by Scott Baron
But that was not on the menu today, and Charlie was expecting her back, so Ara made her way back to the surface, taking to the skies once more. A quick hop outside the atmosphere and she was dropping back to her friend’s kingdom in no time. No sooner had she dropped below the clouds than she felt their connection once more.
It had been growing stronger. What had once only worked when they were in each other’s company had expanded, and significantly. Just one more unusual thing she shared with her unlikely bonded friend.
“Glad you’re back,” she felt him say.
“Back and sated. I really should bring you back one of those beasts to try. Quite delicious.”
“Thanks, Ara, but maybe we’ll do dragon barbecue another time. Thomas made up something special tonight, I wouldn’t want to offend him.”
“Of course not.”
Ara settled down just outside the castle in a glen she had more or less taken for her own. At this point, everyone was accustomed to seeing her there, so her arrival didn’t cause the commotion it had in their first weeks on the new planet.
Charlie looked out the window and admired the beauty of his unlikely new home. Then he made his way to join the others. He was sure they’d have plenty to tell him over dinner, as they so often did in their strange new home.
Chapter Fourteen
Thomas had laid out an impressive spread. The local farmers, it seemed, had been benefitting from an unusually robust harvest. As such, the new king and his friends were the beneficiaries of the bounty as their cook whipped up, the man enjoying the freedom of menu selections his new king allowed.
“Whatever you think,” Charlie typically told him. “You’re the expert, after all.”
For Thomas, the contrast to the previous king was drastic. That royal had insisted on a very particular selection, and if things strayed from his menu of choice, more often than not the poor chef would find himself berated. Cooking for King Charlie, however, was a joy.
“Oh, Thomas, that smells wonderful!” Leila said as a bowl of steaming stew was placed in front of her.
“Thank you, Highness. I was trying something a bit different today––with the help of his Majesty.”
“Hey, don’t look at me. This is all you, Thomas. And she’s right, you know. It smells wonderful.”
“Thankee, Sire. It was that butter and flour thing I saw you mixing up at lunch the other week.”
“Oh, the roux. It doesn’t have to be butter, you know. Any fat will do in a pinch. But yeah, it really rounds the flavors nicely, I think.”
“Your tarragon and chicken––what did you call it? Chowder?
“You’ve got it right. Chowder. Well, of sorts, anyway.”
“It was a revelation. And since then, I’ve been experimenting.”
“And we’re quite happy being your test subjects,” Bawb said, appreciatively sipping a hot spoonful of the stew. “You’ve made some impressive changes to your cooking regimen, Thomas.”
The man beamed with pride. It was a night and day difference, this new royal entourage. The former king was always a bitter man, but when his queen succumbed to an illness a few years prior, he had become even more difficult to please than before.
“Sarah! The bread!” he called to the kitchen. A moment later, his baking assistant brought out a piping-hot loaf of multi-grain bread, baked with rosemary in the crust.
“Oh, my!” Hunze exclaimed when she took a bite. For the often-quiet young woman to blurt out her surprise, the bread must have really reached her on a visceral level. “This is divine, Thomas. The aroma, the crunch of the crust. I think it may be your best yet!”
The cook blushed. The slightly-yellow girl was so pure and innocent, her appreciation genuine and untainted by false flattery. She absolutely loved baked goods of any type, and had been spending more and more time in the kitchens of late, watching and learning.
He was never quite sure of her exact status on the king’s staff. She had been introduced to the household as a servant, but given her close friendship with the king’s adviser, and the fact that she dined with the king and queen regularly, he suspected she was perhaps something more than just a servant girl. Whatever she was, however, she was a delight.
“I can smell that all the way out here,” Ara noted. “I remember his output when you first arrived. Your cook is definitely benefitting from your influence.”
“Ha, thanks. You know, if you want, I can save you some,” Charlie replied.
“Though I am quite satisfied from my earlier meal, I would actually appreciate that. A little taste of something new would be nice.”
Charlie laughed to himself. “It’d have to be a little taste. Given how big you are, a full serving for one of us would be no more than a drop on your tongue. I’ll ask Thomas to bring you a dish.”
“Thank you, Charlie.”
“Thomas, a moment, please,” he said, calling the man over.
“Yes, Sire? Is everything to your liking?”
“Absolutely. In fact, Ara thinks this smells wonderful. Would you please bring a small tureen out to her? I know she’s enormous, but even a little taste would be a treat.”
“Of course, Sire. It would be my pleasure,” he replied, hurrying back to the kitchen to fill a dented, older vessel with the stew.
Thomas had been terrified of Ara at first. The sheer size of the dragon, with teeth that could rip him to shreds with the slightest of effort, made his bowels loosen––a visceral, primal, fear response in the face of a true apex predator. It was hard-wired into his DNA––a survival instinct honed over his species’ evolution. But as he spent more time around the king’s mighty pet, he gradually became more comfortable with her.
The thing was, she seemed to understand him when he spoke, her giant, golden eyes showing far more intelligence than any beast of the woods. And when he had first served her an herb-encrusted goat, roasted specifically for her pleasure at the king’s request, she had been exceedingly careful taking it from him. Her spatial awareness and care for his well-being was not lost on him.
Now when the king asked him to bring her a taste of something, he would make the trek to see her alone, unafraid, and actually a bit happy at the prospect of giving a treat to so mighty a creature.
It would be a little while before the next course was served, so he took the opportunity to carry down the tureen of stew while it was still hot. The path was clear, and Ara, knowing her new friend would be bringing her a sample, had moved to just outside the castle walls. Her sudden appearance there had startled some of the guards atop the parapet. For such an enormous creature, she could move quite silently when she wanted.
“Hello, Ara,” the cook said as he stepped outside the walls. “A little treat from the kitchen tonight. I hope you enjoy it.”
Ara lowered her head to the ground and opened her mouth, slowly. She could have just picked up the tureen and dumped its contents with a flip of her tongue, but she felt it was important to build trust with the human.
Thomas leaned into her mouth, no longer afraid she would eat him whole, as he had feared the first time the king had requested he feed his pet. The contents pooled in the middle of the dragon’s enormous tongue and he stepped clear. Ara then gently closed her mouth and savored the new flavor.
“This is indeed delicious,” she told Charlie. “Please, give Thomas my thanks when he returns to you.”
“Will do,” Charlie replied.
Ara smiled and nodded to Thomas. One day, perhaps she’d speak to him. But that would be some ways away. For now, she kept that ability secret. As the Wampeh often noted, one should not give up an advantage lightly.
“Well, then. Hope you liked that,” Thomas said, then waved his farewell and headed back into the castle walls.
Ara quietly rose to her feet and returned to her favorite glen to turn in for the night.
Chapter Fifteen
Leila was famished from her hard day’s labors, tucking in to her stew with gusto, mopping up the dre
gs with thick slices of bread. Charlie, Bawb, and Hunze watched, sharing an amused glance.
“What?” Leila asked, noting the attention.
“Nothing,” Charlie said with a chuckle. “You’re just making quick work of that. I’m glad we’ve got another course coming.”
Leila slowed down, self-consciously eating at a more lady-like pace.
“I was hungry.”
“I could see. Busy day?”
Her eyes brightened. “It was wonderful. I helped a farmer with their pigs, and––“
“With pigs?” Bawb interrupted.
“Yes, pigs. They were acting up, and had damaged some crops. So I had some words with them.”
“And they’ll behave, now, I assume?” Charlie asked.
“The animals of this world seem to be more receptive than many from mine. I’m confident they’ll not be a problem moving forward,” she said. “Plus, the threat of becoming dinner may have helped,” she added with a grin.
The group laughed merrily, even Bawb the assassin finding her threat to the porcine troublemakers amusing.
“It’s impressive, really,” she continued. “These people work so hard and persevere in the face of adversity, despite not having any magic to aid them. It’s so much effort from each of them, and on a daily basis, no less, but they don’t give up. It’s inspiring. But their methods are a bit lacking, though with a little guidance, they could be so much more productive.”
“Ah, now I’m seeing why you were so hungry today. Always eager to help. You decided to get your hands dirty, didn’t you?” Charlie said with a warm smile.
Leila blushed slightly. “Well, with just a little nudge in the right direction, their crops would be much more bountiful. And now they should hopefully not have to work quite as hard while achieving better results.”
“Work smarter, not harder,” he said.
“Exactly. And I may steal that line,” she added.
“Yours for the taking,” he said, the two sharing a lingering look.
Bawb broke the moment, interjecting as he was wont to do. “A queen does not work in the dirt, Leila. It is just not done, even on this world.”
“Well, now it is. And don’t’ worry, I won’t make a regular thing of it.”
“People will talk.”
“Let them. If all they can hold against me is helping my––I can’t believe I’m saying this––my subjects be more prosperous, then that’s a pretty good bit of gossip, if you ask me.”
“Perhaps,” Bawb relented. “But what of Baloo?”
The freshly-washed beast raised his head from his spot beside his Mama.
“What of him?”
“He can’t keep eating livestock, Leila. Another goat today, I hear,” Bawb noted.
“How did you know about that?”
“I have my ways. But the point is, whatever good will you have earned from your little outings, his jaws are negating on a regular basis.”
Charlie sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes. “Bob, make a note to pull some coin from the coffers. We’ll ride out to see them tomorrow to pay the owners and apologize for Baloo.”
“A king does not apologize,” he replied.
“Well, this one does.”
“No. This one does not,” Bawb replied, a steely look in his eye. “Some lines even you must not cross. To do so lowers the legitimacy of the crown.”
“But I––“
“No. That is final,” he said.
Charlie looked around, but he knew Bawb would not make such statements if any staff were within earshot.
“He’s trying to make amends for Baloo’s actions, while addressing the concerns of the people before they become complaints,” Hunze said. “Surely that is a kingly thing to do.”
Bawb sighed, but slowly nodded his acquiescence. “A king can make reparations,” the Wampeh finally relented. “But through an envoy, not in person. And yes, he can even signal or hint at an apology, but the king does not––must not––explicitly apologize for such trivial matters.”
“Good enough for me,” Charlie said.
Hunze reached over and squeezed the Wampeh’s arm warmly, and Charlie could have sworn, just for an instant, a small bit of color appeared in the pale man’s cheeks.
“So, Bob. It’s been a few months, now. What have you managed to suss out in the royal records?”
“The books are a mess, for one,” he grumbled. “They rely heavily on taxes, yet have seemed to spend those revenues most frivolously, and with nearly all of the benefit going to the largest land owners, but not trickling down to the average citizens. It’s not sustainable.”
“Sounds familiar,” Charlie said with a wry grin. Thousands of years hadn’t changed the games of the ultra-wealthy it seemed.
“Across both of our galaxies, this happens far too often. And I hear the tax collectors can sometimes be a bit heavy-handed as well. The former king was respected, and ruled with a firm hand, but he was certainly not loved. But we’re in a grace period at the moment. Things are a bit up in the air now that you’ve arrived. You’ve shaken things up, and in a good way, for the most part.”
“So, the natives aren’t too restless, then.”
“Not terribly. And as you’ve already noted, Leila is rather adored. Her actions are most definitely not those of a queen, but then, that may well be contributing to her acceptance by the locals. And your guard seems to be over their initial displeasure at your means of seizing the throne.”
“Hey, to be fair, the old king didn’t give me much choice,” Charlie said.
“He’s right. That man was threatening all of us,” Hunze noted.
“Exactly. So they didn’t have much reason to be upset about it,” the king said.
Bawb shook his head. “No, Charlie. Not your taking the throne by force. But having Ara do it for you.”
“Ah, that.”
“Yes, that.”
“But you have since proven yourself a warrior, and they undoubtedly realize you would have defeated the king on your own anyway. They were loyal to the man, nevertheless. It just takes time to build new allegiances.”
“And Captain Sheeran? He seems to be coming around, though, admittedly, he wasn’t thrilled about the new training regimen.”
“He’s a tough nut, Charlie. You bested him in single combat, and you have his respect for that. But I fear he may never be a true ally. Time will tell.”
“What about the men? I mean, if they are coming around, but Sheeran isn’t, where do they stand? I don’t want to have loyalties split between us.”
“They’re getting used to the new training, though it was very hard on morale at first.”
“To be expected.”
“Indeed. But now they are over that first hump and are seeing rapid improvements in both their fitness as well as abilities, and their confidence is growing daily. They are still loyal to the captain, of course, and they may not have liked the change, at first, but you’ve made a lot of progress.”
“I guess that’s all I can ask, for now. So we’re good, then?”
“I think so, yes, though the castle’s staff is a bit shocked at some of Leila’s changes to the grounds.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to brighten things up a bit,” she said between mouthfuls. “Just because the place has been this way for decades doesn’t mean it needs to be. And now that the basic work is done, the new gardens should bloom in a few months, though that giant stump is still in the way and messing up the flow.”
“It was a rather large tree, from what I can gather,” Bawb said. “It broke in a storm a few years back from I’ve been told.”
“Well, I may have to just burn the cursed thing to get it gone, but its roots are just so deep.”
“And you wouldn’t want to flood the kitchens and servants’ quarters with smoke,” Hunze pointed out.
“True,” Leila replied. “You’ve been spending a fair amount of time there, watching Thomas and the others.”
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“Yes. I wish to learn to bake. I want to learn to be of use.”
“You do not have to do this,” Bawb said.
“But I want to. You’ve shown me a new life. One of freedom I never knew existed. If I can contribute, even in this small way, it would be a great joy to me.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Charlie said, drinking deep from his chalice. “Bob, not to change the subject, but I was thinking, we really should make a royal trip to visit this wine maker tomorrow to commend him on his product.”
“A good suggestion. The king is a figurehead in times of peace, and a visit to brighten sprits goes a long way to earn good will.”
“Exactly what I was thinking!” Charlie said. “I like the sound of that. Spirit-brightening is always a good thing.”
“And it’s also an excuse to sample his other wines,” Bawb said with a knowing wink.
“Well, I suppose wouldn’t be opposed to that,” Charlie said with an amused grin.
The group chattered warmly the rest of the meal, laughing and enjoying one another’s company. They especially delighted in the sweets Thomas had whipped up for their dessert, Hunze particularly, as she had never had such treats in her captive years.
It was getting late when Charlie and Leila finally retired to their chambers, bellies full of good food, good wine, and good conversation.
“Here, let me help,” he said, pulling her boots off while she sat on the edge of her bed.
She may have put the dress back on to keep up the queenly image, but her choice of footwear was still that of an adventurous animalist from a faraway galaxy.
Charlie placed her boots together on the floor and rose, crossing to his little side room as he loosened his tunic. He paused at the door a moment.
“Good night, Leila.”
“Good night, Charlie,” she replied with warmth in her eyes.
He smiled, a happy feeling growing in his chest, then closed the door, leaving them both to their individual slumber.
Chapter Sixteen
