looking over her and protecting her.

While Indy slept, Thelton stayed on the alert. He kept peering out the window and making sure the dragons hadn't followed them to Candleshaw.

### Chapter 21

The king gathered two parties together. The first one he sent with his wizard. They were to return to the Vegus Forest and rescue the men who had been turned into trees and the ones hardened by the stone mud. The second party was to find Thelton.

The king was sure Thelton had been killed, but to appease his daughter, he gathered a search party together. One hundred and fifty men.

"To the man who rescues Thelton alive, 25,000 Tretos. If he is found dead, then 10,000 Tretos."

"Are we still searching for the queen dragon?" a man called out.

"No, at this moment there is nothing more important than finding Thelton alive."

...

"We can't stay in Candleshaw very long, because it was way too close to the Flankton Forest." Thelton told Indy. They had an uneventful night, but Thelton knew it was time to leave. As he readied his things, something snapped in Indy. Craziness set in. She took her claws and sunk them into the mattress, ripping the straw out of the material and throwing it all around the room. When there was no longer a bed to destroy, she growled, screamed, and paced the room. Her demeanor was pure wildness, reminding Thelton of a trapped animal. He kept his distance. After dismantling the room, she crumbled to the ground and bawled. Thelton thought about comforting her, but her eyes were still too wild. He let her be.

Indy stayed curled in a ball for the rest of the day. She couldn't understand all the new emotions she felt, and the combination overwhelmed her. Thelton left her for a time and went and grabbed them some food and brought it back to their room. He kneeled next to her and offered the food, but instead of accepting it, she wacked it out of his arms. The food flew across the room and doused everything. The place truly looked a wreck. Thelton didn't know what to do.

In the morning, Thelton woke to find Indy combing her hair. She had a demeanor of calmness. Thelton looked at his hand; the bite mark from Indy was swollen and red. He hoped she wasn't going to fight anymore. When Indy looked up and saw Thelton, she smiled, as if the previous day hadn't even happened.

"Eat," she said, for her stomach was empty and hungry.

"Just like that; no sorry?" Thelton asked. Indy looked at him confused.

"Eat," she tried again.

...

The server led them to a table in the middle of the room. As they sat down, Thelton failed to notice the twenty men in the corner of the tavern. They instantly recognized Thelton. They whispered amongst themselves. Within seconds, they got up and surrounded him.

"What is going on?" he demanded as he jumped to his feet. Indy joined him.

"Sir Thelton of Andleburg, we have been ordered by the king to bring you in."

"What king?"

"The King of Andleburg."

Thelton grabbed for his swords, again realizing they were gone.

"Am I a prisoner?" he inquired.

"Not that I know of," the man said.

"Then I am fine where I am at."

"Sir Thelton, you are not a prisoner. The king is worried about you. However, you will come with me."

"If I am not a prisoner, then I will not move."

"You are worth 25,000 Tretos. With that kind of reward, you will not stay."

"Wow, for that kind of money, I will turn myself in."

Four guys jumped forward and grabbed Thelton. They shoved him toward the door. Indy pounced on one and began clawing at his face; she ripped his ear right off. Several men jumped her. She yelped in pain.

Thelton hated seeing the men wrangling Indy.

"Wait, wait, guys, I am not going to run. I will come gracefully, but the woman comes with us unharmed." Thelton didn't have anything to fear by going with them, for the king adored him. He decided he would follow along if they left Indy alone.

The one guard cradled where his ear had been, blood dripped through his fingers. He would have preferred the woman to stay behind.

Indy again felt fear, for she couldn't understand what was going on. Thelton grabbed her hand and caressed it as they walked surrounded by men with swords.

### Chapter 22

Thelton and Indy held hands as they were escorted into the throne room. Princess Alashia looked up as they came in. Her face brightened as she ran full speed at Thelton. She did not notice Indy by his side. Flooded with relief and joy, she threw herself into his arms. His stomach dropped. He had forgotten about their arrangement; despair flooded over him as he remembered he was to wed Alashia. Suddenly, he wished he hadn't returned to the castle. While the princess plastered Thelton with kisses, Indy felt her face get hot and her heart pounded. She discovered another new emotion; jealousy.

"Daughter," the king called out. "That is no way for a princess to act. Control your emotions."

The princess ignored the king while she kissed Thelton everywhere. She grabbed Thelton's hand and brought it into her side. She was elated because her hero had returned, and he looked better than ever.

"Oh darling, I was sure you had died. I missed you so. You will never leave my side again. Your days of hunting are over."

Indy watched as the princess stood by Thelton's side, with her hand in his. Indy began snarling. Thelton was her human, and she didn't like the feelings she had when she saw the princess with him. Out of control, she threw herself at the princess. She shrieked and snarled as she grabbed a handful of Alashia's hair. The guards pounced on Indy before she could do any real damage. Thelton pushed away Princess Alashia and ran to Indy's side, pulling off the guards.

"Let her go," he commanded the guards.

They released Indy. Thelton pulled her into him. She shook and growled. Saliva dripped out of the side of her mouth. She breathed heavily. He tenderly held her tight.

"Who is that?" the king demanded.

Thelton looked at the anger in the king's eyes and the Princess's. He took note of the vast number of guard in the room. If he wanted to get Indy out alive, he had to be careful with his words.

"This is a frightened creature I rescued in the forest. I found her at the queen's layer," Thelton said to the king.

Everyone watched Indy closely. Thelton continued. "This creature was living amongst the dragons. I believe she was raised by them."

Laughter filled the room.

"I have kept her with me to rescue her. Please do not harm her. She is more animal than human, and she doesn't understand social graces."

A group of people surrounded Indy and began examining her. They touched her claws and wings. Indy was frightened. What was going on? Curious, the princess walked over to Indy, everyone backed away. Indy hated the princess and snarled again. The princess reached out to touch Indy's wings, probably not a wise move to make, for Indy roared as she sliced the princess's cheek. Thelton tried to pull her away, but the guards hastily grabbed her again. It took ten to contain her as she thrashed in their arms. Thelton's stomach hurt for Indy. He wanted to kill every one of those guards and run away with her.

"What shall we do with her?" they asked the king.

"Put her in the dungeon for now. When my wizard returns, I will have him run experiments on her. The fates must have brought her to us for a reason."

Indy lashed about. It took twelve men to haul her away. She was sturdy, unyielding. Thelton's heart ached. He wanted to chase after her and kill the guards. He looked at the king who was carefully watching him closely to see how he would respond. Thelton observed the remaining guards in the throne room. His very reactions would determine if he lived or died. Now was not the time for rescuing Indy, for that would be a fool's errand. He would have to rescue her later. For the time, he needed to act like he had forgotten her, as if he only regarded her as a forest creature. It was the only way to spare both of their lives. With that in mind, he reached for the princess's hand and spun her around, while turning his back to Indy.

"My dear, I am sorry about your face. I guess she is more dragon than human." He brushed his hand through his sandy blond hair. The court laughed at Thelton's joke, his heart sunk further. He hated they were laughing at Indy's expense. The king relaxed when he saw Thelton take interest in his daughter.

"Daughter, escort Thelton to his room. He needs his rest. We will have a big feast for him in two days."

"Father, what about our wedding?"

"Yes, let us wait no longer. The invitations go out tonight. There will be a wedding in five days."

As Thelton and the princess walked through the corridors of the castle, the princess laid her head on his shoulder. She was in love and with her hero home, her dreams were close to being fulfilled.

"You don't know how sick and worried I have been about you. I have cried for days and days. It was the biggest nightmare. I was sure you were dead. And now you are here, and we are going to marry in five days. Can you believe it? Five days and then you can have me."

With Thelton's free hand he rubbed his face. There was no way he was going to marry the princess. He would escape with Indy before the wedding. When he reached his room, the princess opened the door for him, escorting him in. Placing her lips firmly on his she began a passionate kiss. The kiss made Thelton sick. He pushed her away.

"My darling, please forgive me, but I want to keep your virtues for the wedding." Thelton backed away.

"It's fine," the princess said. She went for another kiss. Thelton backed away again.

"Please, I am very tired and I have had a long day."

"Yes, yes, you are right. Rest my dear, and I will see you in the morning." The princess kissed his cheek and left the room.

Thelton sat on the bed. Darkness overcame him.

"How is it I'm back in my prison cell again?" He felt like being in the castle was the same as being in a cell.

...

The guards locked Indy in a dungeon cell. There was mildew straw all over the ground. Her skin itched terribly when she made contact with the rancid straw. Confusion and fear took over. What had happened? What were they doing to her? Why did Thelton not fight for her? She would have fought for him. She had exhausted a great deal of energy trying to get out of the dungeon. She felt claustrophobic, but the thing bothering her the most was the image of the princess in Thelton's hands.

"Hey, who are you?" Indy heard a voice call to her from the next cell. She didn't understand what the person was saying. She went to her door and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. She dropped to the floor while tears poured out of her eyes.

"Hey, who are you," the voice called again from the next cell. Flance tried to peak through the bars, it was no use, for he couldn't see who was in the next cell. He would have to wait for the new cellmate to answer back.

...

Thelton paced around his room.

He couldn't stomach that he was at the castle again. He had no intentions on ever returning. Worse, his woman was locked in the dungeon cell. He felt desperate, out of control. Thelton waited until the middle of the night when he slipped quietly out of his room.

Stealthily, he made his way through the corridors, careful not to make any noise. He was a hunter who knew the art of silence. Because he was quiet and careful, it took him several hours to make his way through the castle. At times, he would see guards and have to drop back until they left. Finally, he reached the staircase to the dungeon.

To his great relief and surprise, the dungeon was not guarded. He followed the rickety, rock stairs down. They spiraled and dropped deep below the castle. After many rotations, Thelton was at the bottom. A draft welcomed him into an open room. The smell was horrible; of ammonia and mildew. Thelton reminded himself he had smelt worse. He began mouth breathing to avoid inhaling any of the stenches through his nose. There were five cells in the dungeon. Three of them were open, two of them were closed. Thelton went to the first iron door. It had a little slat of bars where the guards could check on the prisoners. Through the bars he could see Indy in a corner, holding herself tightly as she shivered.

"Hey, wake up. Wake up," he called to her.

Indy opened her eyes and ran to the door. She stuck both hands through the bars. Thelton grabbed them. They were ice cold. He kissed them over and over. He put her frozen hands between his and rubbed them.

"I am so sorry you are here. I am sorry. I am going to try to get you out. We will run far away from here."

"Teltn, bed, fly," Indy said.

Thelton could feel his heart sink. She was communicating with him. She was asking him to save her the best she knew how.

"Teltn, bed, fly," Indy said again.

"Yes, my dear. I will get you out. We will go far from here." Thelton kissed her hands and let them go. He looked around the room for keys or anything he could use to break her out. There was nothing. He tried pushing on the door and ramming himself into it. It was no use. She was trapped.

Defeated, he approached the bars again. "Oh, I wish you could understand me. I need to leave for awhile. You will probably think I am abandoning you, but I am not. I need to find tools to break you free. I will be back, my love, I promise."

Indy's hands were released, and she saw Thelton walk away. Why was he leaving her? She felt safe with him. Where was he going? Why could he not saver her. Indy screamed out, "Teltn. Teltn. Teltn!"

For the first time in his life, a tear snuck out of Thelton's eye. Only one. Thelton madly wiped it away. He couldn't look back at her, it was too much. He ran up the stairs as fast as he could. He was in a hurry. He needed to free Indy. In his haste, Thelton wasn't as careful as he should have been. He headed outside to the stable. He was sure there would be tools there. Some guards saw him leave and they went and aroused the king.

...

The dogs barked when he reached the stable. It was massive with a hundred pens for horses, and they were all full. Thelton was delighted when he saw a huge collection of tools and hardware. There were hammers, saws, wrenches, and many other goodies to choose from. Thelton found a deep leather pouch and filled it with the supplies he felt he would need, not only for tonight, but for the run. When the bag was full, he swung it over his shoulder. He was heading for the door when he heard the dogs barking again, someone was coming. Thelton took the bag off and stashed it in a horse stall seconds before the doors opened.

The king and his guards walked in. The king was in his silken night robe, there was sleep still in his eyes.

"My fine boy, to me it looks like you are trying to escape." The king did not look happy.

Thelton bowed, "I feel awful to wake you in the middle of the night. I became restless, your majesty. I am not used to such nice accommodations. I came out here to find comfort amongst the animals."

The king scanned the area. He could not see anything out of the ordinary. There weren't any horses that had been prepared to ride. Maybe he was telling the truth.

"Are you sure you were not trying to leave?"

Thelton threw his arms in the air. "Why would I leave such a glorious place? You have offered me so much, even your own daughter's hand. Please forgive my folly and restless spirit, for I was only looking for some outside air."

The king seemed satisfied. He motioned for Thelton to walk by his side. "My fine boy, be aware nothing goes down in the castle without me knowing about it. I have eyes everywhere."

"Yes, your majesty," replied Thelton.

...

As the door closed to Thelton's room, the king turned to the guard. "I want you posted here at all times."

The king made his way to his room where another guard was waiting for him. He had a message. He bowed, until the king bid him to rise.

"Your majesty, the prisoner in cell one requests an audience with you."

"Would you really be wasting my time?" the king wearily replied.

"King, I understand the value of your time. The prisoner promised if you didn't find his information enlightening, you could slay him on the spot. He says his news affects the princess."

The king's interest heightened. He turned from his door and followed his guard to the dungeon. As the king walked in, Flance mischievously smiled on the other end of the bars.

...

In the morning, Thelton left his room to find a guard and the princess on the other side. The princess threw herself into Thelton's arms.

"Can you believe it? Only four more days until we marry!"

Thelton felt sick again. He was not in the state of mind for the princess. He grabbed at his head.

"I can't wait as well. However, I am sorry, but my head hurts something awful. I almost met death on my hunt. I think I will recover in bed today."

Princess Alashia's eyes widened. She liked the idea of nursing her man. "I will care for you, my master. I will sit with you all day and mend you to health."

"Nonsense, that it not a fitting job for a princess."

The princess pouted, "But I want to."

"Sleep is what I need. You want me to be fully recovered for our wedding?"

Princess Alashia blushed. "Yes dear," she said and gave him a full kiss on the lips.

Thelton looked at her. She was very beautiful, but he held no tender feelings for her. Actually, she aggravated him and he despised her.

"I will see you tomorrow at dinner."

Thelton went back into the room and closed the door. He sat on the bed, "This is going to be a long day."

It took forever for the day to pass, but finally the night had come. Thelton spent most of the day sleeping. When he woke up, he noticed a present on the pillow next to him. There was a note on it.

"To my future husband."

Thelton removed the big bow and wrapping to unveil his emerald sword, golden sword, and emerald dagger.

"How in the world did they find these? There is no way that they made it to the queen's nest." Thelton stared at them in awe, wondering if they were duplicated of the originals. He grasped the emerald sword in his hand. There was no mistake, it was his. He recognized the worn imprints that met his hand perfectly. He smiled huge, for he was glad to have his sword back. He attached them to his side. But how did they get out of the dragon camp, and how did they end up in the princess' care?

Knowing his room was guarded, he went to his window and climbed out. He walked along the outer lip of the castle exterior with careful steps, for it was a long way down. He scaled his way to the courtyard below and ran to the stable.

In the stable, Thelton quickly gathered the tools and carried them to the dungeon.

"I have come," he yelled upon entering. "Please tell me you are still alright." He heard no answer. Thelton dashed to the bars and looked in the cell. Indy was buried under the mildew straw asleep, a rat crossed over her hips.

Thelton examined the iron door separating him from his love. It was solid and every seam was welded with perfection. There was no way to penetrate the door. Thelton dumped the pouch of tools on the dirt floor. He began rummaging through them.

A loud siren began to wail from the cell next to Indy's. It was ear piercing. Thelton covered his ears as he peered into cell one. The blood drained from his face.

"It's him, but how?" Thelton felt horrible. "Am I seeing a ghost?" He wondered.

"Hello, lover boy," Flance said as he waved to Thelton. He put his hand back on the siren and kept cranking it, while his knees held it steady, the sound kept blaring. It was a strange contraption made out of wood, string, leather, and metal. With the right force, Flance used it to alarm the castle. It was the deal he made with the king, to warn him if Thelton tried to rescue Indy.

Thelton wanted to lash into his enemy. He wanted to make the noise stop. Since he couldn't, he realized with the warning siren, he only had minutes to free Indy.

"I am going to enjoy this," Flance gloated.

Thelton grabbed a sledge hammer and went to where the iron door connected to the rock cell. He began hammering into the rock. He slammed it over and over again. His giant muscles contracting as he brought the sledge hammer down on the rock wall. Crumbles of rock flew about as the rock chipped away. His biceps ached, but he kept swinging.

"Teltn," he heard Indy's weak voice. She began coughing. Thelton swung harder. He had removed the rock from two of the hinges and he was working on the third when he heard voices in the distance. The guards were coming down the long spiral staircase.

Thelton reached into his side pack and pulled out a log the medicine woman had given him. With a quick flick of flint, smoke billowed out of it . He dropped the log onto the ground while smoke filled the dungeon. Around his mouth and nose, he wrapped a cloth the medicine woman had also given him. He picked up the sledge hammer and removed the last of the rock while the room filled with smoke. His head pounded as the siren continued to wail.

Five guards ran into the center of the dungeon. Thelton grabbed the heavy door and threw it at one of the guards. It knocked the guard down. He reached into his sheaf and pulled out the emerald sword. The guards were on him.

Thelton fought hard and cut an arm off one of the guards. He was fighting all guards at once when the siren stopped. It was a relief for the noise to end. Thelton made the mistake to glance over at Flance's cell, when he did, one of the guards charged at his head. Thelton turned to see the blade coming toward his face. He did not have time to counter it. It came centimeters from his eye. Just as he was about to be sent to his maker, the guard fell over and landed on the ground. The sword clanged against the rock floor. Another guard dropped, and then another. They had all passed out from the vapor.

Thelton ran into Indy's cell. "Let's go, get up, we got to go!" he yelled. They didn't have time to waste, for he knew there would be more guards; they had to escape now!

Indy lay unconscious on the floor. "Oh, I didn't think of that," Thelton cursed. Indy had passed out from the vapors as well. He went in and grabbed her. She was solid, dead weight. He tried to pick her up; his back throbbed, for it was a struggle to hoist her limp body on his shoulders.

When he had her secure, he ran the best he could up the stairs; it was tiring work. At the top, he slipped out of the side door into the courtyard. This was not how he had planned his escape. He needed her to fly them out, if she did that; no one would be able to apprehend them, but now with her dead asleep, he had to devise a new plan.

Thelton ran to the stable. Meanwhile, back up at the castle, the doors flew open and guards were filing out. Thelton opened a stall and hoisted Indy onto the back of a black mare. He opened another stall and climbed on to a second horse. He was about to kick his heals into the side of the horse when he saw Indy sliding off the mare's back. He jumped off his horse and onto the back of the mare. He hoisted Indy up and kicked the horse.

"We are going to have to ride together," he said to her placid body.

The horse ran out of the stable and into the night. Thelton kept laying his feet into its side. They needed to go fast. There was a considerable amount of weight on the horse and it struggled to reach top speed. It wouldn't take long for the guards to catch up.

Thelton could hear the presence of the guards behind him. The hounds were loose as well. The chase was on.

As the horse ran, Thelton kept shaking Indy. "You need to wake up, you need to wake up!" he called. Indy didn't budge. The horse kept going.

Thelton continued to lay into the horse. The horse went as fast as he could. Two mounted guards came up on either side of him. Thelton shook Indy again. "Now would be a good time to wake up."

Thelton drew out his emerald sword, and with his other hand he secured Indy. He took several swings to the horse on the right. The guard was good and avoided all his lashings. Thelton wasn't in the position to best anyone.

"I hate to do this," he said as he took his sword and shoved it deep into the side of the guard's horse and then pulled it out. The beast let out a loud grunt and dropped his pace. Thelton kicked his heals into his own horse again. Without warning, a large object met the side of his left face. He looked over where a guard had slammed him with a club. Thelton rotated his body toward the guard that had hit him. It was far more awkward. He tried to hit the guard, but he didn't have the advantage. The club met his shoulder. The pain shot down his arm and across his clavicle.

"Wake up," he tried again. Indy slept.

Thelton kicked the horse, it advanced a bit past the guard. He took his sword and swung it in the horse's face. He kept swinging and swinging until the horse got spooked. With fright, the horse suddenly reared up on his hind legs and began bucking the guard. The guard tried to hold on but the force was too strong. He went flying onto the ground. Thelton kicked his horse's side again.

Not far behind him were twenty horses, and not far behind them were twenty more. At the moment, Thelton had the lead.

"Wake up!" he screamed with all his might. Nothing.

Thelton put his sword away and reached into his pack. He pulled the cloth out that had been on his face. He put it over Indy's mouth. He kicked the horse again.

The guards were almost up to him. Again he kicked the horse. Indy began to stir while she moved around and then looked up at him. There was confusion in her eyes.

"You're awake," Thelton called out in relief. Indy noticed they were going fast. She recognized what a horse was because she had eaten plenty in the past. But the dragons had always carried the horse. This one carried her. Her head hurt and she had no idea what was going on.

"Fly, fly, fly!" Thelton said. Indy closed her eyes, sleep threatening to overtake her again.

"No, no, no you can't sleep. Fly, fly, fly!" Thelton shook her. Four more horses were almost to them.

Indy raised her head up and looked behind them. She could barely see the guards because of the darkness of the night. She could hear them. Fear overcame her eyes. She could sense they were in danger.

"Fly, fly, fly!"

Indy sat up, her head throbbed. A guardsman reached to the left side of the horse. He stretched over and grabbed Indy's arm. Thelton bent down and bit the guard's hand; this caused him to recoil in pain.

"Fly!" Thelton called out. Indy wrapped her arms around Thelton. They didn't move, for her wings were caught in her hair. Thelton realized the dilemma. The guard's sword sliced into Indy's leg. She screamed in pain. Thelton freed her hair. Her wings spilled open. Thelton had to duck to avoid getting knocked of the horse by them.

"Fly, now!" Thelton yelled. Indy again wrapped her arms around Thelton. The guard's sword was coming at them again. With amazing speed, the two shot up into the air. The horse kept running, and the guards looked up in shock.

They did it! They had escaped! Indy flew and flew into the dark of the night. The more she flew, the weaker she got. She coughed a lot.

He knew she couldn't go on much longer, but she has to push herself until they got far from the castle, and then she could rest. He felt bad at hasting her on, but he had to. Finally, they reached Arlisaine. It was not part of the tri-kingdom. The Andleburgs were friendly with them, but they weren't under the same alliance. Thelton also knew he was not a celebrity in that kingdom. Yes, most had heard of him, but there weren't many that had seen him. He was more of a legend in those parts then he was a hero.

"We will be able to lie low here. I don't think anyone will recognize me."

They dropped into the center of the town. It was late; there was an inn that burned a torch. Indy leaned into Thelton as they walked to their lodging.

Once inside, Thelton laid Indy on the bed. She coughed heavily in distress. She was pale and weak. Thelton looked at her leg, blood saturated her pants. "What I would give for some Firelake water or dragon scales right now."

### Chapter 23

Indy stayed in the room for four days. Thelton brought her meals and worked on nursing her back to health. The fifth morning, Thelton took Indy to the local tavern. He asked if the maidens would give her a bath. He had warned them about her wings and the strangeness of Indy, for he wanted them to be prepared and calm when they cleaned her.

A deep warm bath was drawn where Indy was brought to. They removed her leaves and pants and put her in the therapeutic waters. The maidens tried very hard not to react to her strangeness, but whenever they had the chance, they stole a glance at her wings. She was indeed very abnormal, which intrigued them.

The sensation of the warm water penetrated every muscle, bringing instant relief. Indy had never felt anything so incredible before. She stayed in the water for several hours. The maidens kept re-warming the water for her. They washed her hair and her skin. They trimmed her eyebrows. As the maidens cared for her, they had an idea.

In the past, there had been a large woman who worked there. She had left some of her things behind. They were now stored in the back of the tavern. The maidens went to the storage and fetched the prettiest of the dresses. When Indy got out of the water, they dressed her in a long turquoise silk dress, making sure to cut out the back so her wings could fit. It was fringed in sequins and fake jewels. The dress looked exquisite on Indy. The beautiful material delighted her.

Thelton was in the dining area enjoying the pan flutes, when Indy walked in. The maiden's smiled as they presented Indy to Thelton. They were proud of their handy work.

Thelton looked up, his jaw dropped. In all his life he had never seen any women as beautiful as Indy. The dazzle of her smile made her even more alluring, and she looked radiant in her dress with her hair styled and a slight bit of color added to her face. Indy could see the pleasure in his eyes. She smiled huge, showing off her badly aligned teeth. She didn't know what was happening, but she liked it.

Proudly, she sat down next to Thelton. At that moment, he wondered if anything could be prettier than her.

"Bring her some eggs," he told the server. He stared at Indy, his mind carried him to a place he had never been. She was like no other women in the world. He was attracted to her. She had stolen his heart and he was glad she did.

The bath did wonders for Indy in regaining her strength.

"I will give you two more days to heal, and then we will leave. The king is after you now, and he is aggressive. We must get thousands of miles away from here. We need to go where no one has heard of us."

During the meal, Indy made good work of both their food. Thelton wasn't hungry. He could not take his eyes of Indy. He noticed they had cut out an area of the back of her dress so her wings could poke out. Her wings were sparkling as they reflected the overhead light. He chuckled at the strangeness of them, and yet they looked naturally set on Indy.

Hand in hand the two of them walked out of the tavern and strolled down the road. Indy was learning a few more words. They came to a lovely waterfall in the middle of the town. Both sat beside it.

"I want to teach you a new word," Thelton said. "Kiss."

...

The king opened his castle to the men. They were tired and weak. The tattered clothes hung from their dirty bodies. It had been a nightmare journey of failure and they were glad to finally be rescued by the king's second party along with the wizard's magic. Sadly, not all made it back.

"Give the men a rest in my spare rooms. They have earned it. It will be the responsibility of the servants to nurse these men back to health." The king was stunned by the condition they were in.

Some of the men still had wooden qualities to them. His wizard was able to break most of Thelton's spell, but for the men who had been given the full dose, their skin was still rough and like bark. Some of the men still had twigs growing out of their sides. The wizard tried everything he knew, but he wasn't able to fully restore all of them.

The wizard was also able to release the men stuck by the stone mud. Many of them had lost a lot of weight and their muscles had atrophied from lack of use. Sickness had overcome everyone and the recovery was going to be a long processes.

Worn out, and with skin as thick as bark, Trevor made his way to his room.

The king distressed over everything transpiring. The men were in a horrible state and he felt responsible. The ones that never made it out of the Vegus Forest weighed down his spirits the most. He was nauseated by what he was sure was the workings of Flance. To add to his turmoil, the king kept thinking about how Thelton had rescued the wild girl and walked away from Alashia and the kingdom.

What was he going to do about Thelton? He had idolized him since Thelton was a lad. He took him in and loved him like a son. He was delighted to have him engaged to his daughter. One day he planned on turning the kingdom over to Thelton. But Thelton betrayed him and Alashia, and for what, a crazy woman with wings? The betrayal pained his heart which beat in irregular rhythms, giving him constant headaches. The throb in his brain was tremendous pressure. Sometimes numbness would travel down his right side. He could feel his own health breaking down. He tried to ignore it for he needed to be strong for his kingdom, for his men.

As the failed hunting party was escorted in the ballroom and triaged, the king looked over the lot of them. His stomach felt uneasy. How could Flance callously do this to them? They were the backbone of the kingdom. Many of the men were someone's father or someone's husband. Flance would pay for his deeds.

"Guards, fetch me the prisoner in cell one," he called as he watched the men separated from the minimal sick to the very ill.

The guards returned with Flance. Upon his entry, the men perked up. He was the one who turned them into trees. He was the one who left them to die.

Freelone spotted Flance and stood up. The rage overcame him. Like a mad man, he rushed to Flance, punching him in the gut. Flance crumbled forward, the breath escaping his already compromised lungs.

"Hold your anger," the king commanded, breaking up the fight. Freelone wasn't finished. His fist beckoned him to do it again. His body shook in his wrath. He looked over at the king. He didn't want to go against the crown. It took every cell of muscle he had to bow and back away from Flance. As he retreated, his eyes slit into narrow openings of hate.

"I know how this man poisoned your whisky and left you for dead. I promise you, you will have your vengeance. That time is not today. Before we execute him, I want him to spend a few days in misery. I want him to see what he has done to you. I need him to take responsibility before he takes the easy way out with death. I may even set up a torture chamber, we shall see. At the very moment, I want all efforts to be concentrated on restoring everyone's health. Then we shall deal with the traitor."

Flance's son stood in the midst of the men. His eyes reddened and puffed up as they filled with tears. Sterling watched in the shadows as his father lie crumpled on the floor coughing and trying to recover from Freelone's punch. He wanted to run to his father's side and rescue him. He felt it would not be wise. He quietly hid behind the men, not wanting any attention to turn to him.

"Do you see what you did to these men? I want you to take a good look." The king held Flance's head up to force him to observe the suffering. Flance continued coughing. His throat raw from the force of hacking. As he peered at everyone, he chose not to say anything, not wanting to add fuel to anyone's fire. The men looked furious enough. He knew he was innocent, but at the moment, it didn't seem to matter. They had decided he was responsible for their condition and there was nothing he could do to change it.

...

Sterling sat in his room. It was smaller than the one Thelton used, but to Sterling, it was huge. He had never seen such luxury in his life. He wanted to be excited for his first experience in a castle, but his heart throbbed for his father. He kept having flashbacks of seeing him tied to the cave's ceiling. He saw the sorrow in his father's eyes when they publicly shunned him. His father had taken it all, without saying a word. In the past, he had always defended himself, never keeping silent. Sterling thought of him coughing, those images made him weep into his pillow. As he did, a squeak came from the heavy doors hinges. Sterling looked up with his blue eyes.

Princess Alashia entered the room. She wore her night robe even though it was the middle of the day. Her hair was combed straight without any style or adornments. She had huge dark circles under her eyes. Despite her stressed face, she was divine to look at, a beauty beyond compare.

Sterling wiped his eyes and sat up. What was the princess doing in his room?

"Can I talk to you?" she asked.

"Um, yes, yes of course." Sterling swung his thick legs over the side of the bed. He straightened his clothes. The princess sat next to him. She was close, her shoulder rubbed into his. He strained to breathe because he was nervous.

"Do you really believe your father is innocent?"

"Fully."

The princess sat there thinking. She had much going through her mind. Her very presence was electrifying to Sterling.

"What is your name, peasant boy?"

"Sterling."

"Sterling," the princess repeated. Sterling liked the way his name rolled off her tongue.

"Sterling, something terrible has happened. Something so, so horrible. You see, Sterling, I was supposed to marry Thelton The Dragon Slayer. We are so in love, a love that has never been felt by anyone before, a love so real and binding. The terrible thing is he met this lady. Well, I am not sure one would call her a lady. She was some wild creature from the forest that looked like a lady, but she wasn't, she was a beast. Look what she did to my hand." The princess showed the scar.

"I think she is magical, she must be, for she had wings. They say she can fly and she carried Thelton away. Yes, he was the one that rescued her from the dungeon, but I don't think he could help it. Like I said, she is magical and she had cast a spell on him. She made him think he was in love with her. It happens all the time, love magic. Anyways, he thought he loved her, but there is no way he did because he is madly in love with me." The princess began to cry. Sterling stared at her, not really sure what to do. He had never sat next to a girl before. She was more than a girl; she was the kingdom's princess.

"I need Thelton back. I can't lose him, I can't" she screamed through her tears. "Father is torn on his feelings. He is upset right now, as you can imagine. A part of him believes the beastly woman has put a spell on Thelton, another part thinks Thelton really is a bad man and he left me for her." She became intense, grabbing Sterling's shirt top and began shaking him.

"There is no way he would leave me for her. She was huge, like a man. She was incredibly ugly and smelt horrible. Look at me, Sterling, I am beautiful. I steal all men's hearts. He wouldn't leave me for her." The princess bawled and laid her head on Sterling's shoulder. He sat stiff, having no idea how to comfort someone. Sweat drenched his underarms.

The princess bawled for a time, finally composing herself a little. Through her sniffles, she continued talking. "I need your help, Sterling. Father doesn't want to think about Thelton right now. He says he has too many other things to concentrate on. I need you. Will you help me?"

The princess put her face right into Sterling's. She stuck out her bottom lip and stared into his eyes. He was mesmerized, she was breathtaking.

"Um, yes, but why me?"

"Because, I am going to make a deal with you. If you capture Thelton for me..."

Sterling interrupted her as he sat up, "um, no. There is no way I can or will capture that murderer for you."

"Murderer, Thelton is not a murderer! I never want to hear you say those words again." Her nails dug into his shoulder. "I know you blame Thelton to save your father's life, and I can't blame you for trying. But, you will never say it again, do you understand?"

Sterling looked away.

"Good," the princess said. "I need you to capture Thelton for me and bring him back to the castle."

"No, no, no." Sterling shook his head. "I can't, he is um, very strong and very powerful. I can't, sorry Princess, you can ask one of the other men. Try um, Freelone, he loves Thelton."

"I need it to be you."

"Why?" Sterling asked.

"Because, you have more to lose than anyone else. That means you will not fail."

"How so?"

"They are going to kill your father in a few days. If you bring me back Thelton, I will release your father to you."

Sterling's eyes widened. "You really would?"

"I would. I promise," the princess said.

Sterling's face dropped. "I would like my father free. The problem is that Thelton is too strong for me. He is powerful. I wouldn't stand a chance."

The princess became lost in thought. She looked at Sterling's frame noticing he was close to the size of Thelton. His muscles were definitely smaller than Thelton's. Sterling was right, though, he looked young and innocent. Her lover would tear him to shreds. She thought for awhile, her face illuminated as she got excited.

"Your right, I can't send you to bring him in. However, you can capture the girl he is with. If you bring her to the castle, he is sure to follow. Once we have him here, we can have the wizard rid him of his love curse."

Sterling imagined trying to fight Thelton, or even take his lover from him. Thelton was strong and clever. Sterling didn't stand a chance.

"Princess, I really would like to help, but I don't think I am, the um, right guy. I am not clever, and I am not strong."

The princess pouted her lip. "Please Sterling." She took extra attention to pronounce his name. "You can do this." She traced her finger across his cheeks.

Sterling stood up. "I can't." It sickened him to tell the princess no, but he feared Thelton more than he feared her.

The princess stood up as well. She was angry. "Fine, don't help. You're right. I will find someone who is actually brave. But you can say good bye to your daddy. I will make sure his execution is horrible."

The princess had succeeded. She struck his nerve.

Sterling looked down at the ground. "I will do it. I will capture the girl in return for my father. Do you, do you promise me on your kingdom that you will free him?"

"On the kingdom," the princess said.

### Chapter 24

Thelton felt like he was walking on a cloud.

"I kissed her. I kissed a woman!" No wonder many men went crazy when they were in love. It was wonderful, magical; a dream. All Thelton could think about was the kiss. He kept his eyes on Indy and smiled whenever she looked his way. She rarely returned the smile. In fact, she didn't seem moved at all by the kiss. Thelton felt a little troubled by her lack of change. The kiss had changed him, why not her?

That night when he led her to the room, she wouldn't go in.

"Come on, Indy; it's getting cold. Let's go in where it is warm."

Indy didn't move. Thelton grabbed her hand and pulled at her. She growled at him.

"What are you doing, woman?" he asked. "One minute you are snuggling me, the next growling."

Indy pointed to the sky. "Fly," she said.

"Fly, fly, fly! Where are you going to fly at this time of night? And look at you, you are all dolled up. You can't fly in a dress like that. Come on, let's go to bed."

Thelton walked into the room. Indy didn't follow. She folded her arms. She was tired of sleeping in the stuffy rooms. She could hear the crickets and insects of the night. She wanted to be out in it. She stood there.

Thelton went in the room and sat on the bed. It creaked to his sudden weight. He could see Indy through the open door. The cool night air blew into the room.

"Listen, this is not working. I am not sure what is in your head, but you need to dismiss it. Stop your silliness and come inside."

Indy turned her back to the door. She didn't know what the human was saying. He was going on again with all his talking. Sometimes she wished he would be quiet. She enjoyed being with him, but suddenly she wanted some space. Her chest was tightening to the pressure she felt.

Indy took her claws and tore at the back of her dress. Threads tangled out everywhere. She ripped apart the back seems to give her wings more room. She stretched them open which felt good. She looked into the room where Thelton sat on the bed. She looked to the sky. Suddenly, she flew off into the darkness.

Thelton looked out the door in time to see her fly off. He ran out of the room with all his might. He was too late.

"Get back here, where are you going? Get back here! You can't take off like that. Get back here now!" Thelton jumped at the sky. She was gone. Would she come back? Since they met, they had hardly been apart. When they had been separated while she was in the dungeon, it had killed him. He didn't want to lose her. He had sacrificed much for her. Where was she going?

Sterling put his new sword in its sheath, a gift from the princess. In the past, his father had given him a few of his old rusty swords. They were of little value for fighting. This was his first time holding a new, sharp sword. Hopefully, he wouldn't slice himself on it.

The princess stood in front of him. She had gotten ready for the day and her looks were brilliant to behold. She instilled in him a great deal of desire. Sterling had a hard time not getting lost in her blue eyes.

"Maybe if I brought the wild woman back, the princess would be in my favor. She would find out for herself what a horrible person Thelton was. She would pick me." Sterling imagined her falling in love with him instead of Thelton. "Yes, we would marry and then I would live in the castle."

"...and then that is it." The princess finished talking. Sterling had been lost in his fantasy and had missed her words.

"Do you have any questions?"

"Um, no, I um, I think I got it." Sterling hated how her stammered around her.

The princess placed a kiss on his cheek. His face became hot. He would do this mission for her. He wanted her to be pleased with him.

"Oh, and one other thing," the princess said. "No one is to know of our deal, do you understand."

"Yes."

...

The princess led Sterling through a secret passage under the castle.

"I can't have anyone seeing you with me. I have loaded you up with supplies from the royal armory. Everything needed to be done in secret. If I am going to let Flance free, there is no way I can be caught having any connection to him or his son. It has to be done in secret."

...

The banging of the door ricocheted off the outer walls of the castle. Sterling glanced back at the secret door in the castle wall. It was already closed. He had hoped to steal one last glance of the princess. His emotions were whirling around inside him. So many new and crazy things had happened. He had been in a castle! He had the princess talk to him and even kiss him on the cheek. She spoke his name. These things elated him. On the flip side of it, his heart throbbed at the images of his father. He mustn't get distracted from the true nature of his mission. He was to free his father. And of course, there was fear. He had always been a skittish boy. He feared everything. He had relied on his father to defend him. It was the first time in his life that he was alone. He could not fail. He would fail. Oh, the emotions.

Sterling had no idea where to go. "Where does one find a legendary dragon slayer who is in hiding?"

Sterling had heard the men talking at the castle. He heard about Thelton and everything that had happened. Some of the information had been falsified, but most was true. Thelton had rescued the strange woman. He had walked away from the kingdom. Well, actually, he had flown away from it. Where would he go? How could the woman fly? It was all strange. The hardest thing for Sterling to figure out was why Thelton would leave anyone as beautiful as the princess. Sterling would sell his soul for her.

As he looked at the closed door, he felt hopeless. "I don't even know where to start. There is no way I will find Thelton within the next couple of days. My father will be dead before I even find Thelton or the woman." Sterling's heart dropped. "I have already failed before I have even started. But I can't leave my father to die without trying. I am not going to quit. If nothing else, maybe I can win the princess's heart. That would be worth it, wouldn't it?"

Sterling tried to think of what he knew about Thelton.

"He loves the Vegus forest, everyone knows that. Would he be stupid enough to hide out in it? Maybe in the past he would have found refuge in the forest, but I don't think he would now. The secrets of the forest are now known by many. Maybe he would go to the Flankton forest, maybe that's where he is. No; of course not. He wouldn't be irrational enough to be in the tri-kingdoms while everyone was looking for him."

Sterling felt lost. Which direction should he go? It didn't matter. He had little hope for success.

Sterling drew his new shiny sword out, pointing it straight ahead. It was heavy and kept weighing down his arm. He closed his eyes and spun in circles. When he finally stopped, he opened them. His sword was pointing in the direction of Arlisaine.

"I've never been to Arlisaine," he said out loud. "They aren't part of the peace treaty with the tri-kingdoms." Every now and then tempers would flare and the kingdoms would have confrontations, although they never lasted long. Could Thelton have gone to Arlisaine? It could make for a brilliant place to hide out. Not many people would recognize him there. Sterling decided to trust in the fate of the sword. He headed in the direction of Arlisaine.

...

Indy flew for awhile until she came to a meadow of long grass. She dropped down and rested. If felt good to be alone. So much had happened to her and so fast. She had been comfortable in her life with the dragons. That's what she knew. She had never envisioned anything different. Thelton had completely changed her life. She didn't know what to think about him. She was really drawn to him and felt like she needed to protect him, and yet many times she was annoyed by him. He was always grabbing her and trying to get her to do what he wanted. Sometimes she had other plans. And he never stopped talking.

Now that she had met Thelton, could she live without him? The thought frightened her. She liked being with him, and yet she didn't want to be with him. She immensely missed her family. She wanted to return home and curl up into her mom's safe side. She wanted to forget about Thelton and everything that had happened. She wanted her family.

Indy twisted up in the grass and fell asleep. Her body was exhausted. She slept through the night and in the morning she was awakened by a chicken pecking at her face. The beak pricked a little, but not much. Indy watched it for awhile then she reached out and grabbed it. She brought it to her mouth and ate it. Sunlight rested on her skin. As she ate, the sun's warmth relaxed her.

When her belly was full, she had an idea. She was going to return home. She missed her family and really wanted to be with them. Indy stretched out. She rubbed her bloody feathered hands on her tattered dress. Opening her wings, she took off to the sky.

Indy flew for awhile until she realized she had no idea where she was. Everything was different in this part of the world. She flew back and forth and in many circles. She was truly lost as far as home went. She still knew how to get back to Thelton, but she wasn't ready for that yet.

Indy flew some more then decided to rest in a huge meadow of wildflowers. She gathered some, arranging them in designs. She hummed and relaxed. Feeling at peace, she soaked in her surroundings. She did very little that day. During the night, she slept in the meadow.

The next day, Indy found her thoughts were mostly on Thelton. She missed him. She was also very hungry. She thought about the taverns and how easy the food was to obtain there. Her mind changed. She decided she wanted to be with Thelton and his world again, at least for a time. Later she would look for her family. Opening her wings, Indy flew up into the sky.

### Chapter 25

Thelton sat at the waterfall. He was in ill spirits.

"How could she leave me? I had sacrificed everything for her. Does she not have any feelings for me? Was she capable of having feelings?" Thelton hated the way he felt. This was the whole reason he had spent his life avoiding women. They had a way of trapping a guy and changing everything he was made up of. He vowed he would never allow that to happen to him, and here he was, it had happened.

"I want to leave and move on with my life, but what life is that? I have given it up for that woman. I can't return to the tri-kingdoms. I probably shouldn't stay where I am at for long. The best thing for me is to find passage at sea and get as far away from the kingdoms. And yet, I can't seem to move without her." He worked things in his mind.

Thelton screamed, "How did I let myself be trapped by a woman?"

He kept watching the sky, waiting for Indy to return. He hated her, he loved her. He ached for her, he despised her. How could she leave him?

Thelton numbly sat at the waterfall where they had exchanged their magical kiss. As he sat, he played in the water. The coolness numbed his fingers. Suddenly, he became aware of the sound of wings in the sky. Could it be her? He looked up; there was Indy.

She landed next to him. Thelton didn't budge. He was torn on his thoughts. He was happy to see her and yet angry she had left him. He wanted to hug and kiss her, yet he wanted to punish her.

"Where you've been," he coldly asked.

Indy sat next to him and put some flowers in his lap. She smiled and grabbed his hand. He kept it limp.

"Do you care at all what you did to me?"

Indy looked at the waterfall. She put her free hand in the water. The coldness tightening her skin.

"Of course you don't. You think you can take off anytime you want and think I am patiently going to sit her waiting for you. Well you're wrong."

Indy's eyes squinted as she looked at him. She could tell he was upset, but she wasn't sure why.

"You know, I could lecture you, but you don't understand a thing I say. I could tell you to never do that again, but you will. I could command you to never leave my side, but what good will that do? You don't understand a thing I say?" Angrily, Thelton picked up a rock and chucked it into the fountain. It splashed water into both their faces. Indy giggled while Thelton became more bothered by his wet face. He wiped the chilly water on his sleeve.

"This isn't going to work. We are from different worlds, you and me. How can I have a woman that can't obey me? What was I thinking falling for you? I can't have baggage. This is so wrong."

Thelton stood. "That's it. I know what I will do. I will make passage on sea and start a life anew somewhere else. You, go home to your family. That is where you belong."

Indy reached up and grabbed Thelton's arm, she pulled him down next to her.

"What are you doing?" he said annoyed.

Indy brought her lips to his and gave him a kiss. She mimicked his kiss from a couple of days ago. The kiss was sweet and tender.

Thelton relaxed while his anger promptly evaporated. Indy was smiling up at him.

"I could never leave you," he said. Instantly he changed his mind. He would do everything in his power to protect her. "Please, don't ever leave me again."

...

Sterling had made his way to Arlisaine. He was starving. The princess had loaded him up with lots of slip coins to help the success of his journey. As he walked down the main street of town, he spotted a large tavern. His stomach growled, anticipating a large, hot breakfast. It felt good to have money to burn. For once, he felt important. Out of the tavern walked Trevor of Andleburg, First Position Advisor. He was surrounded by a group of Arlisaine men. Sterling couldn't be entirely sure, but he was almost positive it was Trevor. He had met Trevor on the dragon hunt. He wondered what Trevor was doing in Arlisaine. Not really the place for the king's first advisor. Letting the thought pass, he remembered he was hungry.

Sterling went into the tavern. He passed by a table with four hard looking men. They had been arguing with the server on their choice for breakfast. Sterling kept his eyes down and found a seat in the back corner. He didn't want trouble with anyone.

...

Thelton stood outside their room as Indy changed. He had bought all the left over dresses from the maidens earlier. The front was opened by the buttons and the back he had cut out. Thelton wasn't big on fashion, but he didn't want to take her to breakfast with her threadbare dress. She had really made a mess of it. Thelton paced outside the door. It was sure taking her a long time to get ready. A bearded man passed by him and tipped his hat. Thelton nodded. What was taking Indy so long? The smells from the tavern drifted his way. He scratched his arm. The door creaked open.

Indy stepped out, she looked flustered. She had battled with the dress for some time. She liked how clothes kept her warm, but they were complicated. She had tried to get Thelton to help, but he had refused. Thelton looked at her and began laughing out loud. She looked stupid because she had it on backwards.

"Go back in and try again. You look pathetic." Thelton pointed to the door. Indy looked at him in confusion.

He grabbed at her dress. "Backwards, look, backwards."

Indy stared.

Thelton shook his head. "Whatever, I really don't care. You can go in there looking like a fool. I'm starving and in all truth, I really don't want to wait another second for you to get dressed." Thelton grabbed Indy's hand and lead her into the tavern.

A rush of warm air met them at the tavern door. The smells of breakfast tickled their olfactory. Thelton rubbed his stomach, because he couldn't wait to eat. The smell seemed to take a hold of Indy. She became fidgety and madly looked around. Letting go of Thelton's hand she rushed to an occupied table. Thelton was taken back, what had caught her curiosity?

Around the table sat four burly men. A feast was spread before them. There were mash potatoes, rolls, tander root, farther berries, and a giant wild turkey in the middle. It was the turkey that caught Indy's attention. She was starving. She had only eaten a small chicken over the last couple of days. With her empty belly, her natural instinct took over.

Indy dived at the turkey, practically crawling over the table to get it. She drove her face in the middle while she ripped pieces off the side. She was stuffing her face. Oil and little scraps of turkey dripped down her chin.

"What are you doing, woman?" one of the men yelled at her. The others sat in unbelief.

Thelton rushed to the table, reaching over it, he grabbed Indy's back. He tried to pull her off the table. He seized a handful of dress. She turned to him and snarled then went back to eating.

"Get down," he yelled. "What are you doing? If you want turkey, we will order it." Thelton grabbed the back of her arm and tried to remove her from the bird. Indy swung around with her claws and caught the skin on his face. She snarled, and then pushed him to the ground. Once again, she returned to the food.

Thelton sat on the ground stunned. What had gotten into her? Why had she lashed at him? Indy found nothing unusual about her behavior. She had eaten sort of civil up to this point, but that is not how she was raised. At the lair, fights often erupted over food.

"Get your woman off our food," one man shouted.

"I'm not paying for that," said another.

The tavern owner hurriedly made his way to the table. He reached down to help pull Thelton up off the floor. Thelton pushed his hand aside and stood on his own.

"You and your woman need to leave NOW!" the owner barked.

Thelton glared at him. He didn't know what to do. He brought his hand up to his bleeding cheek. It stung.

"If you want her out of here, then do it yourself." Thelton said. He still was in shock.

All the men rose from the table. With the aid of the owner, they tackled Indy. She bit, she clawed, she screamed, and she howled as the fight progressed. She had massive power and it took all the men, plus a few others, to pull her from the table. They carried her to the front door. She kicked and screeched and fought all the way there. They tossed her out into the street. She stood up and charged back in. When they saw her coming, they blocked the entrance and pushed her out again.

The men turned and faced Thelton, ready to fight him too, if they had to. He shrugged. His feelings were still hurt from her lashing at him.

"Can I take some food back to my room?" Thelton asked. He was still hungry.

The owner pointed to the door. "Go!"

Thelton reached down at the table and grabbed a handful of tander root and farther berries and thought. "I am hungry and now I have to miss breakfast, and I am sure there isn't a lunch in my future." As the men pushed him, he shoved the food in his mouth.

...

Sterling sat in the corner of the tavern and watched Thelton leave.

"I can't believe it. The fates had been good to me. Of all the towns I could have picked, I end up in the one Thelton and the wild woman are at." He poked at his bread. "She is scarier than Thelton. How in the world will I contain her? She almost bested ten men. I would rather take my chances on bringing Thelton in; at least he isn't wild." He shook his head realizing there was no way he could bring either in. He didn't have the skills to capture them. Did he have the whit to steal her away? Sterling decided he better get outside and see where they went.

He heard she could fly. If she took to the sky he would lose them. He was so close, this was his only chance. There was a reason the fates brought him to Arlisaine, he best take advantage.

...

Outside the tavern, Indy and Thelton were in a fight. The two rolled around in the street. A little dust storm kicked up around them. Indy seemed to have the upper hand. Sterling smiled. He loved seeing Thelton get his butt kicked, and even better, it was by a girl. A dozen people gathered around to watch the fight. The town's ladies shrieked in horror as they watched a man fight a woman. The men from the tavern cheered Thelton on because they despised Indy.

Indy gave him a powerful head-butt. He momentarily blacked out. When he came to, he was fuming. His headed pounded. His pride seemed to take a hit as well. The town's people cat called to him for his loss to a woman. In his anger, he threw Indy off. He kicked dust at her and left her in the dirt. Fuming, he jumped on a horse and rode off. His mouth foamed as he bit his tongue. He was livid.

Indy sat on the ground. Her face was scratched up, and her hair flew everywhere. A towns' man yelled after Thelon, he had watched him take off with his horse. Indy rubbed at her arms. She panted heavily. One of the towns' woman went over to help her.

"Stop," a man shouted. "She is wilder than a beast. Best let her be." The woman listened and quickly backed away.

Indy spit on her wounds; they burned.

Sterling realized if he ever had a chance, now was the time. He was scared, but he made his way to Indy. He stood over her. She looked up wildly at him. He stepped back a bit. Her look frightened him.

"Let me, um, let me help you."

Indy stared.

Sterling bent down and offered his hand. She glared at it. He was shaking because she looked like she wanted to devour him. Sterling's other hand still held his breakfast bread. He reached out and offered it to Indy.

"Here, you can eat this," he said, remembering how hungry she had seemed back at the tavern.

"Eat," Indy replied. She snatched the bread and stuffed it in her mouth. Sterling dropped to his knees next to her. He softly touched her arm near the wounds.

"Ouch, those look bad." He knew nothing else to do, so he reached his head over and spit on her wounds like she had.

Indy relaxed a bit.

"Pain," Indy said. She had learned a small vocabulary during her time with Thelton.

"I bet, you are, um, you are in pain. Come with me, and I will help you." He tenderly grabbed her hand.

Indy was hesitant, but curious. She accepted his hand.

He pulled her up, finding her solid weight. He grunted to lift her.

He had gentleness to his nature.. She reached over to his short blond hair and rubbed it. Sterling stiffened. He was scared of her. Was she preening him before she devoured him?

"Go. Fly," she said to Sterling.

Sterling's heart leapt. She wanted to fly. Would she take him along? "I have often watched the birds soar the air and have dreamed of joining them. I heard you could fly. Will you take me?"

As if she understood him, Indy wrapped her arms around Sterling and jumped into the air. Nothing happened. Her wings were trapped behind her dress.

Sterling shook as he was locked in her embrace. He didn't trust her, for he really thought she might eat him. She reached her arm around her back and tore open more of the material until she freed her wings. The spectators gasped as they stretched opened, for they were massive. Maybe she was a queen fairy.

Indy rewrapped her arms around Sterling and set up into the sky. They flew high above the village. The space between them and the ground widened. Sterling's heart felt like it stayed back on the ground.

"Ohh, ohh, ohh, I'm flying, I'm FLYING!" Sterling yelled out. Euphoria over took him. He had never experienced anything as amazing before. The wind rushed through his hair and tickled his skin. He could see the people down below become smaller and smaller. The air felt fresh. He could die right now and nothing else would matter. He was flying!

"I love it, I love it!" he called out. All inhabitations had disappeared. He couldn't stop his enthusiasm. He felt wonderful.

Indy loved his response. She had been able to discern when a human was displaying pleasure. Sterling was excited. All he could do was laugh and scream in fear and joy. Indy delighted in his reaction. Sterling was fun to fly with. She tried some tricky maneuvers to see what he would do. With each roll and twirl, he would holler louder in joy. She loved his response and the two of them flew for hours.

They had been having so much fun they didn't notice when they flew over Thelton. Thelton, however, did not miss their fly by.

...

The doors to the tavern flew open. Thelton stormed in a rage.

"Where did she go? Who is with her?"

The tavern owner grabbed a giant club and made his way toward Thelton.

"I told you to leave."

Thelton pulled out his emerald sword. "I'm not here for trouble. I need to know where my woman went."

A couple of men left their meals and circled Thelton.

"That woman better never return," the owner said.

Thelton heard a sword unsheathed next to him. A large man was pointing it in his face.

"You stole my horse." He was big and fat with a sweaty face. Still chomping on his food, he glared at Thelton.

"I didn't steal it, its outside."

The guy continued pointing the sword in Thelton's face. "You stole my horse."

With Thelton's free hand, he reached into his side pack and pulled out a handful of slip coins. He threw them at the foot of the portly man. "Buy yourself three new horses. I am not looking for a fight. I have bigger things to worry about. The most important thing is; where did my woman go?"

"That will cost you," the tavern owner said.

Thelton grabbed another handful of slip coins and tossed them at the owner. All the men dived to the ground and madly collected the coins. Only the owner stood facing Thelton.

"She flew away," he said.

"I KNOW THAT!" Thelton screamed. "Who took her? I saw a man with her. Where did they go? Who took her?"

"Don't know, never saw the guy before."

"Yeah," said another, "stranger around these parts."

"I believe when he came in this morning, he said something about being from Candleshaw. We never get people from Candleshaw in these parts."

Rage seized Thelton, and he grabbed a chair and threw it across the tavern. "Where are they going?"

No one answered.

Thelton cradled his forehead in his hand. She was gone. Like that, she was gone. They had a fight, and he was sure she would not be coming back. But, who was with her. How could someone come in so fast and take his place? How was he going to get her back?

"I need your horse again," Thelton said as he tossed more slip coins around.

The greedy man smiled. "Take it."

Thelton stormed out of the tavern and jumped on the horse. He took off in the last direction he had seen Indy flying in.

As Thelton rode, his mind cleared. He barely saw the figure in Indy's arms when they had flown by. From the ground, he looked like he had short blond hair. Men didn't have short hair. Thelton felt like he had seen a man with short hair recently. That was no good; he had seen many people lately. Anyone could be that guy. He thought again to what he knew. The tavern owner said he was from Candleshaw.

"That crooked man Flance is from Candleshaw, but he is locked up in the dungeon, and he has red hair."

Clarity hit Thelton; he almost fell off his horse. Flance's son was from Candleshaw. Flance's son had short blond hair. Thelton screamed at the top of his lunges. Flance's son had his woman. "How is it those two are always in my way?"

Thelton thought about his and Indy's fight.

"I had been so impatient with her. She had embarrassed me at the tavern.. But that is not her fault. She was raised by dragons. I should have been gentler. What did I expect, a woman of culture? She would never be refined, and I never want her to be. That's what I like about her, she is unique, and she doesn't care about her looks. She isn't stuffy, trying to be like all the other ladies. She is strong and she has power. I like that. I should have backed off and let her slowly unlearn her dragon ways." He hit the horse to make it go faster. She might be gone for good. He may have lost her.

### Chapter 26

Indy spent the day flying Sterling around. He shrilled and carried on as she flew through the clouds. His laughter made her laugh, her lip muscles hurting because she smiled so much, something she was not used to. Spending time with Sterling and his contagious, joyful attitude pumped her with new emotions and joy. He was different from Thelton. Thelton always seemed stern and stiff, but Sterling made her laugh.

By early evening, Indy began to get tired and hungry. She found a large creek amongst a small patch of trees and landed.

"Oh, must we really be done?" Sterling asked. He wasn't sure he would ever have a chance to fly again, and he wasn't ready for it to end. He had forgotten about his fear of Indy. He had forgotten about his quest. He had forgotten about everything.

"Eat," Indy said.

Sterling looked to his side. He had left everything but his sword at the tavern. He cursed. He had nothing to offer Indy. He looked at the creek. "Maybe there are fish in there," he said.

With his strong muscles, Sterling grabbed Indy's hand and impulsively jumped into the water, pulling her in with him. They both went under.

Indy gasped for air as she surfaced. She was utterly shocked by Sterling's action. The overpowering coldness took her breath away. Turning around, she faced Sterling. He was laughing as he took a handful of water and splashed her. Indy didn't know how to react, so she copied him, splashing back. A wall of chilled water met him in the face.

The game had started. In retaliation, Sterling jumped on Indy and towed her under the water. The water closed in around her. As she went down, he was pleased with himself. He howled in triumphant glory, hitting the sky with his fists. He was king of the water. When she surfaced, she charged him and dragged him under. That advantage was hers. It continued for hours as the two enjoyed the evening in the stream. When they tired, Sterling decided to do what he had jumped in for. He fished.

"The trick is," he said to Indy, "Is to..." She jumped on his shoulders and pulled him under, laughing and laughing. Sterling came up gasping for air. He hadn't prepared himself for that.

"Listen you, we need to get serious here. We need to eat, and we need to fish." He shook the water off his face.

She cheerfully followed him and pulled him under again. The water entered his mouth and ears. Sterling grabbed her and the two wrestled some more. Finally, Sterling swam away from her. He was hungry and needed to find some fish. Indy didn't know how to swim. Fortunately, the creek was shallow and she could still touch the bottom. While she awkwardly made her way to him, he found a fish. It was long and fat. He leaped forward and caught it in his hand. A skill he had perfected with his father.

"Come on, let's go eat," he said. He swam to the shore and got out. Water dripped on the dirt below him. The breeze chilled him as it blew on his wet skin and clothes. Indy struggled to make her way out of the water and onto the bank. It was very chilly. Their teeth chattered from the cold crisp air.

He held the fish up to Indy. Mesmerized, she nabbed it out of his hand. Its slimy skin made it slippery and hard to hold. It wiggled in her hand until she dropped it on the bank and it flipped back into the water. Sterling laughed. "Hey, that was my dinner." He didn't get mad as he dove into the water after the fish. With luck, he was able to grab it before it got away.

When he came out, Indy tried to seize the fish from him. "You can hold it, but let's get away from the water's edge." Sterling shivered. He really didn't want to retrieve the fish again.

He walked a bit from the water then turned to Indy. "Here you go, come get it."

Indy grabbed the fish from him. It contracted back and forth as it tried to escape her hands. Laughing, her eyes lightened up. She had never seen a fish before.

"What?" she asked Sterling.

"What, what?" he asked back.

Indy pointed to the fish. "What be?" she asked again.

"Oh, that," he was startled. Didn't everyone know what a fish was? "That is a fish."

"Vish," Indy tried.

"Fish," Sterling guided. "Ff-ish."

"Fiss," Indy said, delighted in her attempt.

"Don't you know how to talk?" Sterling asked.

"Fiss," Indy tried again. She shook as she spoke because of her wet skin.

"What is your story? You are so different than anyone I have met," he said watching her.

"What do fish?" Indy asked.

Sterling grabbed the fish and put it in Indy's face. She was staring into the mouth of the fish. Its mouth opened and closed, opened and closed.

Sterling lowered his voice to a funny growl, "Give me a kiss, beautiful."

Indy had learned the word kiss from Thelton. She reached her lips forward and kissed the fish.

"Eehhh, I was joking. Don't kiss the fish; yuck. No kiss fish. Eat fish. Fish food."

Indy looked at Sterling. "Eat fish?"

Sterling laughed. "Yes, eat fish."

Indy launched her face forward and bit down on the fish's head. Juice and blood squirted out. Some blood shot into Sterling's face. It stung. He quickly closed his eyes and madly rubbed at them.

"Ohh, ohh, ohh, you really did it, you took a bite of fish. Wow, we eat fish, but usually we cook them first." He shuttered at what it must taste and feel like to have scaly raw fish in the mouth. She might like it raw, but he refused. Sterling looked around at everything. He wasn't sure how he was going to build a fire. There was nothing to create one with.

Indy didn't understand him as she continued munching on the fish's head. The eye balls exploded in her mouth. As she ate, a few bones jabbed into her gums.

Sterling's stomach growled. "Oh well, it looks like you don't mind raw fish. I best join you before the fish is all gone." Sterling came close to Indy and took a bite into the raw fish. The tender meat mushed between his teeth. It wasn't too bad. He had eaten worse. While he did, a bone lodged in Indy's throat. Panic filled her. She didn't understand what was happening or how to fix it.

"Oh no, oh no, not good," Sterling responded to her chocking. She must have swallowed a bone.

Indy reached down her throat and worked at it until she pulled the bone out. Tears spilled out of her eyes.

"Few, I am glad you got that out. How about handing me the fish, and I will get the bones out." Sterling held open his hand. He didn't dare take the fish without her giving it to him. He remembered how wild she was at the tavern when it came to food.

Indy threw the fish at him. It hurt her and she didn't want anymore. Sterling carefully used his sword and slit into the slimy creature. He worked out the bones and the innards. When he finished, he handed it back to Indy.

She shook her head, "No. Pain."

Sterling smiled at her. She was simple. "Pain gone, eat," he replied in an uncomplicated sentence.

"What?"

"No pain, eat." He took the fish and had a bite. "Yum."

Indy cautiously took another bite. To her delight, there were no more bones. She took another bite. She liked the flavor of the weird animal. The two of them finished the fish quickly.

"Wow, you have an appetite like my father. I don't get much to eat when he is around. I figure it will be the same with you."

A wind picked up. It made them colder.

"We have to move around or we will freeze. It probably wasn't a good idea getting wet this late." Sterling wished he had something to build a fire with. Thankfully, it wasn't bitterly cold. If they weren't wet, the temperature would be tolerable, but with everything wet, they were chilled.

Sterling jumped up into the air. "That's it, I have an idea. Let's dance. That will keep us warm. I have to admit, I have never danced with a woman before. But, somehow I think it is okay, because I am guessing you have never danced before, either. But if we dance, that will probably warm us up a little. We'll share each other's heat."

Indy's yellowish teeth were chattering as she looked at him. He held his arms wide open, "Shall we?"

Indy looked at him curiously.

He stepped close to her and put his arms around her back.

"Fly?" Indy asked. She began to open her wings.

"No, no, no. No fly. Dance."

Indy pulled away confused. "No fly?"

Sterling flashed her a sweet smile. "Oh, I love to fly. But, no. No fly. Dance."

"Dance?" Indy tried.

Sterling smiled wide and laughed. "That's right, dance." As he straightened, he held his arms open again. He changed his voice to try and sound like a gentleman. "My darling, may I have this dance." He grabbed Indy and pulled her in.

With her in his embrace, Sterling twirled her around. He really had no idea what he was doing. The movement was new to him as well as Indy. She enjoyed him tossing her back and forth, his firm hands grasping her. He continuously dropped her or stepped on her feet. They laughed and tried again. Bliss filled them and they barely noticed when the moon replaced the sun. His idea worked. Their clothes were drying and they were staying warm.

Under the light of the moon, the two had the most fun either had ever had. With so much elation between them, they hardly wanted to stop, but slowly the urge to sleep crept in and muscles ached. Sterling finally brought the night to an end.

"Wow, I am worn out. It takes a lot of energy to dance." Sterling found a boulder and sat down.

"Like dance," Indy said. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back up. "Dance," she said.

Sterling laughed and laughed. "Yeah, I liked it too. Wow, that was fun. Thanks for dancing with me. You know, I have never done that before. I have never done much before. My life was different than most kids was. My father raised me. We rarely lived in a real house; however, we had many different types of dwellings we would live in. We lived outside most of the time. My father is a great hunter. He even slays dragons. He taught me his trade. I love my father." He sat back on the boulder.

His face saddened. He looked off into the night. He missed his father. He remembered his mission to bring Indy back in exchange for his father's life.

"Tell me about your childhood. Where are you from," he said facing Indy. He attempted to see her features, but couldn't because of the darkness around them.

Indy sat next to Sterling. Her green eyes began to get heavy. She rested her head on his warm shoulder. While she did, he played with her black hair.

"You don't say much, do you? I sure wish I knew your story. You are so odd, and yet so fun. I love being with you. You are my friend. I have never had a friend before. It feels good to have one. My father kept me by his side always. He has been sick as long as I can remember. We never did much, because he couldn't handle it.

"I am not complaining. It was a good life. He is a good father. I missed out on a lot in life. We would visit the villages often when my father had animal meat to sell. I would sit by his side and watch the village children play. How I wanted to join them. I never dared try. They would have fun. A whole different life than I did. Mine was pretty solitary. I had father and that was it." Sterling felt comfortable around Indy. He looked down at Indy. She was snoring loudly. This was the first time he had really talked to anyone. Once he got started he couldn't stop.

"You know, it's not entirely true that I didn't play with other kids. When father would go to the tavern to get drunk, he would make me stay under his table. There was one tavern in Candleshaw he would go to. There was a little boy there. If father would pass out, then I would sneak over to the little boy. The little boy was always busy doing chores. He had to keep the tavern clean. But he would let me watch him work. I guess you could say he was my friend."

The night air got colder. He wrapped his arm around Indy to keep her warm. He closed his eyes and smiled. He had a friend!

...

The morning sun shined down on Sterling and Indy. The birds whistled their beautiful songs. Bees buzzed all around them. They awoke with smiles on their faces. Sterling stood up, feeling stiff. His joints popped. He had slept in one pose the whole night and now his body paid for it. He stretched his arms and legs. Indy did the same.

"Eat," Indy said.

"Woman, is that all you think about?"

Indy jumped up and ran to the stream and then jumped in. "Fiss," she called out to him. She was full of enthusiasm. Sterling felt like he had finally dried, there was no way he was going to join her. His hunger could wait.

"You're not going to catch a fish. It takes a lot of skill. I have spent my life working at it. But, hey, I don't want to damp your spirits, go ahead and try." Sterling smiled as he watched her. She had such an innocence to her.

Indy dove under the water and remained there for a long time. Was she alright? Sterling began to worry. He debated about rescuing her. When she stayed under way too long, he decided he better go after her. He stood and went to the water. Just in time to stop him, she emerged. Water sprayed up around her. On the tip of her claw was a giant silver fish, almost double the size as the one he caught the previous night.

Sterling was stunned. She had accomplished what had taken him years to learn. "You aren't going to let me live that down, are you?"

Indy brought the fish to Sterling. She held it out to him. "No pain," she said.

"Oh, you want me to get the bones out, don't you?" He took the fish and with his sword worked the bones out. His fingers numbed as he handled the cold meat. When the bones where out, the two shared the fish.

After breakfast, Indy stood up and held her arms out. "Dance," she said.

Sterling smiled then frowned. "Oh I would love to dance. But we must go, we must fly. I have to get you to the castle. The princess wants you in exchange for my father. You see, my father, the one I told you about last night, they are going to kill him. You are the only thing that can save him. No dance. We must fly."

Indy didn't understand him. "No fly. Dance."

Sterling looked at her. She wanted to dance with him. The previous night had been so lively. He hated to tell her no. After all, she was his only friend.

"Fine, dance, then fly."

"Yes," Indy said. She seemed to understand the bargain.

Sterling rushed into her arms. He hoisted her into the air and spun her around. The two giggled and played. Sterling had planned to dance for only a few minutes. It didn't take long for him to forget himself. They danced for hours.

Toward the end, he thought more and more about his father. Although he enjoyed dancing, he knew they must stop. Time was wasting. Finally he pointed to the sky.

"Will you fly me to the castle now?"

"Fly?" Indy asked.

"Yes, fly my oversized fairy."

Indy grabbed Sterling and flew.

...

"No, not that way, that will take us back to Arlisaine." Sterling thought for a moment as they soared over the fields. Would it take them back to Arlisaine? He realized he had no idea where they were. They had flown much of the day before, and none of it had been a straight course. Where was Arlisaine? More imperative, which way to Andleburg?

"You've been to the castle before, which way is it?" he asked Indy.

Indy stared at him.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," he said. He had no idea where they were. How was he going to save his father? The fates had been good to him. They had practically delivered Indy into his hands. How could he fail when he had been successful? He had been away for awhile; was his father even alive?

They flew in circles and ended up at the stream. Indy dropped back to its side. Dispirited, Sterling went to the boulder and sat down. Indy went to the water's edge and got a drink.

Sterling covered his eyes and cried. Indy wasn't sure what he was doing. Curious, she went to his side and sat next to him, remembering the times she had cried. Thelton had wiped her tears away. She lifted Sterling's head and wiped at his tears. She wasn't very careful and her claws scraped at his cheeks. He yelped. Indy continued until she caught a tear at the tip of her finger where she put it in her mouth and sucked the tear off. That caught Sterling off guard and a little snicker snuck through his sorrow.

"Look at you, you are wiping my tears, and eating them. No one has ever wiped my tears before. I can't help it, I cry. My father has always hated that about me. I have tried to man up and be like him, but I can't. I am a crier. And look at you, you are comforting me."

Sterling touched his chest, "Friend," he said. He touched Indy's chest, "Friend."

"Fend," Indy tried.

Sterling smiled. "You bring me joy. You are my friend."

Indy touched Sterling. "Fend."

"If you are going to say it, you must say it right. FFF-RRR-IIEE-NN-DD."

"Friend."

Sterling clapped his hands. "You got it, you got it!" For a moment. he forgot his problems.

At the castle, the servant's abilities were stretched. There were a lot of men to care for. With mounding stress, the king became sick and took to his bed. Depression to the loss of her lover over took Princess Alashia. With no desire for life, she stayed in her bed as well. A dark cloud overtook the castle. For the time, Flance's execution was forgotten.

### Chapter 27

Thelton worked himself mad. As he raced to find Indy, many thoughts entered his mind. He was sorry he had fought with her.

"I vow if I get her back, I will be more patient with her. I have to get her back. She is my prize. Flance's awful son stole her from me, which only makes this worse. Those two have been nothing but a thorn in my side since the day I met them. I should have killed them back at the Flankton Forest."

As he pushed his horse, he explored all his options. He didn't know what to do, or where to turn. He needed his woman back. He had searched and searched in vain, finally coming to the conclusion there was only one man that could help him, and he knew where to find him, in the bottom of the king's dungeon. He knew the risks of returning to the castle. But he must, because Flance could tell him where his son was. If he found the young man, he would find Indy.

Thelton left the horse outside the castle walls. He scaled over the gate and entered the courtyard. He was surprised to find the castle grounds empty. There were a few guards here and there, but very little. Most of them were inside nursing the men back to health. At first, Thelton didn't know why they weren't around. He wondered if it was a trap. He realized it wasn't. No one would expect his return.

Thelton quietly made his way to the dungeon. He was relieved to find it unmanned. He wondered if the king would ever learn from his mistakes. He was glad he hadn't yet. On his way down the stairs, he could hear Flance hacking. Selfishly, he was glad he hadn't died yet.

...

"I see you haven't been able to rescue yourself," Thelton said standing outside Flance's door. He had studied the cell to see if Flance still had the siren. The cell was empty.

"What do you want?" Flance said as he opened his eyes. He began to cough again.

"You sound worse than ever."

Flance stood up and approached the bars. "Don't pretend to care."

"I wouldn't dare. I am here because I..." Thelton hesitated, "because I finally need you."

"You've always needed me Thelton. What has finally brought you to that realization?"

"It's because your son has something of mine, and I want it back."

"I am in here because of you. They think I turned the men into trees. They will soon take my life. You would be okay with that, wouldn't you? Letting me die for the things that you did?" Flance challenged as he stared at Thelton. His expression icy and cold.

"I am going to spring you from here. Let the kingdom think what they want, you will soon be a free man, and then you can return to Candleshaw and live more life in peace with your son."

Flance lay back down. "I am not helping you." It was hard to breathe lying flat on his back, he began coughing again. Thelton wrinkled his nose, for he hated Flance's cough.

"I will give you more than your freedom. I will turn over the title of dragon slayer to you. If you help me then I will leave forever."

Flance sat up. He hated Thelton. Would Thelton really leave? He doubted it.

"I can't trust you. I led you to the queen and you left me there to die."

Thelton become very serious. "Flance, my days as The Dragon Slayer are over. I have a new purpose in life. You help me, and I will give you 200,000 Tretos, my title, and your freedom. I will not betray you."

Flance felt like the devil had appeared and was offering him a deal for his soul. He hated Thelton immensely. He didn't want to make a deal with him nor help him in any way. On the other hand, he knew his death was closely approaching. He was surprised to still be alive. He didn't want to die by the hand of the king, or alone in the dungeon. He hoped to see his son again.

Flance thought about the deal for some time. He could feel himself salivating over the idea of owning 200,000 Tretos. He could do or have anything he wanted with that much currency. He also thought about obtaining the title of the dragon slayer. Against his own judgment, his greed took over.

"Don't make me a fool, Thelton. You have already ruined my life three hundred times over."

"I promise all is yours, once we find your son."

"Is that the deal, Thelton, I find you my son?"

"Yes it is."

"Then what are you going to do, kill him?"

"No, that is not the deal. I'm taking back what is mine."

"What if he doesn't give it to you, then will you kill him?"

"Oh, he will return it."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I have something he wants."

"And what is that?"

"You."

...

To Thelton's delight, all the tools were still scattered around the dungeon. He picked up a sledge hammer and broke down the walls. Flance was free.

Flance emerged from the cell shivering, extremely cold. His fingers were a light blue.

"Is there a chance you will lend me your coat?"

"Not a chance in the world. Stick with me, and in the end you will have enough money to buy a thousand coats."

Thelton snuck Flance out of the dungeon. Quietly they walked to the outer walls of the courtyard. The dogs were kept on the other side and had not noticed the escapees. The cool air seized Flance's lunges. He worked hard at oppressing the coughing. He didn't want to get caught. His face reddened. Once they were to the gate, Thelton helped him scale it, because the weakness and cold began overtaking Flance's ability to function. He scraped up his arms and knees. Blood smeared everywhere. Finally, they were to the other side. Flance sat down. He relaxed and the coughing fit commenced.

"I have my own conditions." Flance said between coughing.

Thelton spun around and glared at him. "No conditions."

Flance's voice elevated. "Oh, I do."

"I call the shots, Flance."

"Listen, I am now free. I could run and you would never find my son. I know you don't want it to happen."

"If you did that you wouldn't get your money or my title."

Flance shrugged his shoulders. "I have gone this long without it."

Thelton watched Flance. He was not bluffing.

"Tell me your conditions."

"I want you to see me as the better hunter, because I am. It is time you realized that. You had your glory, but I have surpassed you. It is time you stepped down." Flance began coughing. How could he prove his superiority when his body kept betraying him?

Thelton bit his finger. There was no way he would concede to such a statement.

"At least treat me as an equal and not like I am some nobody, because I am your equal. Don't forget, before you set me up, the king chose me. That tells you something about my skill."

Thelton bit his finger harder. He needed Flance to find Indy. "Fine. I will make a deal with the devil."

"Thelton you are the devil himself"

"Really, who was the one who caused us to meet? Who tried to take my life first, and for what; my title? Flance, I only play hard because you started it. If you would get out of my life and out of my way, I would have left you alone a long time ago. But, every time I turn around, there you are, trying to kill me."

"You didn't have to come rescue me."

"Where is your son?"

"I am sure he is at home."

"Lead the way."

"How about I tell you, and we part here?"

Thelton pulled out his sword and put it in Flance's face. "You will lead the way until we find your son."

"Where is the respect?" Flance said throwing his arm into the sky. The night air burned at his lunges and he coughed with very little breaks from it.

"Stop playing games with me and I will give you respect." Thelton demanded.

Flance stopped coughing. "Let me get this straight, you want me to lead the way."

"Yes,"

"My dream has come true. I lead, you follow."

Thelton bit his finger again.

### Chapter 28

As they sat there, Sterling didn't know what to do. He wasn't very good at making decisions. He hadn't had to make very many in his life. His father had always done that. His father controlled everything Sterling had ever done. It was now upon his shoulders to make a decision and he didn't know what to do. His teeth chattered as his anxiety boiled inside. He couldn't determine a way to go. He sat there and moped. Indy, tired of being by his side, stood up. She gathered many flowers and brought them back to Sterling. She dropped them in his lap.

"Beautiful," he said. He picked one up and smelt it, it was sweet. He brought it to Indy's nose. "I love flowers."

Indy smelled the flower and giggled. She put another flower in Sterling's nose. He took a deep snort. Indy laughed. She tried to mimic the snort. It tickled her nose.

"Beautiful," he said again. "Say beautiful, beautiful."

"Butaful," it was a hard word to say.

"You are beautiful," he said as he touched Indy's chest.

Indy looked confused. How could the flower and her share the word beautiful.

Sterling looked at her and had an idea.

"You know, my father taught me to braid rope. I am pretty good at braids. Whenever I go to villages the women always have their hair in braids with flowers all over. How about I braid your hair?"

He grabbed Indy's hair. She pulled away.

"Braid, good." He said.

"Good?"

"Yes," he slowly reached forward. Indy calmed. He took her hair in his hand and weaved the pieces through each other. Indy enjoyed the feeling, it relaxed her. Sterling worked carefully with each strand of hair. It made him feel happy to do something for her. When he had two braids, he piled them on top of her head. He gathered her flower collection and secured them to the braids. Each new flower added its own component to the arrangement. When he was done, her hair was phenomenal.

"I am good. Who would have thought a hunter's son would be good at doing women's hair? Maybe I can stop hunting and sit in the village and do hair for my livelihood." Sterling laughed really hard. "Oh, wouldn't father love his only boy doing women's work."

Indy reached up and felt her head. She could feel the flowers. She snickered. It felt different to have the hair off her neck. She kept rubbing her neck trying to get used to the sensation.

Sterling touched her chest again. "Beautiful."

"Butaful," Indy said.

"I wish I had a way you could see your hair. I bet you have never had it look like this before."

Sterling looked around. In the creek he saw a small area pooled off. He went over to it and looked in. He could see his reflection. It would work.

"Hey come here," he motioned to Indy. She stared at him.

"Hey friend, come here," he tried again, motioning her his way.

Indy joined him and saw herself in the water and smiled.

...

"You know, Dragon Slayer, I wronged you some time ago. It is because of me we have this bitter hateful relationship. There have been many times where either one of us could have killed the other. Yet, for some reason, we never did. We have wasted the years fighting against each other when we could have been working together," Flance said as the two men walked towards Candleshaw. They traveled the back way to avoid running in to anyone. Flance knew the kingdoms would be looking for him.

Thelton spit into the dirt then passed over it. "I hunt alone."

"Well, you see, that's funny, because I believe we both are trying to rescue your damsel. Now that doesn't seem too alone to me, in fact, it seems like..." Flance didn't get a chance to finish speaking before Thelton quickly unsheathed his sword and put it under Flance's throat. He gave Flance a cold hard stare. His dark eyes piercing into Flance's soul.

Flance pushed Thelton's sword away, it sliced his hand. With the burning sensation, Flance brought his hand to his mouth.

"I've learned something about you. You won't kill me. You can't, otherwise you would have done it by now." Flance said as he licked at the blood.

"Don't be too sure of yourself. I have grown quite weary of you in my life."

"So is that your plan? I lead you to my son and then you kill the both of us?"

Thelton stared at Flance, as if he was considering his words.

"I won't kill you or your son if you obey me and don't try anything stupid. All I want to get is the girl. Then, and only then will I give you your reward. We will part ways and never cross paths again."

Flance stared at Thelton, he wondered if he could trust his enemy. Thelton had broken his word multiple times in the past. "How can I trust you; you have left me and my son to die way too many times."

"Let's not forget you started this relationship. It was you and your son who tried to kill me first. Everything I have done has been an attempt to get away from you and to get you out of my life. If you had never entered it, then we wouldn't be where we are today."

"Let us stop this fighting. You want to work alone, yet you called on me for help. Like it or not, at this very moment, we are working together as a team."

Thelton disregarded every attempt Flance made to start anew. He stared at his sword. A chill went up Flance's side. Thelton continued. "We will always be enemies, let us never run into each other again."

Angered by Thelton's heartlessness, Flance's face became deep red. His lungs flared up as the coughing ripped through them. He would have liked to continue the fight with Thelton, but his lungs took over.

Annoyed, Thelton left Flance to his coughing fit. "I have no empathy for him," he thought. Flance bent over as he hacked and hacked. Bloody sputum shot out of his mouth. He struggled to regain his composer. His coughing fits were lasting longer and longer with each episode.

When Flance's lungs settled, he looked around. He didn't see Thelton. He was relieved and disappointed. Glad to be rid of Thelton but disappointed he wouldn't get the Tretos.

Flance scanned the thick meadow and saw there was no sign of Thelton. He took in a deep breath, it was too much air for his lungs, and he began coughing again. Tears ran down his cheeks. He gripped his chest in pain. When he finally finished, he sat down and looked around. To his surprise, Thelton was a stone's throw from him. Disappointed, he had hoped Thelton had left him.

...

After a short rest, the men got up.

"I have been trying to figure out where my son is. If my son indeed has your woman, then he might bring her to our earthen home on the ridge of the Flankton Forest. It is the largest of our homes. We usually lived there for four moon rotations. We never stay at any of our homes very long. As hunters, we move around depending on what season it is." Flance shared with Thelton.

"I don't need all that information, just the location," Thelton replied.

As they walked, Flance watched Thelton. He noted how posed Thelton was, how he walked with pride and arrogance. It sickened him how The Dragon Slayer used to be his hero. He used to reverence him as if he were a God. But now his God had fallen from the throne he had held him to. The very thought of his once adoration filled him with annoyance, but then his mind went back to his stay in the dungeon. It had been hard and miserable and it had broken him. He had spent it in serious contemplation. As he remembered some of the resolutions he had made, the bitterness he felt for Thelton began melting away. He replaced it with something else;–Pity.

Being in the jail cell had done something to him. He had been stripped of everything. He had starved and froze. It was unlike any other hell he had been through. During it, he had much time to think and ponder things. His heart began changing, something only a cold prison cell could do.

Now, Flance felt sorry for Thelton. His contender had no son. He had no one, not even a woman. What a miserable life that would be.

Flance began coughing blood in the dungeon. He knew his time was short. He hoped to find his son and make sure he got the full 200,000 Tretos. He wanted to give his son the best before he passed on.

Over the years, Flance had watched Sterling carefully. He was scared his son would also get the lung sickness. Flance developed his about six years after his wife died. He wasn't sure how long she had suffered from it. He was relieved to never see Sterling develop signs of it.

Flance looked at the lone Thelton. He felt his hate for the man slipping away. He didn't want to take hate for anyone to the grave with him. Maybe the woman he searched for would soften his enemy's heart. Maybe when he had a wife and kids he would be a different man.

"You know, Dragon Slayer, I know you don't want to join forces and be a team, I accept that, but here we are working together."

The weeds were thick and several meters above their heads. Because of them, they were able to walk concealed. Sometimes they would stumble on a group of boars, or be startled when several pheasants would shoot right out of the grass up into the air. Thelton didn't respond to Flance. Suddenly, Thelton disappeared straight down. Flance cautiously stopped and inched forward. Where did Thelton go?

Beyond the thick grass was a tar pit. Thelton was flailing around in the sticky substance.

The tar was thick and lukewarm. Thelton thrashed his arms as he tried to make his way to the side where he could crawl out. The tar overpowered him, preventing him from being able to move ahead at all. The pull was very strong. In an instant, it sucked Thelton up to his neck. He had to fight with everything he had to stay above the sludge. The tar went from warm to hot. Soon it felt like he was on fire.

Flance watched from above. He wanted to rejoice in the moment. It would only be a short length of time until his enemy would die. Thelton was quickly tiring out. It was taking every last bit of his stamina to keep from being completely pulled under. And yet, in all his stubbornness, he never called out for help.

Flance turned his back to Thelton and stepped away as he thought, "This is it. This is the moment of recompense. Thelton is a terrible man. He has done much bad to many people. Now is my chance to rid the kingdoms of their pseudo hero. He is worthless and he gave people false hope. He is not someone to aspire to. Dying by hot tar; what a fitting death!"

Flance turned back to look at Thelton. The tar had almost won. Flance felt a twinge in his heart. He really didn't hate the man. He had resolved that in the dungeon cell. And yet, Thelton had done much bad to him and his son. It would only be right to leave him to die.

Thelton's head sunk under the sludge. He shot back up, gasping for air, his face covered in tar. The tar crept into his mouth as he struggled to breathe. He began fiercely coughing as he fought for his life.

His conscious won. Flance quickly looked around for a log or a stick. There was nothing. Thelton went under again. This time he was under for much longer. Panicking, Flance madly searched the area. Still there was nothing to rescue Thelton with. Thelton reemerged from the tar again, coughing and sputtering. Could he handle one more submersion?

Flance undid his pants and ripped them off his body. He went over to the side of the pit and tossed a leg of the pants toward Thelton. Thelton grabbed on. Flance used his only arm and pulled on the pants. Thelton barely budged.

Flance took his end of the pants and wrapped them tighter around his wrist. He pulled and pulled. Slowly, Thelton moved. Sweat dripped down both the men's faces. Flance dragged harder, and Thelton moved a little bit more. It was tiring work that quickly exhausted Flance, yet he worked despite the rebellion his lungs gave him. He yanked and heaved. His lungs screamed at him to quit. Blood oozed out of his nose and mouth. He kept tugging. His eyes bulged out. He strained and jerked until Thelton was on the dry ground. Fatigued, Flance dropped to the ground. His wrist bled where the material had cut through. He was a bloody mess.

Flance violently coughed. His body punished him for the hard work. The men were weary and needed to rest. Thelton recovered without saying anything to Flance. After Flance's lungs settled down, he decided he would let his body fall asleep.

As he wished sleep to overtake him, he thought about how he had saved Thelton's life. Anger to the ungrateful man tried to creep into Flance's heart, but he tried to resist it. He didn't want to die a bitter, angry man. Once again, he worked at letting go his hate for Thelton. He had bought that man's life. He would allow himself to be proud of that. He shut his eyes and fell to sleep.

### Chapter 29

Flance and Thelton stooped down as they entered the shallow cave. A breeze of musty air floated passed them. It was very small and empty.

"This is the last of the homes we have used. I have shown you all the rest." There had been no sign Sterling had been in any of them. Flance had no other place to look. Sterling had known nothing else beyond what his father had taught and shown him. Flance couldn't even begin to guess where his son would be. His heart dropped. He feared maybe he was dead.

"I truly am sorry, Thelton, there is nowhere else to look. My son and I lived a simple life. I am all he has known. He has never ventured off on his own. While yes, we have lived in many spots, they are familiar and that is where he would go. As much as your heart aches for your dragon woman, mine aches for my boy. I wish we had found them here today."

Rage stormed through Thelton as he went over to some stalagmites and began kicking them. Pieces of the hundred year old colonies flew everywhere. He cursed and yelled. Foam dripped out the side of his lips. Wildness blared from his eyes.

If Flance's boy wasn't there, then where was he? Despair set in. There was no chance Thelton would ever find him now. There were many villages, kingdoms, and forests someone could hide in. What was he doing with Indy, anyways?

He spun around and glared at Flance. Fury contorted his face. Flance began coughing. "I have no more need of you. It is here we part," Thelton growled.

Flance had expected something else to have come from Thelton, something sinister. Relief filled him, happy that Thelton wasn't going to hurt him. "You gave me freedom when you could have left me to die. For that, I thank you my friend."

"I am not your friend, nor will I ever be. Our life together ends here."

"I know we didn't find my boy, but I did everything I could to help. I don't expect the full 200,000 Tretos we decided on, but could you at least give me 100 Tretos. I would like to still keep looking for my boy. My heart worries about my only son. I promise if I find him, I will help see your woman makes it to you."

"Would you really ask such a thing, you who failed me once again?" Thelton yelled. He took a swing at a stalactite. It crumbled down.

"We are done," Thelton said as he walked toward the cave exit. He was irate. He felt helpless at saving Indy. How much time had Flance wasted of his?

"Well, comrade, may the fates be on your side," Flance offered.

Thelton stopped half way out of the cave. Flance's words hit him. He wished he would stop using words of adoration. Thelton still despised Flance even though he had saved his life several days ago. "I hold no ill will towards you." Flance had told him when he was cleaning the tar off. Flance had saved his life; something that angered Thelton more than softened him.

He was still annoyed by Flance's attempt to seek forgiveness. He would much more prefer them to remain enemies. He didn't want to change his feeling for the terrible man. He was horrible and more sinister than himself, or was he? Thelton reached up and rubbed his hands across the top of the cave. A little bit of water trickled off the ceiling and down his arms.

He couldn't believe it, for he was going to do something against his very nature. He wished he would stop, but he turned around, propelled by an unknown force.

"Come with me. You shall have your money."

...

Thelton and Flance approached a large forgotten field. The weeds grew ramped. In the middle of the field was a dilapidated home with a barn to the side. Both looked like they were about to rot to the ground.

Thelton and Flance didn't speak to each other.

"What could Thelton be up to? Nothing in our past together gives me reason to trust him," Flance wondered. Thelton walked into the small house and Flance followed. Something moved next to the barn.

The house had no furniture. Broken boards from the ceiling littered the floor. Dust and cob webs saturated everything. Thelton went over to the broken fireplace. There was a bunch of brick rubble where a hearth used to be. Thelton cleared the rubble away and began digging a hole. He dug for awhile until he pulled out a wooden box. With soot all over his arms and chest, he stood up. He tossed the box at Flance. Dust puffed up into Flance's face, he began to cough.

"There is your money."

Flance pried off the lid, inside was full of Tretos. "This looks like more than 200,000." He said in astonishment.

"Yeah, probably is," Thelton said.

Flance couldn't take all the money. After all, he never did find Thelton's woman. He felt guilty. With that in mind, he grabbed a handful of Tretos and tried to give the box with the majority of the money back to Thelton.

"I don't need it all," Flance said.

"Keep it. What need of it do I have?"

"Is this your home?" Flance asked.

"At one time it was. I guess it still is, but I have no use for it. You can have it if you want. Raise your boy in it. He might enjoy not living in caves; but then again, who knows?"

Flance continued coughing. "I don't know how to respond."

"Good, cause I don't want you to."

"If you go upstairs, you will find a diamond. It is stashed in the wall behind a shelf. Pull the shelf away and knock a hole into the wall and that is where you will find it."

"Things are changing between us."

"Say that again and I will rip out your throat." Thelton turned his back to Flance and walked out the front door.

Flance carefully eyed the stairs. They looked very dangerous; half of them had fallen to the ground. The ones that were left appeared barely functional. There was supposedly a diamond at the top. He decided he had to chance the stairs.

Flance carefully began to make his way up the rough slabs of wood. The first stair he put his foot on immediately ripped out of the wall and tumbled to the ground. Flance's heart pounded, making him extra cautious. He tried the next one. It seemed more solid. He hoisted himself up to it. In the process, he filled his hand with splinters.

"Blanderbaught," he cursed. He was not enjoying the feat of getting up the stairs. Flance felt around until he found another sturdy stair. It was five stairs above where he was at. Again, he had to pull himself up to it. It wasn't an easy task, but eventually he made it to the second floor of the house. He looked around the room. It was tiny, not much space to it. He spotted the only shelf on the wall, it was partially falling down. Flance looked at the floor boards before him. Half of them were gone. There were big gaping holes in the floor. Flance swallowed hard.

Unexpectedly, he heard a great deal of commotion outside. It sounded as if Thelton was in trouble. Forgetting the diamond and his safety, Flance jumped back down the stairs. It was easier going down than up. He hurriedly stashed the money back in the hole in the fireplace and buried the bricks on top, then he peeked out the open door.

Thelton was surrounded by eight men with bows and arrows. They kept Thelton hostage by the barn.

"Put your swords on the ground. If you try anything else, you will have arrows through your heart," a man yelled at Thelton.

Thelton glared at the men.

"Do it, or you die."

The men looked angry.

Thelton's eyes slit tighter. He reached out his golden sword and dropped it on the ground. He brought out his emerald sword and dropped it as well. The veins pulsated in Thelton's arms.

One man bent down and scooped up the swords. "Wow, this is magnificent," he said as he examined the emerald sword. He swung it back and forth, a huge smile formed on his face.

Another man went behind Thelton and tied ropes around him. They grabbed Thelton and turned their backs to the house and escorted him away from the property. Flance stood alone in the house.

"They don't know I am here, if I stay quiet I will be able to escape." They seemed to being taking Thelton somewhere away from there.

Once again, Flance found himself in a dilemma. He felt compelled to help Thelton, but he really didn't know why he should. They had parted ways and he owed Thelton nothing. He had earned this money by doing his part. Thelton had made it very clear he never wanted their paths to cross again. They said their goodbyes. Let the men take him, maybe they would teach Thelton a bit of humility. Flance scratched at his beard. When was the last time he washed it?

Flance looked back at the men. They sure looked angry. They kept kicking Thelton and whacking him on the side of the head. Flance scratched his beard again. Somehow, he could not let it end like this. The dungeon had changed him. He bolted out the door.

"What is going on? Why do you want him?" Flance had caught up to the mob.

A livid man rushed into the face of Flance. "This man deserves to die. He killed my sister and her son."

"How so?" Flance questioned.

"Last night, he broke into her house and killed them both. We are only here for vengeance." The man said as he turned from Flance and began to walk away.

"Not so, I have been with this man for many, many nights. I swear to you your sister died by some other hands. This man was with me."

The man looked over his shoulder at Flance. "We have no guile with you, be on your way."

Flance could see the anger and hate in the men's eyes. They had mistaken Thelton for someone else. By the fury in their eyes, Flance was sure they would kill Thelton, and soon. Flance had to think promptly.

"What if...What if I paid you to release that man? Would you sell him to me?"

The men didn't turn around. As they kept walking, one yelled out, "No amount of money can bring my nephew back."

"You're right. You are right, but killing this man will not bring him back or avenge their death. He is not the murderer you seek."

The men kept walking and cursing at Thelton. They ignored Flance.

Flance pushed further. "What if I paid you a large sum of money? That could help ease the financial loss for your sister."

"Never," the man yelled. "I only want the blood of this man." Thelton tripped into the field, his pocked face met the hard ground. The men viscously yanked him up.

"How about more than 200,000 Tretos?" Flance called out as he watched the men get farther away.

All the men stopped. Standing in place they slowly turned around.

The same man approached Flance, "What did you say?"

"Over 200,000 Tretos to let him free."

The man turned and faced his men. They talked amongst each other.

"Where does a peasant like you possess that kind of money?"

"That is not important. Is it an agreement?"

"Yes," the man said.

"I don't fully trust you. So it will be done my way. If you want the money, you will leave all your weapons with me."

The men murmured to Flance's proposal. "It is you I don't trust. That sounds like a trap."

Flance looked at the man with all sincerity. "No trap."

"How do we do the exchange? If I hand over all the weapons, you may kill us. If you hand over the money, you fear we will run."

Flance looked at the men. "I will bring only you to the money by the tip of my sword. Your men will stand watch over Thelton by the tip of their sword. If I harm you, Thelton dies. If they harm Thelton, you die. I give you the money, still by the tip of my sword. We meet your men, and they drop their weapons. I leave your weapons down, with Thelton still tied. I escort you and your men far from here. You will still be by the tip of my sword. You may fear I will kill you, but if I tried, I am sure the rest of your men can jump me. I am an old man with only one hand." And as if on cue, Flance began to cough. He coughed and coughed until his face was dark red. Any fears the men may have had about him disappeared with his coughing. He looked weak with his sick lunges and his missing arm, and they knew he was not a threat.

Flance's plan sounded very reasonable to all the men. They were too greedy to turn their backs to the prospect of 200,000 Tretos. That was more money than the combined of them would make in a lifetime. For the most part, they were honest men who were caught seeking justice. They had no desire to harm Flance. And the more the leader looked at Thelton, the more he questioned if Thelton really had been the man who had killed his sister and nephew. He had chased the man the night before, and the more he remembered, the more he had wondered if the man hadn't been considerably shorter than Thelton.

"Since we are in agreement, throw your weapons in this pile, all except the one who was appointed to stay and guard Thelton," Flance ordered the men. They all dropped their swords, hoping the money was really going to happen. Flance picked up a sword and lead the man into the house. Seven stood outside and watched. Flance and the man emerged from the house with the box full of money. The man's eyes were wide and his face beamed with greed.

Flance escorted the men a great distance away from the property while Thelton was left tied to a tree for added measures of security. When Flance was comfortable with the distance, he left the men and ran back to Thelton.

"I don't trust those men. We need to get out of here." Flance untied Thelton's cords. Thelton rubbed at the red impressions on his skin. He looked at Flance. He reached down and picked up his two swords from the ground. He reattached them to his hips.

Thelton thought Flance was a fool. He had given up all his money to free him. Why had he done that? The men didn't even know Flance was in the house, let alone with so much money. He could have easily let them carry Thelton away and then he would be left to live his life in luxury, freed from his arched enemy forever. Left to declare himself the Greatest Dragon Slayer alive! Thelton looked at Flance and clicked his tongue in disgust.

"You threw away your chance for a better life. Good bye, Flance," Thelton said. He began walking away. Not even a word of gratitude was mumbled.

Flance ran up to him, once again he had saved Thelton's life. He didn't have to either time. "Let me find a stand and buy some ale. We can go somewhere and drink it. Let me at least fill your belly up before you commence your journey alone, and before we part ways again."

"You know I am not a drinking man," Thelton said as he kept walking.

Flance grabbed the back of Thelton. "Let me at least fill your belly with food before we part. It's been too long since we last ate."

Thelton stopped and thought about it. "I guess I am pretty hungry. I could easily catch something and eat it, but I'm tired. There is a good bank next to a river several kilometers from here. I will hide there while you go to the nearby village and grab some food."

"Sounds good," Flance said.

"Fine, and then we part," Thelton replied.

...

Thelton sat with his feet in the ice cold water as it soothed away his aches. He had been waiting for Flance for quite some time. "Maybe the old man isn't coming back, that's fine with me. I will miss having the food, but I sure won't miss Flance. It sure seems impossible to part from him." Thelton closed his eyes and rested. Just as he drifted to sleep, he heard the rustle of leaves on the little hill above him. He hurried to hide behind a tree with his hands on the golden and emerald swords.

Flance came stumbling down the hill, carrying a burlap sack. He tripped twice and skinned his elbow.

"Hey, old friend, where are you," he called out. Thelton put his swords away and came out from behind the tree.

"Ahh, yes, there you are. I was able to obtain some nice bread, cheese, and jerky. There is enough for you to take. It will last you for several days." Flance tossed the bag at Thelton. Thelton opened it and examined the contents. He pulled out some white cheese and ravishingly began eating it.

Flance pulled a bottle out of his waist band. "And this is for me."

As they ate, Thelton was deep in thought. Finally, he spoke up.

"Why did you do that?"

"I was thirsty," Flance responded.

"No, why did you give all your Tretos to those men. You didn't have to save me. I would have gotten away and you would still have your Tretos."

"They would have killed you. As strong as you are, it was nothing compared to the hate they had for you. They were going to avenge the death of a woman and her son. You had no chance."

"I still don't understand why you gave up all your money. I would not have done the same for you."

"Thelton, we have a history. Like it or not, I am your friend."

"No more of that talk," Thelton said.

The men sat in uncomfortable silence for some time. Finally, they relaxed. As they did, they heard a noise behind them. Both men quickly jumped to their feet. Thelton grabbed his swords. It must be the angry mob of men. Flance began to sweat.

...

Out from behind the trees came the king's soldiers, and King Wolfgang.

"It's him, it's Flance. Men, take him, do not let him get away."

Seven guards charged at Flance. He didn't resist. He didn't try to run. He bowed his head while they overtook him. They were brutal and showed no mercy. With unnecessary force, they captured Flance.

"We did it, we did it, and finally, he is ours." The king almost sounded close to tears, he was overcome with joy and satisfaction.

"Now our kingdom can rest and the men can move on. There has been such a dark cloud overtaking our kingdom because of your actions. The people need to see you executed. Once that happens, the kingdom can heal."

Flance raised his head up and looked at the king. "Please forgive me your Lord. I am sorry for the stress I have caused. I do not fight. Let the kingdom heal."

Flance did not deny the murders. He did not tell the king that the men in the forest had been betrayed by Thelton's hands. Flance's actions caught Thelton off guard. Thelton swallowed wrong and began choking on his spit.

"Why isn't he fighting this, why he is taking the blame for my wrongs?" Thelton wondered. "Is he really going to take my place?" Thelton felt a tug at his heart. Flance had saved his life twice. Although he hated that fact, he had come to respect Flance a little more than he had, but was he willing to allow Flance to die for his sins?

A guard took his club and banged it on the side of Flance's head. Flance fell down into the dirt and began coughing. Blood rolled down his cheek, while the dirt mixed into it.

"Oh shut up," said another guards as he kicked his side.

One guard grabbed his arm and dragged him up. "Get up and stand like a man." They were mocking him. The king seemed to enjoy the cruelty.

Thelton felt his muscles tense. Should he fight the guards and rescue Flance? Flance seemed at peace with the situation. As Flance coughed, he looked sickly. The old man was probably close to death. What would be the harm on bringing it on a little sooner? If he was willing to die for Thelton, then Thelton would let him.

Wouldn't he?

Thelton watched the malevolent behavior reign upon Flance. He tried to figure out what he should do. Could he really allow Flance to die in his place? Could he live the rest of his life with Flance's blood on his hands? It wouldn't actually be him killing Flance, but Flance would die because of him.

One of the guards brought his sword up to Flance's neck. He poked the tip into the flesh.

"Do as you must," Flance said looking into his eyes. He looked at peace.

"Stop," the king ordered. "The kingdom needs to be a part of the execution. Flance will die, but not right now. We will do it first thing in the morning. And, he will be heavily guarded to make sure he does not escape again."

"Walk, you putrid soul," the guard said as he increased the pressure on the sword.

The king rushed to Thelton's side. Thelton was uneasy for he knew he had run from the throne. He knew he had betrayed the kingdom, not Flance.

Unexpectedly, the king wrapped his arms around Thelton. "My fine boy, we have missed you so much. And I want you to know Alashia and I forgive you. We realize you did what you had to do; you had to rescue that creature of the forest. We forgive you for that. We invite you back to the kingdom. We invite you back to the throne."

Thelton stared at the king, not knowing what to think. He had done horrible things to the men. He had walked out on the king and the princess. He knew he was evil and he was receiving a full pardon. If the king would have appeared one day sooner, then he would have easily let Flance die in his place. He looked over at Flance who was still being tormented by the guards. He looked at the king who was holding his heart out to him.

Thelton bowed, he pulled out his emerald sword and his golden sword and placed them on the ground in front of the king. He then kneeled down before the king and kissed King Wolfgang's feet.

"Take me. I am not the man you think. I do not deserve the kingdom, and I do not deserve your daughter."

"Stand up boy, stop being humble. It is yours. We have forgiven you."

"I..."Thelton hesitated. "I did it. I did all the horrible things to the men. It was not Flance. I poisoned the men in order to obtain ALL the glory in bringing the dragons in. Flance has taken my blame, but it was me."

"What are you doing, Thelton? Be quiet. The words you speak are a lie. You are the future king and you would have never done those things." The king looked horrified.

"Please, this is hard enough on me as is it. Accept my confession and let the man go." Thelton closed his eyes and kept his head down to the ground. What was he doing? He wanted to stop, but he couldn't. The confession poured out.

All the guards stopped what they were doing. They stared at Thelton with open mouths. Was he really turning himself in? Flance stared at Thelton, shocked at his act.

The king turned to the men. "Thelton is weak for lack of food. He does not mean this. Flance destroyed our kingdom, and he will pay for it tomorrow. You are a free man, Thelton. Not only that, but after you marry my daughter, you are the heir to the kingdom. Hold your tongue and think of the magnitude of what you are doing."

"I have your Lordship. I am not the man you want me to be. I am selfish and think only of myself. I wanted to be the only one who slayed all the dragons, and I wanted the glory all to myself. I didn't think of all the men's lives I was willing to destroy for that glory. It is now time I right my wrong."

Everyone stared.

"Thelton, please. This is the last chance I can give you. Don't do this, let Flance take your place. The kingdom expects it and they will find great satisfaction out of it. No one wants to see me kill their hero, especially me. So please boy, stop your talk, and we will forget everything you have said."

Thelton couldn't believe it. There he was trying to turn himself in, but he was still given a free pass to escape his sins. He watched Flance. Flance looked tired and worn out.

"Go. I will take your place," he said.

Flance scratched his beard. He slowly stood from the dirt. A few dry leaves clung to his face. The confused guards released their grip on him. Flance walked over to Thelton and looked at him. Tears pooled in Flance's eyes.

"You are a free man, you don't deserve this, go on, live your life." Thelton said.

The king looked like he had tears in his eyes. He was desperate. "Please, Thelton." He pleaded one last time. "Don't do this. Flance is the man we want to execute, not you."

"Wolfgang, it is done." Thelton said as he closed his eyes and surrendered both arms.

A guard very hesitantly brought his sword to Thelton's back. The king commanded the guards to move out. They silently walked away with their new prisoner. Flance watched as they turned their backs to him and left.

Flance was a free man. He no longer had a price on his head. Had Thelton really sacrificed his life for him?

### Chapter 30

Thelton was given a room in the dungeon. There were still three functional cells left. All the rubble from the two broken cells remained scattered everywhere. The king immediately had a bed with blankets and a chamber pot put in the room. He brought in a small pit so Thelton could have a fire and keep warm. Even though he had placed Thelton in the dungeon to appease the kingdom, he had furnished it with nice things. He purposely kept the dungeon unguarded.

"Are you comfy, my son?" the king asked.

"You have been more than fair, my dear king"

Princess Alashia came running into the dungeon. The king swung the cell door open to allow the princess to see Thelton.

She threw herself into his arms. "Oh, my love. You have returned to me. My heart has broken for you. I can now be complete, but you must not stay here. Come back up to the castle. Father will pardon you. Please, don't stay here."

The king sadly looked at his daughter, for he hated to see the pain she was enduring. "I am afraid we cannot do that at this time. The people would revoke. They expect a beheading. We cannot cater to Thelton. He has made his choice, he will be... He will pay his due." The king's voice choked up. He looked at Thelton and bowed his head. "I am sorry, my son. You choose this."

"No, no, no father, no. You cannot do this. You cannot kill my fiancé. If you do, I will never go on living again. No father." Princess Alashia wailed in sorrow. She threw her body around in pure agony.

The king frowned. He wanted to help his daughter. He wanted Thelton free almost as much as she did.

"When?" the princess could barely ask, because her voice choked up.

"In seven days."

Alashia buried her head into Thelton. He placed his hand on the back of her head and rubbed it. With a free hand, she reached up and gripped his ice cold hand.

"My love, I will rescue you, we will run away. We can cross the seas and live a new life together. I will not let you die," she said.

"It's okay, princess. I ruined those men's lives. I deserve my fate." He looked at her, her radiant smile traveled to the rest of her, making her look more beautiful than ever.

"No, you can't, it's not fair."

A tear escaped the king's eye. "Thelton, I owe you an apology. It is my fault you are in this situation. I set you up to fail. I knew you didn't work with others. You tried to tell me that. I was consumed with my own selfishness of being the king that rid the world of dragons that I didn't listen. Of course you did the things you did, you had to. That is what makes you so mighty and powerful. I am sorry I made this happen to you. Alashia, I apologize to you as well."

Her father's tears moved the princess. Hers poured out. They both cried heavily. The king entered the cell and wrapped his arms around Alashia and Thelton.

Thelton was very uncomfortable. "They forgive me. I am a bad man. I did bad things to people. I even personally betrayed the king and his daughter when I ran from our marriage. I don't love her, nor had I ever, and yet, here they are begging me of my forgiveness."

...

The kingdom reacted to the news of Thelton with mixed emotions. Many were heartbroken to learn their hero was evil and was going to be beheaded. No one likes to see their hero fall. Some were glad. Others still wanted to see Flance die as well. They had accepted the idea of his evilness for so long, they couldn't let it go. The people demanded the dungeon was guarded. They did not want to see Thelton get away like Flance had.

To appease the people, the king had situated a guard on the outer door of the dungeon. The princess insisted on being able to come and go as she needed. She had hot food and drinks brought to Thelton. She had a musician come in and play calming music. She hardly left his side.

Despite the small fire pit, it was cold and clammy in the dungeon. The princess spent most of the time shivering. Thelton kept telling her to leave him, but she refused. She stayed by his side and would tell him stories and share with him her dreams. Even when she developed a chest cold, she would not leave.

"What kind of wife would I be if I abandoned you in your hour of need? I do not know what is going to happen to you. You may die. I could never live with myself if I idled away your last days in the castle. I will stay here, with the man I love." At that moment, her purity defined her.

"Princess, I am not the man you dream me to be. I am evil, and I am horrible. I would not make a fitting husband to you. I am selfish, and I think only of myself."

"People change."

"Not me."

"Really, I don't believe it. If you were as evil as you claim to be, you wouldn't be here right now. You would have let Flance die in your place. But you couldn't, therefore, I know you aren't as bad as you claim. And if you are, then change."

Thelton turned his head from the princess. "My heart is black."

"Well, I found a sliver of pink still in there, and it is what I am going to focus on."

At first the princess' presence annoyed Thelton to no end. "I wish she would leave me alone so I can rot in silence." But, she wouldn't let him. By the third day, he removed his focus from himself and paid more attention to what she was doing.

He had always seen the princess as a selfish, spoiled girl who was only focused on shinny and trivial things. With nothing else to do, he began hearing the things she said. When he actually listened, he realized she didn't act dim-witted like he expected. In fact, many of her ideas made sense and had value.

As he watched her, he realized how not only was she beautiful on the outside, she was beautiful on the inside. He had never had anyone treat him the way she did. She was sacrificing everything she had to be with him. She truly loved him, he could feel it. He wasn't sure how to react to that. He couldn't remember anyone loving him, really loving him, except his parents long ago. He had been admired and adorned, but it was all shallow and superficial. That was the way he preferred it. But she loved him.

Thelton had resisted conversation with her for the first few days. But by the third day, he began to break. She sweetly lured him in with her kindness. He shared stories about his life with her. She seemed interested in everything he had to say. She laughed at things he didn't recognize were funny. She complimented him and built him up. He couldn't make sense of his feelings.

...

It was the night before the beheading. The princess' eyes were blood shot. Her stomach torn in pain. She vomited blood. Thelton worried about her.

"Please Princess, see the doctor, you are sick."

"I will not leave you."

"Please, for me, go."

The princess buried her head in Thelton's chiseled chest. "No."

Thelton held the princess close and rubbed his hand around her back. She was such a tender thing. He hoped she would not cry herself to the grave when he was gone. Thelton drifted to sleep. He was startled awake when he heard steps coming down the stairs. He looked up and saw the king.

The king came over to his open cell and went in.

"Go," the king said.

Thelton sat up. "Go where?"

"Go, I am freeing you."

Thelton thought about it for a minute. The princess continued to sleep on his arm.

"I cannot go, for the kingdom will revolt if they hear you freed me. They demand justice, and I am willing to pay."

"I am the king, and I command you to go."

"I can't. It might cost you the throne."

Tears streamed down the king's face. He walked over to Thelton and pulled out his sword. He put the sword to Thelton's heart. "Go, or I kill you in front of your love."

"You wouldn't."

Thelton felt the sword break into his flesh. It wasn't deep, but the blood still ran down his shirt.

"I will, Thelton, don't doubt me. If you have ever had love for Alashia or me, you will go now."

The sword pressed harder. Thelton maneuvered Alashia to the bed, he stood up. She stayed asleep.

"I will go then."

The king stuffed coins in every one of Thelton's pockets. He handed over Thelton's emerald and golden sword.

The king was bawling. "It pains me to say this, but never return to Andleburg again." He took Thelton's hand and gave him a ring with the royal seal in it.

"You need to go overseas. You must stay away for a year. Give the kingdom time to get over the news of your escape. Once a year has passed, send a note as to where you are. Go under the name of Phinease, he was a cousin of mine who had died. Use the royal seal and send a note to me. In it, you will talk about the purchase of your new summer home. That is where you will reveal the location of your whereabouts. Talk about the opportunities of the area and request I send the princess' to stay with you for the summer. Once I receive your note, I will send Alashia to you. Is everything clear?"

"Yes, your lordship."

"Please, call me father."

The king embraced Thelton in his arms. They hugged for a very long time.

"Go," the king said as he released Thelton.

...

Suddenly, Indy felt her heart jump. She recognized where she was. She knew where home was. It would only take a few hours and she would be to the Vegus forest. She was delighted. It had been a long time since she had been home. She wanted to see her family. She wanted to sleep in her nest. She wanted to taste the animals and foods she was used to. She wanted to see her mom and siblings again.

"Happy, happy, happy," she said as she flew. It was going to be amazing.

"Yes, I am happy too. I never get tired of flying with you." Sterling said.

Indy thought about Sterling. Should she leave him before she went home? What if her family tried to eat him? She didn't want to leave him; in fact, she very much wanted to take him to her home. She wanted him to see what she was made of. She wanted him to meet her family. She wanted them to see him. She decided she would bring him and fight for him if she had to, like her mom had always fought for her. If things got too bad, then she would fly him to safety.

Soon, Sterling also recognized the area. He became elated as well. Maybe he could guide her to Candleshaw. He tried to change the direction she was flying in. She kept telling him, "No, happy."

They flew until they were over the Vegus Forest. Sterling was excited. He loved the idea of being above the enchanted forest. He kept a close eye below. "I hope to see trolls, dragons, anything." It didn't take long for him to be disappointed because all he saw was the top of the trees. The canopy was so thick he couldn't see beyond it.

"This is the Vegus forest. I have had many adventures here. You wouldn't believe some of the things I have seen. There is a lake here with fire on top. There are trolls and dragons. If you are brave enough, maybe one day I will take you into it and teach you how to kill a dragon. They are horrible beasts." Sterling was yelling so Indy could hear him.

Suddenly, Indy descended down toward the forest.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not now, we can't go there now. I meant another time. Okay, maybe never. That place is scary. I really don't want to go back. Friend, no! Stop. No, no, no." Sterling was screaming like a girl. He was scared of the forest.

Indy didn't hear him. She landed in the middle of the dragon camp. Sterling froze. There in front of them was a massive spotted dragon. He was in the heart of the dragon camp. His shook in fear.

"Uh, friend, um, um," he whispered. "We better go; this is, um, bad news."

The spotted dragon looked over at Indy and Sterling. Indy glanced around. There were no other dragons in the camp. Indy ran toward the spotted dragon with her arms outstretched. The dragon hastily made its way to her. Sterling drew his sword. He was badly shaking, barely able to hold it.

"Friend, bad, no, bad, stop." He yelled after her. She was so naive. The dragon would eat her. He would have to be brave and defend her. Could he slay a dragon on his own?

Before Sterling could stop her, Indy wrapped her arms around the dragon's face. She kissed his nose over and over again. The dragon made several strange noises. Their reunion was a joyful one.

The two of them rolled around and Indy laughed and laughed. The spotted dragon was happy to see her again. They were sisters. They both joined the family at the same time. To the spotted dragon, Indy was a natural part of the nest. She knew nothing different.

The two sniffed each other and did a little exploring of the other. The spotted dragon stopped. Its eyes narrowed and its nostrils flared. She looked over at Sterling. A snarl formed in her throat.

Indy rushed over to Sterling and stood in front of him. She held out her claws and snarling back. She would defend Sterling.

"This is very weird." Sterling said as he shook. Being amongst the dragon frightened him. The one thing he could figure out was the spotted dragon wanted him for lunch. Sterling didn't know what to do. The fear inside turned to tears.

After awhile, the spotted dragon quit snarling and turned away. It went over to the queen's nest and lay down. Indy calmed. She looked around the camp. There were no other dragons to be seen. She felt worried. Where were they? They could be gone on a hunt, but she doubted it. Why was the spotted dragon in the queen's nest? Things weren't right. Indy felt her heart ache. Where was the rest of her family? Where was her mom?

Sterling went to her side and grabbed her arm. "What is going, um, on? Can we, um, leave now? I am not sure you, um, noticed but there is, um, a dragon over there." His fright caused him to stutter.

Indy perked up and grabbed his hand while she anxiously led him around the camp. She pointed to many things. She took him to a half consumed carcass.

"Eat," she said.

"Ewww, yuck, no eat." The carcass smelt horrible. Maggots swarmed the meat.

Indy led him to a rock and moved it aside. Buried were her treasures. She took each one out and handed them to Sterling. Her face illuminated. She was happy.

"We gotta go, we really gotta go," Sterling continued trying to talk her into leaving. She paid him no attention. She kept showing him all the important things to her. She took him to a rock overhang. Under it were many pictures. They were ones she had drawn on leaves and various objects. Sterling studied each one.

Clarity hit him. "I get it," he said. "This is your home. These are your pictures. They are pretty. You are very talented. Good, good," he said. Could this really be her home? A woman living amongst a dragon camp?

"Good," Indy replied. She enjoyed the praise. It felt good. The dragons had never responded to her art. Sterling seemed very pleased and interested in them. Her smile spread wide on her face. Sterling liked how happy she was, and whenever she laughed, her entrancing laugh echoed off the trees. He relaxed a bit.

"So, this is your home," he said as he waved his arm around. "All of this, even the dragons. I don't know how it works. How did you come to live with dragons?"

Indy grabbed his hand and kissed it over and over. She smiled big and placed her head on his shoulder. She didn't keep it there long. Jumping up, she dragged him to the Brumbleetrie tree. The tree had a root that produced healing and euphoria. She dug out a root and placed it in his mouth.

His tongue explored it for a bit, and then he swallowed it. "Doesn't taste like much," he said.

"Good," Indy said. She put some in her mouth.

After some time, Sterling felt sensational.

"I don't know what you gave me, but wow! I want to live off that. It kind of reminds me of Firelake. I will have to take you there one day. There is this great big lake with fire on top. You go in and you feel, I don't know how to explain it, you feel incredible; a bit like I feel now." Sterling loved the way the Brumbleetrie root made him feel.

"This is your home. Home, home; say home."

"Home."

Sterling waved to everything. "Home."

"You know, it's not a bad place to live. This must be the heart of the Vegus Forest." Sterling frowned. A chill descended down his spine. "Oh yeah, I had forgotten we are still in the forest. This place is wicked. How did a girl like you live in the Vegus Forest and live amongst the dragons and not get killed?"

Sterling went over to Indy and grabbed the top of her dress. He began shaking her in play. "Talk to me, why can't you learn to talk more? I want to know your story. I bet it beats any story in the world."

Indy leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Sterling's lips. "Kiss," she said.

Sterling touched his lip while she walked away. "Where did that come from?" he asked. He watched Indy flutter around the camp. She was happy. She made him happy.

### Chapter 31

Indy and Sterling had been at the camp for a week. Indy was upbeat. When Sterling allowed himself to relax, he loved the area. Since he had spent much of his life living outside, he was used to rugged living. He decided to build a gift for Indy; a house.

He made some tools out of rocks, bones, and vines. He kept himself busy constructing a small tree house suspended in the trees. When Indy was interested, he would teach her and have her help. When she wasn't helping, she was painting or playing in the trees. Sterling often stopped and watch her. He loved having a friend. Whenever Indy would get bored, she would pull Sterling away from his work. He always went. Sometimes they would fly, explore, or dance. He never hesitated to join her in an activity. He realized their friendship enticed him more than all the riches of the world, he loved having a friend.

...

The spotted dragon adjusted quickly to their presence. It would fly away every day for many hours and then return with food. Sterling still didn't trust living with a dragon. He tried to stay as far away from her as he could.

...

Thelton silently walked into the dragon camp and looked around. It was different than when he had first gone there. This time at the camp, there were no dragons to be seen. The area felt abandoned and empty. Maybe his plan had worked, and they had all been slaughtered in the Flankton Forest. Maybe they had moved their herding grounds to somewhere else. Would Indy have gone with them? If she wasn't here, then where would she be? He was sure he would have found her there. Dispirited, he sat down, for he didn't know where to look next. The dragon camp had been his last hope. He would never see her again.

As he wallowed in pitty, the lovely laughter of a woman floated down to him. He looked up into the trees and noticed the newly constructed tree house. Where had that come from?

Thelton quickly climbed up to the house. Once inside, he saw Indy. His heart fluttered and he almost felt like crying.

"You are here," he called out.

"Teltn," she said. Excitement over took her at seeing him. She ran to him and jumped into his arms. Her face illuminated in joy. Thelton picked her up and spun her around. He kissed her face over and over. His eyes filled with tears, as did hers.

"Teltn, Teltn, Teltn," she said. She kissed him all over the face as he had done to her.

Sterling watched while cowering in a corner.

"What did I say to you about flying away," he said, his voice choked up. "You have no idea how long I have been searching for you. I couldn't imagine continuing life without you." He kissed her again and again.

Sterling shifted his weight. Thelton looked over to him.

"Oh," he said. He let go of Indy and went over to Sterling; he bowed his head in adoration. "It is the son of Flance."

Sterling was shocked. Had Thelton really bowed to him? Thelton was the most self centered man he knew. They were bitter rivals. What was the display he was giving Sterling?

"No words, boy?"

"What, um, what do I say to a man like you. My father was executed because of you." Sterling was shaking as he spoke. What was Thelton doing there?

"Little do you know," Thelton said.

He turned from Sterling and went back to Indy. He grabbed both her hands and rubbed them. "My dear, I can't believe I found you. Oh, the fates are good."

Sterling stayed in his corner and watched. He felt his heart rip. Indy never had been his to control. He always knew she belonged to Thelton. Now here was Thelton to take her away from him. She was the only friend Sterling had ever known. Indy had brought flavor to his life. She had opened his eyes to so much. If Thelton took her, Sterling would have no direction. He would be utterly alone.

Thelton and Indy climbed down from the treehouse. Sterling glumly followed behind.

"Do you have anything to eat?" Thelton asked Indy. "I am starving."

Indy ran to where a half eaten raccoon sat. She and Sterling had eaten some of it earlier. She took a bite out of its side then handed it over to Thelton.

"Oh, gross, woman, you still eat raw animals? Doesn't that make you sick to watch her?"

Sterling didn't respond. He glared at the enemy.

Thelton built a fire and roasted the rest of the raccoon. While it cooked, he and Indy snuggled in front of the flame. Thelton's nerves exploded. He was with his woman again. It invigorated him to touch and caress her. He noticed how beautiful her hair was, wrapped in braids that Sterling had done. He observed how she was back to wearing her leaf clothes. As a matter of fact, Sterling wore one as well. "You both look like fools," he laughed out loud. "You'll never catch me wearing leaves for clothes."

Sterling took a stick and poked around the fire. He had nothing to say. His heart was falling apart. He knew Thelton was going to take Indy away from him. First Thelton took his father's life, and now his friend.

After the fire died down, Thelton stood, with his strength, he pulled Indy up with him.

"Thank you for caring for my woman."

Sterling used all his bravery to say, "Isn't the princess, um, your woman?"

His words pierced into Thelton. He looked away and thought of the princess for a long moment. The princess had done so much for him. He didn't answer Sterling. He wrapped his arms around Indy's waist.

"It's time to go, fly," he said.

"Fly," Indy replied. Her wings stretched out.

"Wait, you can't, um take her. You can't, this is, her um, home. I have been building it, for, um, her." Sterling looked at the ground.

Thelton looked at the boy. "Fly," he said again as he ignored Sterling.

Sterling ran over and got in Indy's face.

"Don't go. Stay here, this is your home."

"Home," Indy said.

"Yes," Sterling said as the tears poured out of his eyes. "This is your home, here with me. This is where you belong, with the dragon. Don't go." He bent over and put a kiss on her lips.

Thelton pushed him to the ground.

"FLY!" he yelled.

Indy flapped her black wings and up they went. She didn't understand what was happening. The men seemed to be acting weird. She could sense their tension and hostility.

Sterling looked up to the sky and watched his only friend fly away. He dropped to his knees and began to bawl. He lay on the ground and rubbed his head in the dirt. Mud stuck to his chin.

"Why did she have to go," he howled. His head felt heavy and dark. "Why did she have to leave? She could have lived here with me. This is her home." He screamed through his tears. "THIS IS HER HOME! He won't know how to treat her. He is unfeeling and insensitive. She deserves better." Sterling's words trailed off. "She deserves me."

...

Thelton directed Indy to a spot on the Far East end of the Vegus Forest. They landed and he busied himself setting camp for the night. As he worked, he kept watching her. It felt good to have her back.

"Tomorrow, we will seek passage on the sea. We will began life somewhere new. I will never let you go again. I promise."

Indy looked around. She was becoming jittery and very nervous.

"Friend?" she asked. She looked lost. She wanted to know where Sterling was.

Thelton looked at her. "Yes, I am your friend. I hope to be much more than that." He came over to her side. He reached his face down to hers. Closing his eyes, he went in for a kiss.

Indy bit his lip hard, her teeth ripping open his lip. Pain shot through his face. Thelton almost slapped her, then he remembered he had vowed to be more patient with her dragon instincts. He grabbed his lip and backed away from her.

"Friend, where? Go home. Go friend," Indy said.

"I am right here."

Indy punched Thelton's chest over and over. "No, no, no, no. Where friend, where friend?"

Thelton suddenly realized she was talking about Sterling. She seemed focused on him. Thelton filled with jealousy and rage. "You are mine and only mine. No other man should have even had a chance to get to know you. You belong to me."

"Go home. Go to friend," she said again.

"Listen, woman, I am your friend. I love you. I am going to have you as my own. You belong to me now, you are my woman."

Indy opened her black wings, with the teal on the edges, and she slightly flew upward. Thelton grabbed her legs and tackled her to the ground. "Please, you can't leave me again. We got back together. Please, please, I am not trying to hurt you. I need you."

Indy stopped fighting. Tears streamed down her dirty cheeks. She turned her back to Thelton and cried.

Thelton stayed very close to Indy over the next few days. He tried to present her with food offerings and gifts. She didn't respond. The life had burned out of her. He hated to see her like that.

Thelton went through a variety of mood changes. At first, he denied she really wanted Sterling. But, the more she shut down, the more he couldn't ignore that being away from Sterling was causing her pain.

His emotions switched to anger. He was upset because another man caused those feelings in her. "Didn't her heart belong to me?"

At times, he would bargain in his mind the idea of all three of them living together. No, that was defiantly out of the question. "I would end up killing Sterling."

Sometimes, Thelton slipped into a deep depression. Emotionally, he had been through a lot over the last little while. "What is happening to me," he wondered. He had many mixed feelings inside that were caused by the king, Alashia, Flance, Sterling, and Indy. "I am used to living the easy life. I never have had drama in my life because I avoided making relationships with people." Now, he was swamped by it all. It was more than he could handle.

After Thelton had gone through an array of emotions, a powerful thought finally hit him. "If I really love her, than I have to let her go. I want her to have joy, for I can't stand seeing her miserable. It sickens me. I am the cause of her misery. I am the one who has dampened her spirit."

Thelton built a roaring fire. He tried to cuddle with Indy by it. Although she allowed him to embrace her, she was stiff as a board. As he held the only person he ever remembered loving, he thought about ways he could make it up to her.

"Sure we have had some rough patches in our relationship, but we can work on it." As his mind wandered, he drifted to sleep.

When Thelton's head lost muscle control, it landed in Indy's lap, gall swirled inside her. She felt trapped with Thelton. He controlled much of what she did. He kept her very close at hand, making her feel imprisoned. As she remembered all the time they had shared together, she couldn't remember them laughing together. He was serious. He didn't fill her with joy like Sterling had. Indy lifted Thelton's head, sending it the other way where it flopped forward onto his own knee. Thelton groaned a few sounds and continued sleeping. As Indy studied him, disappointment seized her. She didn't want his life; she wanted her life, the one that included her family.

Restless, Indy stood up. The fire had become smoke and coals. A shiver traveled through her. With the fire out, it was chilly. Looking up at the sky, she saw a black abyss dotted with millions of stars, stars twinkling and lighting up the night sky, a sky she had been raised under. At that moment, Indy knew where she belonged. She returned to Thelton's side, bending down she placed a kiss on the top of his head. Her hand clasped around a strand of her hair. She ripped a large chunk of it out without even flinching. She dropped it into Thelton's lap.

A tear slipped down Indy's cheek as she walked away from Thelton. She did love him, and he did mean much to her. He was the first human she had ever met. He introduced her to the idea she was not alone in the world. He taught her words and showed her villages, humans, animals, buildings, farms, and many other things. Her experiences with him were rich. When he touched her, electricity would race through her body. She cared for him. However, he wanted to take her away from her world, and she couldn't do it again. She belonged in the Vegus Forest. She belonged with the spotted dragon, being raised with the dragon side by side. And, she belonged with Sterling. She would happily take Thelton if he returned to the dragon camp with her. She would love to live with Sterling and Thelton together.

As she got farther away, Indy glanced back over her shoulder at Thelton. He looked wonderful as he slept. She almost changed her mind, but the memory of the dungeon returned to her. She had been caged in a cold dark room by Thelton's people, and she couldn't convince herself if she stayed with him, it wouldn't happen again. With more tears in her eyes, Indy turned her back to Thelton. Opening her incredible wings, she took to the sky.

Thelton slept; unaware that Indy had left his life again.

...

The spotted dragon returned to the camp soon after Indy and Thelton left. It went to its nest and slept. Sterling felt vulnerable without Indy there.

With Indy gone, Sterling felt like he was going crazy. To pacify his time, he finished the tree house. He had worked on it nonstop to numb his mind. He made a floor covering out of the Velvet Genulum, the same leaves their clothes were made out of. As he stretched a leaf, he heard wings in the sky. He bounced up with joy. "She has returned to me!" Quickly he jumped out of the tree house and landed in a pile of leaves and dust. His descent was so fast he didn't have time to land on his feet, coming down on his left hip. It stung, but he didn't care. He looked up into the sky in time to watch a giant bird soar over head.

His heart dropped. He frowned as he sunk his fist deep into the ground. "It wasn't her." The pain crushed his hand. It hardly hurt compared to what his heart was experiencing. Sterling grabbed a handful of leaves and threw them. They were light and fluttered back to the ground. Sterling yelled out with all his might.

"It's not right. Why should Thelton take her away from me? Thelton could have any woman in the world. He already has the heart of the princess, why didn't he take her.? She is gorgeous. Thelton doesn't deserve Indy. He is pompous and cruel. He cares only about himself. He uses people and doesn't care one bit if he kills someone to make himself look good. What will he do to my friend when he becomes tired of her? Will he kill her?

"Thelton doesn't have the ability to love. It is against his nature. What does he want with my friend? What are his intentions? Whatever they are, they are probably horrible."

Sterling thought about the loss of his father. The tears began to flow. He yelled out again in pain. The spotted dragon causally looked over at him and drifted back to sleep. Sterling felt his heart rip to pieces. He lay prone on the ground and cried and cried. "I am so alone." As far as he knew, his father was dead. His mother had died a long time ago. He had no one. Now, his only friend in the world had been taken from him.

Sterling thought about the hunting trips he had been on with his father. He had taught him to be efficient in tracking animals. They usually caught everything they hunted. They had great skills. Sterling wondered if he could tract Indy and Thelton. The more he thought about it, the more he was sure he could.

Sterling thought about his body in relevance to Thelton's. They were pretty much the same size. "What would Thelton do to me if I showed up to take Indy away?" He knew what Thelton would do. He would try to kill him. Sterling felt his heart speed up. It scared him to think about fighting Thelton.

Sterling thought about the first time he had met Indy. Thelton was fighting her in the middle of the street. Sterling rolled his fists up into a ball when he thought of Thelton hurting her. Sterling's heart constricted as he imagined Thelton beating Indy whenever she made him mad. Sterling couldn't take it anymore.

He went up in the tree house and grabbed his sword. He swung it around a few times, imagining he was in a sword fight with Thelton.

"I am going to do it," he said out loud. "I am going to rescue my friend."

Sterling put the sword in its sheath and jumped out of the tree house. He ran off in the direction he had seen Indy fly.

"I'm coming friend; I'm coming."

### About the Author

Stephanie Daich loves life, family; learning, dancing, skating, imagining, hiking, camping, fishing, swimming, cannoning, playing music, listening to music, and Writing!!!!!

### Other Books written by Stephanie Daich

Amongst the Dragons series:

A Rose Amongst the Dragons I

A Tyrant Amongst the Kingdoms II

A Vigilante Amongst the Foe III

Alora Funk Series:

Alora Funk- The Deliverance I

Alora Funk- The Discovery II

