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- For a tower to have been attacked by a dragon twice in the past two weeks, it seemed
- pretty undamaged.
- At least, that's what I thought from half a mile down the road. Up close, it did look
- the part. Scorched ground and incinerated grass spread unevenly around it, blackened stone...
- And, in one or two places, it looked like the stone had just started to melt or run under the
- heat. The tower itself was intact- Good masonry and stone were evidently resistant to the odd
- flying lizard- but half the crenelation had been knocked off. And, closer, the odd scorched-
- clean bone and pile of warped metal suggested a fallen watchman or too.
- "Welcome home, you sorry son of a bitch." I muttered as I dismounted to lead my horse
- up to the tower. Pausing to toe through a pile of bones and a broken sword, I couldn't help
- but mentally add, 'Hope you brought a coffin.'.
- This was not exactly the best posting I'd ever gotten. Not only do a dozen deaths,
- two battles, and two weeks of abandonment do a number on the tower, but I'd like to think
- people are usually a little more subtle when sending their subordinates on one-way, suicide
- missions.
- I paused at the tower's door. Normally, I'd pause to bury the bodies. Maybe a cairn
- instead, there certainly were enough rocks... But seeing as I was liable to join them shortly
- enough, I wasn't too keen on spending my last day digging graves. Might make me even more
- fatalistic than I was currently feeling.
- And it wasn't like something was going to eat the bodies. There wasn't a living
- thing, aside from a few unburned plants, within two hundred feet of the tower. And anything
- that might have been edible, like, say, flesh, was currently fine black ash.
- "Hells with it. Keep me alive until tomorrow, then I'll try to bury them, you hear?."
- I said, looking down at the my keyring and the locked door even as I directed my words
- upwards. Of course, being a god, I assumed He did hear, but whether he chose to do anything
- about it was another question. Gods. Like superiors, except more so, and even less
- understanding when you'd rather not die horribly in their name.
- Bottom floor of the watch tower was fine, supplies mostly intact, (who'd been using
- them? Hells, who'd BE using them?) a small stable for courier's mounts that I felt no qualms
- in using, and the ladder up to the next floor. I'd normally avoid putting my horse inside,
- but it was a pretty decent one, and if I left it enough food, there wasn't any reason it
- shouldn't survive until someone else got sent to this little deathpost. For a horse that had
- never so much as glared at me, it seemed the least I could do. Before ascending, I considered
- leaving the door unlocked, but then again, the bodies outside seemed to prove running wasn't
- really an option.
- Second floor was primarily defensive, third was barracks for the five who should be
- posted here, and fourth was the 'officer' floor. Even if I wasn't an officer, I'd probably
- head up there. Hard to charge a corpse with improper procedure. Almost undamaged, actually...
- I guess there wasn't much fighting inside the tower. It was a dragon, I suppose size would
- have been an issue.
- But there was enough to set up comfortably and a comfortable enough over-supply that
- I could make as much of a 'feast' as can be done with watchtower supplies. The biggest prize
- was a small crate of pretty decent wine that one of the prior officers had squirreled away
- under his bed. And there was actually a section of the wall ripped away, or collapsed, near
- the commander's lounge.
- So it was that sunset found me sitting on the nicest chair in the tower, feet up on
- another, wine bottle and the remains of a meal on a table next to me. In my nightshirt. I
- wasn't sure why I'd packed it, but what the hell? I was commanding officer here, and it was
- perfectly acceptable for a commander to order his subordinates to cover the night shift. I
- didn't have any, but I should have, and it wasn't my fault I was the only one assigned here.
- Plus, I had a sword. Just a sword. I was an adequate shot with a bow, but I didn't see myself
- bringing down a dragon with a mere arrow. It wasn't like being in armor and ready to
- challenge this dragon was likely to prolong my life. Asking it politely not to eat me was
- probably a safer bet.
- I entertained myself with a chessboard that had, amazingly, been left in progress.
- Couldn't tell whose move had been last, but it didn't really matter, since I was playing
- against myself. At least someone I could beat. It probably didn't help that I was also
- talking to myself, carrying on a slightly-intoxicated back-and-forth. I felt pretty resolved
- with my imminent demise not terribly upset, but perhaps a bit lonely. And maybe depressed,
- though I think that's understandable. At any rate, imminent death, and the lack of anyone to
- witness seemed to make it alright. No consequences to worry about.
- ###############################
- It was, in fact, just as I was bragging to myself about having taken my white queen
- with my black knight, that I began hearing wingbeats. Massive ones, approaching rapidly.
- Still approaching rapidly. I found myself wondering whether the dragon simply was going to
- slam into the tower, and whether that would knock it down or kill the dragon. And for a
- moment, I thought it had, as the tower swayed and groaned mightily, until I realized that it
- had simply landed on the roof.
- After a few seconds of consideration, the tower seemed to decide not to collapse. A
- few minor groans remained, but my attention was monopolized by the much more riveting sound
- of dull not-quite 'metal scraping on stone' sound, and some very, very heavy breathing. It
- occurred to me that maybe I would have preferred to go in my sleep, though I banished that by
- admitting that, yes, this would probably have woken me up.
- "I can smell you, human..." a rather loud voice rumbled. Well, I suppose there was no
- pretending I wasn't here. For a moment, I was at loss. Then I decided it couldn't really get
- worse.
- "Give me a moment, I'll be right up!" I shouted out the breach in the tower wall.
- Standing, I grabbed my glass of wine and the bottle. A brief consideration lead me to put the
- glass down, and simply take the bottle. Maybe I'd be lucky enough to come back down for
- another one at some point.
- The trapdoor to the roof was tough. I thought I was pretty at peace, but that
- trapdoor, and the fact that I could die the moment I climbed out it, brought my potential
- death even closer. I probably stalled for a full twelve seconds there, before convincing
- myself to suck it up. Staying inside was probably only mildly safer. Steeling myself, I
- flipped the trapdoor and ascended the last rungs of the ladder.
- It was pretty damn large, though not quite as huge as I'd imagined. No ancient wyrm
- this. Though easily enough to kill me dead. It doesn't really matter how much you're told
- dragons are huge, titanic creatures with raw power sufficient to take on a small city.
- Dealing with a mass of scaled muscle, claw, and fang twenty five feet at the shoulder is a
- bit different. Lots of claws and fangs, actually. Perched cat-like on the edge of the tower,
- wrapping halfway around it, tail twitching gently. For a moment, I worried that it would
- simply bat me off the tower with it's tail while I was distracted.
- But that wouldn't actually change anything, would it? "Ah, welcome. Sir Sebastian
- Cyril, your host, guardian of this tower, at your service." That got me a level stare from a
- head that looked larger than I was. I was no pro at reading dragon expressions, but I thought
- it looked extremely un-amused.
- "And the other of you?" it spoke. Loud. Not quite as deep as I'd expected. Kind of
- funny draconic-sounding accent. More pertinently, I suppose, I was busy trying to figure out
- who else it was expecting.
- "Uh, I'm the only one here, as far as I know, your lordship." I attempted to answer
- smoothly. For some reason, it was suddenly pretty easy to do. I just didn't care too much
- anymore. 'If you're going to die, die with your boots on.', I think they say. Why not?
- "I heard you discussing your game as I approached." it spoke. I thought I detected a
- hint of irritation in its words. "Who were you playing with?"
- "Ah. That would be me." I offered with a brief bow. "Didn't really have anyone else
- to play with."
- "And you were talking to yourself?" the dragon rumbled skeptically, beginning to
- circle the tower. Despite its immense size and bulk, it seemed entirely capable and
- comfortable of creeping around the roof, half over the edge. I just stood there. It wasn't
- like it could kill me any more dead from behind.
- "Well, I'm bored, it gets late, and I figure that, being dead, I'm not going to have
- to worry about what people think of me, so... eh, I might have let myself go a bit." I
- confessed with a shrug. Hard to address it specifically, what with it creeping out of my
- sight, but it wasn't like I could be addressing anyone else.
- "So they send the insane to face me." it seemed, to my surprise, amused. I couldn't
- see it's expression, but it almost sounded like it was chuckling.
- "Now, I'd say that's a bit harsh..." I began. Perhaps breaking out the wine so early
- hadn't been a good idea; I wasn't drunk, but I felt mildly buzzed. It had also probably
- contributed to me being willing to carry on a conversation with myself. "It's not like I'm
- raving mad and wearing a goose on my head."
- "Playing a game with yourself, Talking to yourself, and coming out to face a dragon
- in your nightshirt, armed with a bottle of wine?" it asked with audible amusement.
- "Particularly one you have good reason to believe is here to kill you."
- "You raise an interesting point!" I said, as if struck by an idea. Pretending to grab
- a weapon at my side, I continued, "Let me just draw my sword, charge to attack, and get
- knocked off the tower by you, or your tail, or maybe your wings." I accompanied the sarcastic
- response with pretending to draw a sword, but abandoned it as perhaps a bit too much. Hell,
- sarcasm probably wasn't a good idea at all. Dragons were probably like kings, got all titchy
- at being mocked."If you insist on fighting me, I'll attempt to defend myself, and if for some
- reason, you're bent on a 'fair fight'- which I might suggest is inherently impossible, given
- the differences between our respective forms- If you're interested in that, I'd be happy to
- go and fetch my sword and armor. Who knows? Perhaps I'd win. Somehow, I doubt it."
- "I don't believe such a lack of self-preservation weighs in your favor." the dragon
- said. Again, that inscruitable dragon-voice didn't really give me anything to go on. On the
- other hand, it had almost finished its circle of the tower, and I could again look at it
- without having to turn. Not that there was a lot to see; it was just as big and scaly as I
- remembered, bristling with claws, horns, fangs, and rippling with truly inhuman amounts of
- muscle.
- "I believe it bespeaks boundless self-control and utter rationality. I could probably
- toss in 'peace with my gods' and 'quiet dignity' too, since I'm already stretching it a bit."
- The dragon stopped a dozen degrees short of a complete revolution, and I figure it's
- reasonable to turn to face it. Suddenly, I feel a momentary waver of fear, but ward it off
- after a moment. I've been 'fearless' so far, why not keep it up?
- "If you were rational and wanted to live, I would think you would be on your knees,
- begging for life. Or perhaps just mercy." It really doesn't get more blatant than that,
- outside of a bard's tale. Lucky me, maybe I'm in one. It also occurs that perhaps that's a
- dragon's equivalent of a smile, though it has more teeth than I tend to prefer.
- "I suppose I might." I say as agreeably as possible. "Then again, I doubt that would
- have much of an effect. Someone like me? Not much practice at the whole 'groveling' thing.
- I'd probably just bungle it." A prolonged silence followed, in what I assumed was unspoken
- interrogative. "I did introduce myself as 'sir' Cyril. Dignity and all that. To put it
- another way, what are you going to do if I don't, kill me?"
- "There are so *very* many ways I could do that, though..." the dragon answered,
- again, about as threatening as it could be. This was hardly the time to back out, though.
- "Suppose there are." Now would be the time to offer a counter. "How many of those
- involve me bringing up a crate of a rather delightful vintage to share with your lordship," I
- ask, hefting the bottle in my hand, "and maybe a game of chess or two while we're at it?".
- Somehow, I seemed to have managed it. Though I wasn't solid on- Well, I apparently was
- willing to bet my life on it, but that still didn't mean I knew what I was doing,
- particularly when judging a dragon's body language. It didn't seem taken aback, but it seemed
- amused.
- "Your unmitigated boldness does you credit, human. I think, perhaps, I could accept."
- Gods above, I think I might have just made it. Secured bragging rights for the rest of my
- life, even. Crazy like fox, dragon. "However, there is one thing that must be addressed
- before I will proceed." That gave me pause for a moment, not the least because it chose that
- point to start advancing towards me. Just what would it want addressed?
- "I'm sure we can come to some sort of understanding. Might I inquire as to what
- bothers your lordship?"
- "That does, Sir... Cyril." the dragon answered ominously. I resisted the urge to ask
- as it began casting a spell, expecting it to elaborate one way or the other. What I did not
- expect was a flash of fire, as if the dragon itself had ignited and was burning up, and it to
- vanish- Replaced only by the smaller and decidedly humanoid shape of an curvaceous elven
- woman in an elaborate dress, with flowing crimson hair nearly to her waist. It- She --
- approached me slowly, extending a hand grandly as she reached me. Still a bit too stunned to
- process properly, I accepted it, bowing to kiss her hand greet her on reflex. Though I hadn't
- thought about it at all, this seemed to please her, and she responded with a dazzling smile.
- I almost fell for it before I remembered that the elf before me wasn't, and in fact, had
- probably eaten half the previous guards before me.
- Remembering that almost saved me from feeling embarassingly under-dressed in my
- nightshirt.
- "I apologize for my error, lady...?" I trailed off in question. I suppose that might
- explain why i- She- was so amused with me. Then again, it's not as if I happen to be an
- expert on the gender of reptiles.
- "Appology accepted. Kalfyria Darathyix will do, Sir Cyril." she answered, as regal
- and condescending as any lady of the court. Still, it was something; It seemed like i'd
- amused her enough that she was... Well, it felt kind of belittling, but 'playing my game', it
- seemed.
- "If I may ammend my previous offer, would you like to enjoy the drinks and game I
- offered inside, perhaps along with a roaring fire?"
- "By all means, lead the way." She gesture to the trap door, allowing me to open it
- and begin down. Despite my lack of fear earlier, I suddenly found myself dreading two things
- above all else; slipping, falling, or otherwise making a clumsy fool of myself... or making
- an indecent glance upwards, at the lady- lady-dragon... descending above me.
- #######################################
- "Rook to E4, Cyril." Her voice was lazy and smug, but confident above all else. "I do
- hope you have something up your sleeve this time." I could feel her watching me, and the only
- reason I managed to hide my smile was that I was facing the fireplace, placing a log squarely
- on the fire with the aid of the poker. I did manage to get the grin under control before
- turning around, stepping back from the blazing fire. It would have been stifiling if it
- wasn't for the gaping hole in the wall, where I had been watching the sun set six hours ago.
- Instead, it was merely warm, and enough that I could still wear the robe I'd made an excuse
- to put on earlier.
- Returning to the table, though, my control broke for a moment. She actually had made
- that move. I'd been betting on it, but it was still a bit of an achievement to put one over a
- dragon.
- "I just might, my lady. Of course, there are stories about those who think to
- outsmart dragons... Perhaps it would be safer for me to keep it up my sleeve. Subtle and
- quick to anger, are they not?"
- "That's wizards." she counters easily. Internally, I send every prayer of gratitude I
- have towards the Drunken God. My attempts to ply her with alcohol seemed to be working. I
- knew she'd been drinking well over twice what I had, but I was finally getting confirmation
- that it was actually doing something. Apparently dragons weren't so invlunerable, or perhaps
- only weren't while in humanoid forms.
- "Wizards, you say... those enigmatic magic-users, the ones who can call upon the very
- powers of the world to do incredible things, like conjure fires, or fly, or change form?" I
- ask as I make a show of studying the board before sitting down. Out of the edge of my vision,
- I watch her color slightly, still unused to and easily irked by being teased. Even when the
- sole reason she had decided not to kill me was that she liked my fearlessness... She did seem
- to be getting grip on it, though.
- "And do they say anything about those who bore dragons?" Closer to an affable
- counter, though it's still sinister enough, with steel audible beneath it. Like she's not
- quite sure that such an affront can be allowed, or she isn't certain that it isn't actually
- an attack. Kind of amusing, in a way that would be pitiable if I didn't know she was entirely
- capable of following through on her threats. And now she might think I was deliberately
- throwing the game if I lost. I and my banter to blame.
- "Not much. Though I do concede that it could be because that's even more hazardous
- than affronting them. Very well, I can but do as my guest commands." I make further show of
- my grand acquiescence, and reach out to move a single piece. As she watched my move, and the
- began thinking on her next, I noticed her glass was half empty, and moved to top it off
- again.
- "Anyway, to resume that description, and condense it a bit, Duke Vladen Errol is a
- crotchety, bitter old man. Allegedly was a knight, even a guardsman, back in his day, though
- for all I know he's older than a- Than you, even. Tends to take poorly to this, that, and
- everything else to boot. In my case, my father seemed to offend him at some point, and I am
- apparently his avenue of revenge. Didn't really expect such a blatant attempt at murder from
- him, but what can you do? Evidently I was wrong. Least I'm not expected to like it."
- "Terrible, I agree." Darathyix agreed. Lady Kalfyria? I was having trouble
- remembering which was appropriate, or which she had asked me to use. Perhaps I hadn't come
- out as far ahead as I thought in my efforts to wine her.
- "Really?" I asked sardonically. I some how doubted she actually meant it on my
- behalf. As she reached out to move a pawn, she confirmed my belief.
- "Of course." she verified. It was apprently her turn to adopt an ironic tone. "Of
- course you didn't like being sent to your... presumed... death," Her pauses were only
- partially punctuation; I'd made my move immediately after she made hers, and her eyes
- narrowed as she began to suspect that I actually did have something planned. "More
- pertinently, however, I dislike the concept of being used as a tool by such a creature as
- your Errol-"
- "Oh, believe you me, he's not mine. You can have him." She flashed me a glare at
- being interrupted, though it faded almost instantly as she realized I was merely joking
- rather than rude. She moved a piece again, and I instantly retaliated. Her eyes narrowed
- further, but she did not mention it..
- "Indeed." she agreed, followed by a lengthy pause. "I would never have objected if I
- hadn't heard the story from you, but now that I have, I confess I feel happier in my decision
- not to slay you on the rooftop."
- "I'm happier too." I agreed, "Vindication is sweet."
- "On this, we can..." she began, stopping abruptly. I nearly started when I realized
- she wasn't just pausing for effect or emphasis, but had suddenly completely focused on the
- board. Ah, she'd caught me. "You motherless, scaleless, spawn of a kobold!" she hissed
- venomously, orange eyes blazing and locked on the chessboard. Absently, I noticed that her
- draconic accent had resurfaced and intensified, presumably as a side effect of being angry.
- Livid. Definitely livid, I decided, as I noticed she was exhaling trickles of smoke.
- Her fury held for almost thirty seconds, as she evidently realized the extent of my
- trap. I left her to it; I was trying not to allow my fear to return, but it seemed more like
- simple self-preservation to avoid drawing undue attention until she'd calmed down slightly.
- Which she seemed to do, deflating slightly and no longer looking like she was trying to cause
- the board to combust through sheer hatred. "Tiamat's tortured heart..! Beaten by a human.
- ...Though I suppose I did ask it of you."
- "I do tend to interpret a game as a challenge, I confess." I said, doing my best to
- sound affable. "And in some cases, simple courtesy to offer my opponent a good game." For a
- moment, her otherwise-beautiful countenance darkened as she threatened to take offense. It
- passed relatively quickly, though.
- "I take offense where there is none." she said. About as close to an apology as I
- figured she was capable of. "Perhaps there is more to this game than I suspected."
- "I always thought so." I said. I wasn't trying to flatter, but ingratiating myself
- with her seemed to be a constant effort. "Perhaps another game? I feel warmed up, as it goes,
- and you seem to be getting a grip of things- You don't have to win to learn a lesson." I
- counter before she can object. She bites back whatever she was about to say, accepting my
- words. Without warning, she seems to break out in a downright predatory smile.
- "Very well. Perhaps this time, however, we can let something ride on the game? Make
- it a bit more lively?" I met her eyes, and had a strong suspicion that this time, she's the
- one who has something planned. And perhaps my judgement is impaired by how much I drank in
- the past few hours... Against my better judgement, I did not immediately refuse.
- "I'm listening..." I said cautiously.
- ###################################################
- It was mid morning as my eyes reluctantly opened. Happily, despite the light, the
- officer's quarters were on the west side of the tower, and the only light to enter the room
- was reflected through the windows and that gaping rent in the tower walls, not shining
- through directly.
- Which meant that open eyes were only marginally more painful than closed eyes, and
- the agonizing hangover remained a single unchanging pain in my head. How much had I drunk
- last night? Because 'drunk' really must have been the word. Joy.
- I'm abruptly faced with a far more pertinent question, though. Namely, why was I
- looking at a shock of blazing red hair about two inches from my face? And why did I feel
- someone on my arm? Trying to avoid movement, I focused on simply remembering. Not possible; I
- remember the first two chess games... parts of the increasingly less-focused third... And
- everything else was simply black. Void. I couldn't remember.
- Of course, even that much already suggested who this was in front of me- In my arms,
- even. I wished I could remember what the hell I thought I was thinking. It was a small
- challenge to resist the urge to scream, but I manage, partially out of awareness that my
- hangover would probably express its disapproval, and the dragon (In my arms!) would probably
- do so shortly afterwards.
- After a few moments of panicked confusion, I managed to haul myself together, and
- began doing my best to untangle myself from her and the bed. She remained asleep, thank the
- stars, and I managed to stagger over to a nearby chair. The question of "How did I do this?"
- was then replaced by "What do I do now?". A real challenging question, too. Just to review,
- I'd made a complete mess of my posting, derelict in duty, cowardice in the face of the enemy,
- fraternizing with the enemy, probably treason to boot... How the hells do you explain NOT
- getting slain by a dragon? I didn't actually expect to live through the previous night, and
- now that I had to deal with it... Ugh.
- "What do you want?" I muttered to myself, not so much talking to myself as trying to
- get myself to focus via aural cue. It sort of worked; I almost woke the dragon. The 'maiden'
- in my bed gave a quiet, satisfied-sounding moan, and shifted slightly in the bed. That got my
- attention, and held it until I was certain she hadn't actually woken up. Throughout it all,
- my head ached away, and I futilely put a hand on my forehead as I turned my attention to the
- matter in question.
- Ruling out something ridiculous like fleeing the kingdom, I'd have to go or at least
- report back to my superiors.. Including Duke Errol... And explain why I was alive when a
- dozen men before me had died horribly. If I... Basically did anything but return with her-
- with the dragon's head, Errol would leap at the opportunity to accuse me of cowardice. Of
- course, I didn't maintain position at the watch tower, I simply rode out somewhere, spent my
- time hiding, and returned 'miraculously' unscathed. I might be able to claim I was waylaid,
- and never arrived, but then what happened? Maybe if I could claim the dragon spared me to
- send a message? But what? I wasn't going to ask her to make demands; there were limits to
- even how far my morals stretched.
- The only thing I could do, then, was claim to have slain the dragon... Which would
- hardly be easy. Well... It could be. I found myself glancing down at my sword and dagger,
- sheathed, and still on the back of the chair where I'd hung the belt the previous day. She
- was asleep and humanoid; she seemed a bit tougher than she appeared, but it wasn't like she
- was covered in armored scales...
- I reached down and drew my dagger, staring unseeing at the blade. The risk was
- relatively minor- death and dishonor now or later- but I still wasn't certain I could
- actually do it. I slowly turned over the dagger over in my hand, trying to decide one way or
- the other, then eventually gave up with a whispered curse, flinging the dagger at an empty
- chair. It didn't even have the deceny to stick, instead bouncing off and landing on the
- carpet with a dull clank. .
- "Problems, Sebastien?" I heard Kalfyria ask. Nervous as I was, I jumped a foot in the
- air, spinning to look at her. She was decent only due to the covers, half sitting up, and had
- evidently been watching my quandary with some amusement, judging by her smile. "Given your
- boldness yesterday, I should hope you aren't backing down from some kind of danger now. It'd
- be a shame to find out you weren't actually as fearless as I suspected."
- For nearly ten second I can't decide on an answer, and contemplate whether flattery,
- deceit, or trying to tell her what she expects is the best course of action. Faced with her
- condescending invitation, and the ever-growing awkward silence, I'm forced to answer. "It
- isn't so much fear as standards, Kal- Darathyix. Same reason I said I'd rather die than
- grovel yesterday."
- "Really." she says, obviously skeptical despite the tone. "And what could possibly be
- troubling you now?"
- "Mostly what I'm going to do since I didn't get murdered by a dragon last night.
- Mostly how I'm going to explain my survival, despite not having slain a dragon last night." I
- try to prevent it, but my voice takes a turn for the bitter as I finish.
- "Mmmm. A profound issue. Surely you could still correct it, though-" she reasoned.
- She sounded sympathetic, wrapping the covers around her like a cloak as she stood. She even
- managed to look sympathetic, though I was pretty sure it was jeering in her eyes rather than
- actual empathy. " It's still here, alone, defenseless, vulnerable, and your blades are right
- there..." Defenseless. Hah.
- "As I said, that's another place I draw the line. I'd prefer to go without a record
- for stabbing women in their sleep. Or even awake. Provided they're in their bedroom, it's
- kind of the principal of the thing that matters."
- "Really? What if the woman's a monster then, a flying scaled beast, breathing fire
- and devouring humanoids? It only looks like a woman. Surely that's sufficient exemption..."
- Her voice takes several steps towards mocking, and she approaches close enough to place a
- hand on my shoulder. I resist the urge to step back or brush it away, mostly because I'd feel
- obligated to look at her if I did.
- "It apparently wasn't enough last night." I manage to grate out, wondering whether
- I'm more angry at myself or her. Probably the former; what had she actually done for me to
- hold against her?
- "Ah, the poor knight. Deceived, bereaved, used by the vile temptress." she laughed,
- apparently amused by something, though I couldn't guess what. "Whatever happened to your plan
- to use the dragon in turn?"
- "Well, I can't actually remember it, but I suspect it didn't extend beyond last
- night. Maybe this morning." I suppose I shouldn't really be surprised at the mockery; dragons
- are hardly reputed to be kind, benevolent, or understanding.
- "He can't remember? Truly? How utterly perplexing." she says. It's still mocking, and
- I try to ignore her as she leans in closer to me. "Perhaps you'd like me to remind you?"
- "No, I can't remember, I blacked out last night." I state, turning back to look at
- her again. Her expression abruptly changes to a small frown, apparently taken aback by my
- statement. "I drank too much, that's what happens." I add by way of explanation, trying to
- say it with as little irritation as possible. "If you wish to remind me, feel free, but I'm
- content remaining ignorant to my drunken ramblings."
- "A shame, then, they were such interesting ones... Bold, too." she says merrily,
- shifting gears rapidly. "I believe they started with you slaying... defeating? Defeating, I
- think, the terrible dragon, and rescuing from it a fair maiden. Mmm... Perhaps a princess of
- some far off land, or a fallen noble house, her family destroyed, and she, kidnapped by the
- vile beast." She gave a lazy smile as she noticed my expression of shock; she was obviously
- actually recounting something here, and most startling of all to me, I thought it might
- actually be something I said; I couldn't remember, but there was an odd sense of deja-vu to
- the plan she was explaining.
- "Being such a noble, kind-hearted, honorable individual as your self, you rescued her
- and gave her the beast's hoard, as much of it had no doubt come from her own family... Then
- you returned to your home, where you gallantly proposed to her." Her laugh wasn't exactly
- nasty, but was hardly comforting. "Taken with her dashing rescuer, she could hardly help but
- accept. So would begin a happy marriage, a couple straight out of a bard's tale, and for a
- lucky someone, the opportunity to try her hand at court politics and intrigue..."
- Much as I wanted to, or at least, felt like I should, I couldn't really deny this. It
- just seemed... true. Something I might say, if while fantastically drunk, and perhaps just
- looking for an excuse, rather than an actual plan. But... It could work. Theoretically. I
- suppose it could count as a crime, in a certain light of view, but if nobody ever knew, or...
- Gods above, I should realize it was a bad idea the moment I had to heap that much
- qualification on it. But it could work... With an air of defeat, or the feeling that I ought
- to posses one at this point, I stood there almost dumbstruck.
- "And you actually wanted this..?" I managed to say in a shaky voice. Bizarre as it
- was from my end, it seemed like it would be even less palatable for her. It was difficult to
- believe that she merely wanted to 'play noble'.
- "With some persuasion." she agreed enigmatically.
- "And that would take the form of..?" I asked warily. She laughed, and I did concur to
- some degree, but I was somewhat worried about granting her a blank promise. Even if I was
- apparently a bit late to be bargaining.
- She seemed to agree, and her answer came as she forcibly steered me back towards the
- bed with a hungry look in her eyes. "Well, to begin with..."
- #####################################################
- "I don't know how to broach it delicately, but people are starting to ask questions."
- It was a rueful greeting as I entered the room. Lavishly decorated and luxuriously appointed,
- I occasionally wondered whether her investments in the manor were some kind of nesting
- instinct, or perhaps a kind of attempt to recreate a dragon's traditional hoard. It probably
- was not relevant.
- "Questions about what?" Kalfyria asked with mild interest. She put aside the letter
- she was reading, and stood to greet me. We shared a brief embrace, and a ginger one, on my
- part. I knew she was really several tons of dragon- Knew it very well, as it happened- but it
- had getting somewhat difficult to keep in mind over the past few months, as her belly
- swelled.
- "Mostly you. They seem to think that ten months is a bizarre and unnatural amount of
- time." We parted after a few seconds, to all appearances, an unremarkable idyllic couple. I
- had to stifle a grin as I mused on the bizarrity of it all.
- "Mmm. Even for an elven maiden, cursed by the vile and cruel dragon you defeated?"
- she asked. Over the months, she'd managed to almost entirely lose her initial condescension
- and mocking, but not quite all of it. At the moment, though, it was mostly teasing. "Perhaps
- I will have to do something about them..."
- "Gah. Please, no." I said with more than a little dread. "I was not kidding when I
- said I thought your retaliation against the Valerians was complete overkill."
- "They insulted me." she said, maintaining an aura of unperturbed reason.
- "They insulted you!" I agreed, suddenly aggravated. We had had this conversation
- before. "That hardly justifies ruining their family name! If you wanted equitable, snub
- them back, don't destroy them!" I turned my gaze upward, knowing exactly how this would end.
- She had established from the very beginning that she would maintain her disguise, but she did
- not feel obligated to play nice.
- "Someone of the late Lady Valerian's station insulting me is a far more grievous
- slight than if I were to return the favor." Kalfyria replied with a hint of smugness.
- "Besides. I have very strict beliefs on how to deal with my enemies..."
- "Of course, of course." I answered, conceding defeat. Abruptly, I grinned. "Marry
- them, right?" Her expression darkened for a moment, then softened. She still had trouble
- discerning humor from insults, but was getting better. Or perhaps just a little less
- aggressively defensive.
- "Mmm. Indeed." she agreed with a faint smile. "Excuse me for a moment." Turning away
- from me, she crossed to shut the door, and close the curtains. "Now; I assume you won't be
- willing to tell me who was asking these questions?" I offered a brief grimace, but nodded.
- Evidently I hadn't changed the subject well enough. "I shall have to keep an ear out for the
- source of these questions."
- "Kindly deal with them more gently than the last ones." I said, realizing that there
- was probably nothing else I could do. "I was actually hoping we could come up with some sort
- of explanation, instead."
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