Sacrificed to the Dragon

11. The dragon

Katherine walks down an unfamiliar hallway. The feeling of joy is overshadowed by fear. Yes, she is going out to see Ariston, but what if this is another joke at her expense? There are no decorations and no doors on this corridor and it makes it look longer than it is. It seems to her like she is walking to the dungeons or to the gallows. The fear is creeping up on her and she can’t fight it. She can see two guards at the door and swallows hard. What if they turn her away? What if they decide to mock her? She slows down a bit and approaches them with caution.

“Hello.” Katherine whispers. She hates how her voice sounds, like she’s afraid or something. She tries to get more force to her voice without shouting. “Ariston said I should meet him in the courtyard.”

“Sure.” One of the guards smiles at her. “He said to let a brown eyed girl pass.”

“My name is Katherine.” She tells them.

“Nice to meet you, Katherine.” The other one nods to her and opens the door. “Don’t let the horse bite you.” 

Why would a horse bite me? She wonders what kind of horses they have up here. She has never been on the bad side with any horse in her life. She is not aunt Leanna. Lifting her eyes to the sky, she can see white clouds and the blue of the sky is mesmerising to her. She takes a deep breath and looks around the courtyard. It seems to be deserted and so quiet. Not even the blacksmith is at work today. A smile creeps up on her face when she sees Ariston with two big horses. They both have saddles on! She cheers inside, because no one would go to the trouble to saddle a horse and not use it. It would be a cruel thing to do to the horse as well. They have feelings too and they usually know what saddles mean.

“Hello. I thought you were joking.” Katherine tells him. “Now I see you with two horses and I still don’t believe it.”

“I don’t have a sense of humor. At least Agneta tells me so.” Ariston smirks. “Come on, we don’t have all day.”

“Where are we going?” She asks and puts her leg in the strap. Pulling herself up is instinctive. She has been riding all her life. 

“To the fields.” He answers. “It’s not a long ride. Nothing around here is.”

“Thank you. I missed riding. I had my own pony, but this horse is much more magnificent.” Katherine smiles and pats the horse's neck.

“We only have Shire horses up here.” Ariston explains when they ride through the arch in the outer wall. “They are work horses. They usually have a carriage or a plough to pull. This is a rare change for them.”

“Don’t you have riding horses? Anery let me believe that you do this often.” She inquires.

“We used to have them.” He smiles sadly. “I have to talk to Lord Cellan about it, but he doesn’t care for horses.”

“Who wouldn’t care for horses? They are great! So beautiful and graceful.” Katherine exclaims.

“You don’t need a horse if you can fly.” Ariston laughs.

Now that is cryptic as hell. Either Lord Cellan has wings of his own and is indied the dragon, or he just catches a ride with the dragon whenever he wants to go somewhere. Ariston is good at this game. He told her everything and nothing at all. It can be interpreted either way.

The scenic route among the golden fields of grain fills her heart with joy and she wishes the ride would never end. The fresh mountain air and the sun shining on her face make her happy and she can almost forget she is not here by choice. The horse she is riding is trotting obediently after Ariston and all she needs to do is hold the reins and enjoy the ride. The view is great, too. The mountains and fields are a wonderful contrast to the blue of the sky and there is even a river close by and getting closer every minute.

All too soon, for Katherine, they stop at a mill. There is a man sitting out front and he greets Ariston with a wave. She is more interested in keeping the horses company and waters them in the stream while the men talk about grain and flour. She notices a box of apples and thinks that the horses might want a treat.

“Ariston!” She calls out.

“Yes?” He shrugs at her.

“Is it allowed to take two apples for the horses?” She points to the box.

“You can take all of them!” The miller shouts.

Katherine picks the finest of the apples from the box and uses a twisting motion to split the apples in halves. A neat trick she learned from her aunt. The halves disappear fast, but she knows that apples  are a treat for the horses, not food. She puts two apples in her pockets and the rest goes in the saddle bag. 

“For later.” She whispers to the horses who sniff around her hands for more.

There is a dark shadow overhead and she looks up to see what caused the sudden lack of light. Her breath catches in her lungs as she sees the huge black shape of the dragon. Was he following them? Is it bothering him that she is outside? But she didn’t go alone! Ariston took her and Agneta and Anery know about it. She looks frantically at Ariston who only shrugs and keeps on with his business.

The dragon circles overhead and flies off. The relief Katherine feels makes her knees weak and she glances around for a place to sit. There is a bench not far from the stream. She is confident that the horses won’t wander off on their own and ties their reins losely on a branch, just to convey that she wants them to stay put.

She leans back on the bench and closes her eyes shortly. She only wants to enjoy a moment of peace and to feel the sun on her face. Above all other things, she missed the sun the most. The great black beast is intruding on her zen state. She can’t get him out of her mind now that she’s seen him again. She must admit, he is magnificent, a bit scary, but beautiful all the same. Before she can realise that the sun is not shining on her, she feels the familiar sensation of flying. Oh, damn! He didn’t fly off! 

‘No. I haven’t.’ The dragon’s voice is back in her head. ‘Just relax. I’ll put you down in a minute.’

Relax! He says. What am I, a sack of potatoes to be scooped up like that? He could have warned me before. Like I have a choice to say no? And one minute was over a few minutes ago. Katherine rants quietly and this time she gets no response from the dragon, but she can feel him laughing. Who does he think he is? He doesn’t own her to just come and take her away like this.

‘Oh, sweet naive child. I do own you!’ The dragon laughs again. ‘Remember how your own father and the council gave you to me?’ 

“I want to forget that. Why did you have to remind me?” She asks him as he sets her down on a high ledge. There is just enough room on it for her and the dragon. Katherine sits on the edge with her feet dangling in the air.

“I’ll remind you as many times as needed.” he tells her and sits by her side in his human form. The sun glistens in his hair and she is temporarily blinded by the gold.

“So, you really are the dragon.” Katherine remarks and looks around them.

“Yes.” He answers her veiled question and she wonders if he will push her off of the ledge now. It’s not in his habit to answer anything.

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.” He smirks. “I do answer on occasion.”

“You do what you want.” She frowns. “I hope I won’t be in trouble with Ariston.”

“He saw me take you. There won’t be any trouble.” He tells her with a smile.

Katherine looks out in the distance and she can make out the tiny glistening spot that is the palace of Loredan. It is so far away, but the castle Eiry is right there. They are sitting above it and she can see the whole expanse of the castle’s grounds and the fields among the mountains. She can even make out the river and the mill.

“The view is amazing from up here.” Katherine whispers and sighs.

“Do you really miss your family so much? Or is there someone else?” He asks her.

“I miss my brother and my cousins. I miss my horse. I miss the freedom I had.” She tells him sadly.

“Not your parents?” He wonders.

“No.” She shakes her head. “Surprisingly, no. My father never had much time for me and to my mother I was a constant disappointment. Even Anery showed more warmth and concern for me than my own mother ever did.”

“That is sad.” He whispers and they just sit there in silence for some time.

Katherine thinks about his words and finds the truth in them. It is sad. Her view point is different from his, but the outcome is the same. In the end, they loved the power more and gave her away. She is sure that they could find a palace maid of the right age if they just looked. She must have been in someone's bad graces. Maybe her mother turned away one too many suitors?

The sun is low in the sky by the time she realises that he gave her a gift. maybe not intentionally, but he did. She gets to spend some time outside and even watch the sunset. And he is not a bad company at all. He never forces anything on her. Not even a conversation. He has impeccable manners for a dragon.

“We’ll miss dinner, but the sunset will be too amazing to miss.” He says suddenly and reminds her that he is still here with her.

“I have two apples. They might be a little bruised, though.” Katherine smiles at him and pulls the apples from her pockets.

“You’re willing to share with me?” He looks at her and she can see the shock on his face.

“Yes. I got them for the horses, but I don’t see a horse around here. We might as well eat them.” Katherine shrugs and he laughs.

“Oh, my sweet princess! It is a mystery how you turned out the way you are. You see something good in everything and every one. Your naiveté amuses me to no end.” He laughs again. “Don’t ever change and grow up to be a bitter old hag.”