A Dragon's Tale Ch. 15

Thaltien harrumphed. "I suppose that's true... if the dragon is really gone."

"Feel free to double check." Ethan said. "His lair isn't that far from here."

Thaltien called several of his most trusted scouts forward, got directions, and dispatched them at speed on horses to verify Ethan's story.

"Until they return, Taloni is not to leave the camp." Thaltien said, then abruptly turned and walked away. Ethan watched him go, the scales on his shoulders seemed to have risen threateningly...

Then he saw her.

He seemed to relax and a wide smile crossed his face.

"Hi." The diminutive Fey said sheepishly.

"Hi." He replied, his disguise gem not hiding his true form from her eyes.

She felt a small burst of happiness come over their fledgling bond. It made her heart melt and her loins shiver. She couldn't wait until tonight. Once those riders had returned and Thaltien had freed her, she planned to... to... Every part of her body screamed to do something, but she was only vaguely aware of what that thing was. Or rather, she was having trouble admitting to herself what she wanted to do.

Alana caught her eye and winked. Somehow, she got the impression that the wood elf knew exactly what she was feeling.

"Um, hi?" She said again, not knowing what else to say.

"You already said that." Ethan chuckled, but she didn't get the sense he was laughing at her. "How have you been?"

"Um, I've been good. I think." She was suddenly very self-conscious.

She was keenly aware that she hadn't fixed her hair or her dress. She hadn't done anything to fix herself up to be more attractive. She glanced at Alana, who looked radiate and radiantly happy. She was so beautiful and Taloni didn't know how she could compare.

"Um, how are you?" She finally said as she tried to surreptitiously smooth out her dress. She also ran a hand through her hair nervously, hoping to smooth it out.

Apparently, Alana saw right through her because she put a hand on his shoulder as he was about to reply. "Ethan, its Taloni's wedding day. The groom isn't supposed to see the bride on the wedding day; it's bad luck. Would it be okay if I go help Taloni prepare, and you can wait here?"

"Uh...?" He looked at her confused. Alana tilted her head slightly, there was a brief pause, and then he nodded like he'd heard something and turned back to the Fey girl. "Sure, I'll see you later."

Alana nearly skipped forward, hooking Taloni's arm in her own and leading her away. Once they were out of earshot, she whispered into Taloni's ear. "Don't be nervous; it'll all be okay."

"Are you sure?" The Fey bit her lip and honestly felt a little inadequate next to the gorgeous wood elf. She just seemed to glow with inner happiness which made her look at least twice as beautiful as the Fey teen remembered.

She just wasn't sure she could compare in Ethan's eyes.

"I'm absolutely sure." The wood elf beamed, then stopped and looked at her. "What's wrong?"

Taloni looked into Alana's beautiful hazel eyes, down at the ground, then back up. "What if he doesn't like me?"

"Oh dear girl." The shorter wood elf rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do you know what Ethan went through so he could free you?"

The Fey shook her head.

"Well then, let me tell you. I promise your doubts will disappear when you hear what he went through to save you."

* * *

Hailey leaned her willowy frame over the edge of the Argo's railing, looking down on Alana leading a nervous Taloni away from a slightly confused Ethan. The sight did her heart good. When she thought about everything they had gone through - about everything she had put them through - she thought they deserved nothing more than a happy ending.

Her though...

She still had nightmares about killing the champion. She still had a hard time imagining Jason smiling at her. She didn't know what she would do if she wasn't able to go home, or even if she was able to. Either way, she didn't know how she would live with herself.

"As Ethan would say, penny for your thoughts?" Anthiel's melodious voice came from behind her. The high elf was drop dead gorgeous as ever. Today, she was dressed in a flowery dress with leather breeches. The contrast was odd, though somehow it worked

"I'm just thinking." Hailey deflected.

Anthiel wasn't fooled. "I know, that's why I asked."

Hailey hung her head, letting her long straight hair partially conceal her face. "I killed him, the champion I mean. He absolutely deserved to die, but I can't forgive myself for killing him. He was horrible; the scum of the earth and yet I can't..."

She turn to the elf. "Why?"

Anthiel nodded. "We've been rather busy of late, but I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

"You have?"

"I have." The high elf nodded. "I've been meaning to ask you, why did you kill him?" For some reason, Hailey got the impression that Anthiel wasn't asking because she didn't know, but rather because she had something to say on the topic.

"Because I wasn't smart enough to avoid digging two graves." Hailey replied, thinking about the popular saying.

"Oh?" The high elf looked skeptical. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure; I was there wasn't I?"

Anthiel looked out into the cloudless blue sky. "I wasn't there, so could you describe what happened after Ethan arrived?"

Hailey did so, the event not feeling so traumatic now. The old man in the prison had been right; talking about it had helped. Anthiel listened almost without comment until she finished.

"So, you had left the room and your anger was gone. You returned to the room when he shouted for the guards. Is that right?"

Hailey nodded.

"And you threw the knife right after... What?"

"After he threatened to hurt Vienne."

"So did you kill him for yourself - for revenge - or did you do it for your friend?"

"I... I don't know." Hailey suddenly wasn't sure and turned to look at Anthiel.

The elder woman had a knowing look on her face. "That's what I thought. Hailey, you know from personal experience that killing another person is a terrible weight on the soul. But the reason matters. Take Alana for example. I think we can agree that she's one of the sweetest, most tenderhearted women in this world. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes."

"Even before she bonded to Ethan, she killed a couple men and yet it has never bothered her. And while I cannot be perfectly certain, I think you can guess why."

"It was self-defense?" Hailey suggested.

"That's probably part of it, but I doubt it's the whole reason why it doesn't bother her."

"Oh." Hailey said as she realized what Anthiel was getting at. "You mean it's because she did it in defense of others."

Anthiel nodded. "So I repeat my earlier question: why did you kill him?"

Hailey closed her eyes and thought back. She had left the room and only returned when he had shouted for the guards. She'd been standing there when he had started to threaten Vienne. She had just reacted on instinct. She remembered thinking that she couldn't let anything happen to Vienne and that as long as he was alive, she - and Hailey herself - would be in danger.

"Huh." Hailey cocked her head to one side. "Maybe it wasn't about revenge. Maybe I just assumed it was because that's all I've thought about."

"That's my point." Anthiel smiled. "It didn't take long to see you're racked with guilt, but I don't think you need to be. You may have gone there to kill him for revenge, but that's not why you ended up killing him. You killed him in self-defense and to save the life of another; who could fault you for that?"

"You have a point." Hailey replied.

"I know." Anthiel said with a wink.

* * *

Having made good time with ideal wind, it was only late afternoon when Kendra landed her tiny airship in the Arcanum docks. She couldn't help but contrast it with the last time she had docked less than a week ago. The last time, she had enjoyed returning to civilization. The stench of the dock, the bustle of the crowds, and the excitement of hunting a dragon had made her nearly elated.

Now...

Now she didn't know what to think.

She paid the dock fee, ignoring the hopeful eye of the dock master who was obviously hoping for another gold coin. She walked nearly on autopilot to Falkaan's ship; The Midnight Sun. She boarded without preamble or announcing herself.

"Hey captain, she's back." A grizzled man yelled from the quarterdeck. She assumed it was Damon, his pilot.

"Kendra." Falkaan's voice came from the hold and she heard someone ascending the steps. "I trust your hunt was successful and you're returning with-" He stopped when he saw her. He stared at her appraisingly for a moment, then beckoned her below decks.

She followed almost mechanically, her legs carrying her forward without conscious effort on her part. He led her to a small table below decks and poured her a small glass of mead.

She downed it in one gulp.

"What happened?" He asked.

She told him.

She told him the whole story.

She told him everything, leaving nothing out as she had done before. She told him about Luminar Kossel's prediction, she told him the full story of The Arena, where the dragon had killed her and then saved her life. She told him about tracking them down and how she had let a dragon order her around. And finally, she told him about the dragon saving her life again and the emotion behind his eyes when he spoke about the wood elf.

She left nothing out.

Falkaan leaned back in his chair and stroked his goatee. He was silent for several moments before replying. "You have a problem Kendra; a very serious problem."

"I know."

"I don't think you do. For most of your life, you've harbored an intense hatred of dragons. For as long as I've known you, you always referred to every single dragon as an 'it'; never a 'he'. The thing that stuck out most about your story was your use of pronouns."

He leaned forward. "You never once called this dragon 'it'; you only said 'he'. You even called the other dragon which they fought an 'it'. But this steel gray dragon - this Ethan - you only ever referred to him as 'he' or 'him'; never 'it'. Did you notice?"

"I think so?" She replied.

"You changed Kendra." Falkaan sighed. "You changed a fundamental part of how you view dragons, or at least this dragon."

"You might be right."

"You fell for it Kendra." He shook his head. "How many times have we been tricked by dragons? How many times did their primal cunning put us - our whole team - in jeopardy? How many times have they proven to be snakes with wings, and just as devoted to the truth?"

"True, but you didn't see him."

"Kendra, Mr. Damon and I have talked about this at length. There's clearly something about this dragon that's unusual. From the beginning, the reward was too large. I suspected there was something else going on; that his crimes were more serious than Lord Delmar would admit. I even entertained the idea that this dragon might be different for a time, but consider his actions. Everywhere this dragon goes, death and destruction follow."

"True." She conceded.

"I know you're more religious than most in our line of work. Doesn't the Book of Light talk about how to tell the righteous from the wicked?"

"You will know them by their deeds." She quoted.

"Exactly." He nodded. "At a certain point, you have to look at the full balance of what someone has done."

She looked at Falkaan. "Maybe the death and destruction that follow him are because he's being attacked? I was responsible for much of the destruction, and you for some of the rest. Maybe he's not evil, maybe he's being attacked?"

The dark elf gave her a strange look. "Do you hear yourself Kendra? You're defending a dragon."

She groaned.

"Shit; I am." She grabbed the bottle of mead, filled her small glass and downed it in one go. "What in Saidow's Lair is wrong with me?"

"I don't know." He replied sympathetically.

"He saved my life." She added quietly. "Why would he do that? It doesn't make any sense. He had nothing to gain by saving me and everything to lose... both times."

It was Falkaan's turn to consider. "True. I'll admit that doesn't make sense."

They were both silent for almost a minute before Kendra spoke again. "Saving my life once didn't make sense. Twice? It's inconceivable. And how in God's name did he use lightning? That's supposed to be Illuminar's own weapon; a weapon of pure light being wielded by a dragon? It doesn't make sense!"

She pounded the table in frustration.

It was maddening.

Infuriating...

...and yet...

"Do you really think this dragon might not be evil?" Falkaan asked, and it was an honest question. He sounded doubtful, but he was asking.

"I have no fucking clue." Kendra sighed. "I really don't."

She touched her dragon tooth necklace. She had been so determined to take revenge on all dragons for what they had done. But had she missed something? Were all dragons really just beasts without feeling or human emotion, or was this one possibly more?

"There's only one thing to be done." Falkaan said. "We already have the official story from Lord Delmar. But remember what happened to me; sometimes the official story isn't the whole story. You need to find this dragon again and get his side of the story."

She snorted. "Yeah, like he would tell me. I tried to kill him a couple of times now, he'd probably attack me on sight."

"Perhaps, but he also saved your life twice when he didn't have to." Falkaan countered. "If this dragon really is different - if he really isn't as bad as all the rest of them - then he might hear you out."

Kendra frowned. "I doubt it."

"Then perhaps discretion is the better part of valor. Track him, stalk him; see where he goes, see what he does, and you'll see his true character eventually. Sooner or later, you'll learn the truth."

"I hate it when you're right."

"I can't help it; it comes naturally." He smiled.

She tried to laugh, but it came out more like a snort.

"And hang onto that Dragon Slayer too, Illuminar knows I can't use it." He glanced at the stump of his arm.

"Thank you."

She reached for the bottle again but he intercepted her hand. "Mead won't help, Kendra. You need to get to the bottom of this, if only for your own sanity."

She nodded and withdrew her hand.

"Then I should get going." She stood up. "I have a pretty good idea where they are, but once they've left..."

He nodded and stood up too. "It was wonderful to see you Kendra. I hope our paths cross again soon."

"That would be great; take care old man." She said affectionately.

"God-speed Kendra. I hope you find the truth."

"Me too." She nodded. "Me too."

* * *

"He really did all that?" Taloni asked when Alana had finished her story.

The wood elf nodded. "Absolutely. You're a wonderful girl Taloni. He might not know what to do with two wives yet, but he definitely likes you."

"You think so?"

"Oh dear girl." Alana swept the slightly taller Fey into a huge hug. "Of course he does. Why, anyone can see you're a delightful girl, not to mention beautiful... and he's not blind."

The Fey nodded, then looked around the shack they were in. It was where she slept with several other young ladies who didn't have family in the mining camp, including Prayla. Right now though, Alana had turned it into a makeshift prep room. She had spent quite a while primping and fussing over the Fey girl's hair, and they'd gone through her clothes trying to find something suitable while the wood elf told the story.

Taloni felt like she could cry with happiness. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Alana opened her mouth, closed it, and then cocked her head to one side. "Would you prefer I was mean?"

"No!" she replied a little too fast. "I just mean that... you know, from what I've seen women don't like it when another girl makes a move on their guy."

"Ah, but he's not 'my guy'; I'm 'his girl'. That makes all the difference."

"I don't understand. How can you be 'his girl' if he's not 'your guy'?"

"It's... complicated." The wood elf replied. "I could try to explain it, but I get the feeling you'll understand perfectly once Ethan takes you to bed tonight."

Taloni felt her cheeks grow warm and had a sudden urge to hide behind the nearest large object. She also had a completely opposite urge centered on her hips that made her want to go tackle Ethan and... and let him do what Alana had just mentioned.

She settled for hiding her face behind her hands as she sank onto a chair.

Alana knelt in front of her and spoke softly; kindly. "Taloni, there's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Those urges are completely normal and healthy. In a few hours, you'll be able to act on them, and it'll be absolutely fantastic."

She didn't move her hands. "Are you sure?"

"That it's normal or that it'll be fantastic?" Alana asked.

"Both."

"Oh, well actually I'm sure of both." She said with a huge grin.

Taloni felt a comforting hand on her knee. She didn't understand why the wood elf was being so nice. Weren't women supposed to be mean when someone threatened to take their man?

"Are you sure it's okay though?" She peaked through her hands. "I mean, you don't mind that tonight I'm going to... well, you know."

"Why would I mind?" The wood elf gave her a seductive smile.

Taloni was forcibly reminded of a certain dream she'd had and suddenly had trouble forming a coherent sentence. "I... Uh, um... I don't know?"

"I certainly don't mind. In fact, I brought it up with Ethan earlier today."

"You... you did?"

"Of course. Do you want to know what I said?"

Taloni nodded.

Alana slid onto a seat next to her, leaned close and whispered into her ear. Her voice was soft and slow, like a she imagined a lover might speak. "I asked if I could be there when he takes you to bed."

Taloni felt her brain freeze.

She understood every word that the wood elf had said, but the order in which the words were assembled didn't make any sense at all. How could she want to be there?Why did she want to be there? She moved her mouth soundlessly as she tried to get the words out, but they wouldn't come.

Alana leaned back slightly so she was close, but not whispering into her ear. "He said that was fine with him as long as you didn't mind."

Taloni was struck by the rich hazel color in Alana's eyes. They were filled with kindness, compassion, and more than a little arousal.

She didn't know what to say.

She was mortified at the thought of being naked with just Ethan; she couldn't imagine taking her clothes off in front of Ethan's gorgeous first wife. What if she didn't measure up? What if Ethan was more interested in the brunette than herself?

"You're really nervous about tonight, aren't you?" The chocolate-haired elf asked.

She nodded.

Alana looked at her long and hard. "It would make you really uncomfortable if I was there, wouldn't it."

She hesitated, then nodded slowly.

"Okay, then never mind." Alana said with a smile. She did look a bit disappointed, but seemed more concerned for the Fey than for herself. She put her hand on Taloni's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It will be fine; Ethan is anamazing lover. Just let him take the lead and everything will work out perfectly."

"You're sure?"

"Positive." Alana beamed. "Now, let's get you all dolled up for your wedding."

"But, aren't we already married?"

"Certainly bonded, and he would probably admit you're married. But do you really want to skip the wedding ceremony?"

It was Taloni's turn to beam.

She was sure the ceremony wouldn't be much given the short notice, but she thought it could be nice.

Prayla joined them a bit later, after finishing a mysterious errand about which she refused to say anything. She kept giving Taloni little cat-that-ate-the-canary grins though. Alana seemed to know something about it too, but wouldn't share either.