Avalee and the Dragon

by Hamill, Patricia

  It was an island, as she’d suspected, and she was surprised that the dragon now flew in such a way as to give her this view. She’d harbored a suspicion that he had purposefully flown longer and wider to hide such from her on their last journey. Apparently, he no longer held such a goal. As they left it behind, Avalee twisted to get a better look and spotted a rocky beach where she imagined the trail she’d once followed would ultimately lead, but a low cloud almost immediately hid it from sight. She sighed and then looked ahead.

  When they landed, only a short time later, Avalee revised her assumptions regarding the dragon’s choice of direction. She no longer thought he’d done it to give her a better view, but to shorten the time in the air. Despite her fear that she wouldn’t be able to pry her hands free, she managed just fine and dropped to the ground in a crouch to absorb the impact. The dragon had already dropped the pack and now looked back at her.

  “You are frozen. Swing your arms and move your legs. It will help.”

  Avalee didn’t need the dragon to tell her that, she’d already begun dancing in place, even as she gathered the blanket from the ground where it had fallen and draped it up and around her head and body.

  “Go ahead and I will join you,” the dragon said.

  She reached out a rather numb and tingly hand to fetch the pack before doing so, but the dragon rumbled at her and said, “Leave it.”

  Avalee shrugged and began to jog ahead, figuring that the dragon could catch up to her, or not. It didn’t matter anyway. She would have her time away, and if she reached the village first, then she’d have all the more.

  The dragon wasn’t having it though; he caught up to her quickly—a man, the satchel slung over his shoulder—and matched her pace. Not that she was going very fast, but she’d thought she had a better lead. He said nothing, though, just jogged. The only sounds were the fall of their feet on the frozen leaves and the puff of their breaths in the air. Avalee ignored him.

  Despite their pace, it took them several minutes to reach the edge of the village, and Avalee took that time to think about what she would do with herself while the dragon shopped. Perhaps she would start by purchasing a good winter coat. This blanket was useless. She smirked at the thought and then allowed her mind to wander past that to the next one. She wanted to take Lady Aramere up on her offer, despite the awkwardness of the first visit. Avalee wanted another chance. She wanted to learn more about what the woman knew, and if Elisa was still there, what she knew, too. And, she had a feeling she could do neither if the dragon were there watching.

  They dropped off into a brisk walk the moment the first buildings came into view, and Avalee sighed in contentment when the first rumble of conversation touched her ears. She’d missed the sounds of people, of community. She felt like a miser, living out alone, but for the dragon. He wasn’t enough to satisfy her need for companionship.

  “Tell me what you need,” the dragon said as they ducked between two buildings on their way to the square. She did and then asked for some coin for a better coat and some warmer clothing.

  They parted ways after he gave her a share of the silver and copper and pointed out the direction of a shop that might have what she wanted. At first, she went in that direction, but then she recognized the turn that would take her to Lady Aramere’s home. Answers to her questions won over her desire for warmer clothes, which she was sure she could acquire before the two of them left the village. He would, no doubt, wait for her, no matter his statement about giving her no more time than it took him to purchase the supplies. And even if he didn’t want to wait apart while she made her purchases, he could most certainly join her at that point, and wouldn’t that satisfy his requirement?

  Avalee thought so.

  Anyhow, she had limited time, so the visit would come first. There, the house stood as she remembered it—the only fenced in yard, really the only yard on the street, two stories tall, manicured bushes ordered along and around the base of the building itself. The gate swung open at her touch, and she pulled it to behind her. Not even a slight whine of metal on metal greeted her ears; the hinges were well oiled.

  She followed the path towards the house and stopped at the front door, again struck by the knocker’s likeness to the dragon. Had the Lady commissioned it with him in mind? She’d caught his features, but the frightful glare and the bared teeth were nothing like him. Nothing. Had he changed over the years? Had this been the dragon’s nature when the Lady Aramere had known him?

  Avalee ignored the jitters in her stomach at the draconic snarl and gave three sharp knocks with the handle before burrowing her hand back under the blanket and waiting. She didn’t have to wait long before answering footsteps announced the approach of someone inside. The door opened.

  “My Lady,” Rolph said and looked over her shoulder, his brow furrowing. “You are alone?”

  Avalee sensed an edge of worry and tension from the man when he asked this, but she brushed it off. “Yes, may I speak with the Lady Aramere, and Elisa if she is here?”

  Rolph’s sharp eyes darted back to her and his brow furrowed even deeper. No doubt about it, tension. Avalee wondered at this, even as he waved her inside with rigid back and curt movements. Was he angry?

  He surely seemed so, particularly when he left her standing just inside the door and strode off into the house without saying another word. He didn’t return. Instead, Lady Aramere herself glided into view, her eyes were sparkling. Satisfaction and delight rolled off of her in waves, shocking Avalee with their intensity. She’d never felt such a thing so strongly before. The sensation left her almost giddy, an echo of the Lady’s own emotions.

  “My dear, my dear, you have returned. You are free,” the lady said, her beaming smile speaking volumes.

  Free? Avalee wondered to herself in confusion. Oh!

  “No,” she corrected, “no you’re mistaken.”

  The mood shifted. It was subtle, but Avalee felt it, a tangible darkening. She could almost see the lights dimming, and she wasn’t sure she hadn’t actually seem them do so.

  A smile quickly plastered in place preceded Aramere’s next words. “Ah, very well. Come, you look chilled.” The room seemed to have dropped in temperature in those few moments the Lady had considered Avalee’s words, and Avalee shivered.

  Avalee followed the woman down a well-lit hallway, struck by the silence in the house. “Is Elisa still here, my Lady?” she asked politely.

  “Elisa?” she said. “No, she has gone.”

  “Your children?” Avalee pressed. Surely by now they would have returned with their father.

  Lady Aramere said nothing. Avalee swallowed at the sudden sharp pressure she felt on her mind. Sharp, jagged, a sensation she wasn’t quite sure she understood. She clamped her mouth shut and asked no more after the inhabitants of the house. For all she knew, only Rolph was present.

  They arrived in the sitting room where she had first visited with Lady Aramere and Elisa, and Avalee took a seat where the Lady indicated with a sweep of her hand. But the lady herself stood, facing away and looking out of one of the tall windows.

  Avalee shifted uncomfortably, on edge. Waves of tension and unmistakable hostility were rushing over her, but she wasn’t sure whether they were real or just in her mind. The Lady merely stood, her body seemed relaxed and comfortable, not at all reflective of the turmoil Avalee endured in her presence.

  Finally, the woman broke the silence, turning her head just slightly to look over at Avalee as she spoke, “The dragon lives?”

  It was an odd thing to ask. “Yes, of course,” Avalee said. “He is in the square.”

  “I see.” The Lady glided over and took a seat on a nearby chair, the same one she’d sat in the last time if Avalee wasn’t mistaken. Another silence reigned as the woman looked Avalee over from head to foot. “You are ill garbed for this weather, my dear. Ill garbed. I shall have Rolph collect some more appropriate winter clothing for you while we talk.”

  As if he’d been standin
g near, listening, Rolph appeared at the lady’s elbow in short order and listened carefully as she listed out what she wanted him to gather. After she was done and before he left, he shot Avalee a look, and if she wasn’t mistaken, that look was laden with relief.

  She turned her focus back on the woman across from her.

  “Tell me, how come you to visit me without the dragon’s presence,” the woman pressed. “He lives, yet you walk unaccompanied.”

  Avalee could have told her the truth, that she’d asked for some time apart and the dragon had granted it, but she was disturbed and uncomfortable under Lady Aramere’s intense gaze. Not to mention the fact that the Lady had not so subtly hinted that she would have preferred to have heard the dragon was dead.

  “I slipped away to visit, but he will miss me soon and come looking, I imagine. He was haggling.” She looked away as she said this and took in the room. Dust lay everywhere, at first unnoticed, but now obvious. Dust on every surface, their own footsteps, and those of Rolph from just now, were all that interrupted it. This room hadn’t been used for some time. Avalee didn’t remember it being so on her last visit.

  She looked up at Lady Aramere and caught a calculating look, quickly hidden. What was going on here? Avalee wondered. She swallowed again and looked away. The Lady said nothing, but her eyes were watching.

  Avalee was about to suggest that the dragon would be looking for her and beg her leave when Rolph returned with a small bag draped over by a fur-lined coat, gray and black, like a wolf. She stood and reached out to accept it from him, but Lady Aramere stood as well and stepped between them.

  “We are not finished with our chat, young lady. You have not explained—”

  “I must go,” Avalee interrupted and stepped around the Lady to take the bag from Rolph. She nearly stumbled at the sensation of anger that rolled over her then, and when she looked into the Lady’s eyes, she no longer had any doubt that her feelings were in her head. The Lady was furious, shaking, lips tightly pressed together, hands clenched at her side. The light dipped briefly once more, and Avalee looked around her, glad for the distraction. Rolph was holding out the coat as if to help her into it.

  “My Lady,” he said softly, “let me lead you out.” Avalee glanced back at Lady Aramere to see that she had moved away and was again looking out of the window. All sense of emotion had fled, and Avalee felt strangely empty. The woman was through with her, it seemed, and Avalee took advantage of this opportunity to leave. She allowed Rolph to drape the coat over her shoulders and then followed him out through the hallway to the foyer. He opened the door for her, and she stepped out, but he surprised her by following her through and closing it after himself.

  Surprised her even further when he took her gently by the elbow and guided her alongside the edge of the building around to a low overhang of decorative roofing that jutted out from the building to shade a lone bench. They did not sit, but he turned and looked her in the eye before speaking.

  “How is My Lord?”

  “Fine,” she said, confused, particularly when Rolph sighed.

  “Good, you had me worried when you arrived alone. He places too much trust in his companions. Too much.” Rolph peered closely into Avalee’s eyes, willing her to hear more than what his words conveyed. “You are different.”

  Avalee shrugged. Despite craving this time apart, she was becoming anxious and wanted nothing more than to return to him.

  “Take care of him. He is a good man.”

  Avalee started at the words. Although Rolph had recognized the dragon on their last visit, his words seemed to imply much more than a passing familiarity. “What?”

  He grasped her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. “He trusts too deeply where he should not. Tell him this.” His eyes bore into hers, and she pulled her hands away and took a step back.

  “Why?”

  “Tell him,” Rolph said again, ignoring her questions. “Now, go, before she comes. She must not learn that we spoke of this.”

  Avalee knew he meant Lady Aramere. She was angry and obviously wanted the dragon dead. Avalee nodded. No doubt the Lady would be furious that her servant would defend the beast under the eaves of her own home.

  “I will.”

  “Good, now go, quickly.”

  She turned and strode across the yard towards the fence, but halfway there, she heard Rolph speak, his voice low, but clear to her ears, “And tell the dragon to stay clear of the village. It is no longer safe for him here, or for you.”

  She didn’t stop, but her pace quickened and, her mind in turmoil, she found herself back in the square without recalling the trip there. Her nerves were firing, her body shivering, but not from the cold. The touch of fingers on her elbow was too much, and she called out and jumped away, dropping the bag. But it was only the dragon, his eyes alarmed by her reaction. Shocked even more so when she rushed into him and wrapped her arms around his body. He hesitated only briefly before folding his own about her, and they stayed that way for a long moment.

  “Please, can we go home?” she managed, her voice unsteady.

  “Of course,” he said. His hand reached up to stroke her hair, smoothing it back from her face. “Why are you crying?”

  She withdrew and wiped her eyes with the back of a hand. She hadn’t noticed the tears. “Sorry, let’s go. I just want to go.”

  She picked up her bag and began to walk towards the opposite end of the village. She didn’t care which direction they took and didn’t think it mattered anyway, but she did want to build as much distance between Lady Aramere and themselves as possible. She heard him follow, and soon he paced next to her. She was sure he was trying to catch her eye, sure that he was disturbed by her distress, but she couldn’t say anything just yet.

  They found a path and followed it under the trees and away from the village. When they were beyond the reach of the murmur of voices and activity, she stopped and faced him.

  “Lady Aramere, she hates you. Hates you like nothing else. I think she wants you dead.” She watched his reaction.

  His brow furrowed and he caught her hand in both of his. “She told you this?”

  “Not exactly, but I know she does. And her servant, Rolph, warned me, said that you should stay clear of the village. He said it wasn’t safe for you.”

  At the mention of Rolph, his expression softened, for just a moment, before his eyes tightened.

  She pressed on dutifully and gave him the rest of Rolph’s message. “He said you trust too deeply where you should not.”

  The dragon’s hands released her, and he stepped back. “Did he?” His face was a mask, giving nothing away.

  It sparked a flare of anger in Avalee. Does he think Rolph meant me?

  “Why would he say that?” Avalee asked him aloud. “I’m certain he knows you are a dragon, but he takes your side over hers. He said you are a good man. Why? What are you hiding? Why is he protecting you? Why does she hate you? Who are you?” A hysterical edge built at each subsequent question, and by the time the last one passed her lips, she found it difficult to breathe.

  He said nothing, only pressed his lips together for a moment before looking away and resuming the march down the path.

  She followed, agitated and confused, struggling to control her somersaulting emotions. Nothing made sense, she was scared, and he would not answer her. The trip back was mechanical and void of the wonder she’d felt before. The dragon parted from her for the transformation and made a gruff rumble when he was ready to transport her. She brought the laden pack to him, just one this time, and climbed onto his back, holding the gift of clothing in between herself and the ridge. He didn’t even ask if she was ready before making the running leap into the air.

  When they arrived, he landed on the ledge and barely allowed her time to dismount before leaving her standing and shivering among the drifting flakes of snow that now fell from the darkening sky.

  She picked up the pack, shrugged it over a shoulder and went inside to put thin
gs away. She had a great deal to consider.

  The dragon, ignoring Avalee’s warning, flew straight and sure back to the village. Without her on his back, the journey took only minutes. He landed much closer than he should have and crouched, waiting among the trees. Sometime later, after almost an hour, he heard the crackle of leaves underfoot.

  “You shouldn’t have come. Didn’t the young lady give you my warning?” The voice was familiar to the dragon, welcoming, but chiding. Rolph soon followed it, rounding a curve in the path, as the dragon had expected. They met here frequently—their bond still strong after all these years.

  “Jaer, you shouldn’t have come,” Rolph repeated.

  “You left me no choice, brother,” the dragon replied. “Now explain to me what happened.”

  And as Rolph complied, Jaer’s eyes tightened and his sharp teeth clenched together. He was eager to return to Avalee’s side, but he forced himself to wait for his brother to finish. He listened and considered his brother’s words.

  Lady Aramere’s family had not gone to visit family, they had gone to stay with family, permanently, leaving only Rolph at her side. Leaving only Rolph to watch her descend further and further into desperate madness, made worse by Jaer and Avalee’s impromptu visit one month earlier. Soon after, she had dismissed Elisa, sending her on her way with only a few gold pieces and the clothes on her back, not even allowing her to take what few items she’d brought with her from the dragon’s cave. And that wasn’t even the worst of it…

  A low growl built in Jaer’s cavernous chest as Rolph revealed what little he know of the Lady’s plotting. The dragon waited only long enough to ensure Rolph was done speaking and then, without saying a word, leapt into the air and sped back towards the cave.