Romance: The Campus Player: A College Romance

by Caroline Lake

  “I came to realize I love him,” she told her Elder at the end, “But how could I have fallen in love with a human? There is not future for us. I know it. I just don’t know how to forget him and it is causing me a great deal of pain.”

  “I will not presume to tell you what to do, sweet Guinevere. All I can do is provide you with comfort and let you know that the only way to heal is with the passage of time.”

  “Is that a guarantee?”

  “I cannot promise you will ever forget him,” her Elder said sadly.

  “I think… I need to take some time for myself,” Guinevere said.

  It was with that statement that she took off into the night. She soared freely above the trees, enjoying the wind beneath her wings. She flew and flew, in circles at times and in no general direction at others. She knew she sometimes passed over the dwellings of other clans of dragons. She even flew past a couple dragons but they each minded their own business. It was as liberating as she remembered it but still, there was a nagging feeling that she was missing something. She flew down closer to the tops of the trees and noticed she was approaching the first line of safety. She headed down to the ground and started running between the trees.

  Before she knew it, she had transformed into a human and was speeding through the forest. She ran and ran until there was not a single thought in her mind. It was only the night, the wind, and the muscles of her human legs working. She ran through the night and once day broke, she found herself standing in front of Doran’s cottage.

  Her heart thumped in her chest and she stared at the door in a daze. How had she gotten here? What was she supposed to do now? She stared at the door sadly and shut her eyes, not wanting to look at it any longer. But that only opened up her mind to recall images of Doran. She saw him smiling, she saw his strong body and his handsome face, she saw the intimate moments they’d spent together. She felt warmth course through her body and tears spill from her eyes. This had been a terrible mistake. And yet…

  “If only I could just see him,” she muttered sadly.

  “If only you could just see who?”

  Guinevere jumped about a foot in the air and then turned around to see Doran standing behind her. He looked confused, beaten down, but even a little hopeful. In that moment, just by looking into his gorgeous eyes she loved so much, she knew he had missed her this entire time. He answered all the questions she had but never asked with one look.

  “You,” she admitted with a whisper.

  The tears did not stop flowing. In fact, more came when he stepped forward. She shut her eyes and imagined his warmth every time he took her into his arms. She knew it would be a mistake to seek him out now but every fiber of her being wanted nothing more than that. She choked on her tears and gasped for air, struggling to hold back.

  “Then why did you leave me again? Why do you always disappear?”

  “Please, Doran. Please do not ask me questions I cannot give you the answer to.”

  He stepped forward and she looked up at him. She immediately knew that was a mistake. Her legs felt weak and her knees buckled. She stumbled forward into his arms and he held her up, taking her lips with his at once.

  There was nothing in the world that was like kissing Doran. It was impossible for her to put a stop to it even if it was for the best. Feeling his lips on hers again and enjoying it blissfully would only make it that much harder to go on in life without him. But she could not pull away. She could not deprive herself of what could easily be the last time she felt this. He pulled her in closer until their bodies were pressed together. He deepened the kiss and she fell into it, willingly. It did not matter that this made everything that much more difficult. This moment was one that would have to last her a lifetime, so she had every intention of enjoying it as much as possible.

  When he finally pulled away from the kiss, Guinevere inhaled sharply. She opened her eyes and looked into his. If it were possible to memorize every single thing about him then that would be her new mission.

  “I want to know everything,” he told her suddenly.

  “What is everything?”

  “I don’t know. That is what you have to tell me. I want to know everything about you, Guinevere.”

  “You can’t,” she lamented.

  He stared at her, unwavering. “Why not?”

  “I just… I can’t tell you. It is not safe.”

  “Is this the last time I’ll see you? Have you come to say goodbye?”

  “Yes,” she cried softly.

  “No,” he refused, “I will wait for you. I will look for you. You can’t just leave forever and leave me like this.”

  “Doran, please.”

  “I have been patient and understanding, now it is your turn to comprehend me.”

  Guinevere’s heart sank. She could not let him wait a lifetime for her, someone who would never show up and be with him. There was only one way to make sure he understood why they could never be together. She took his hand and silently started walking toward the forest. He did not say or ask anything. He only gripped her hand tightly and walked beside her. She knew this was wrong. This was dangerous. Humans did not know dragons existed, her Elder had been perfectly clear about that. But after everything Doran had done for her and with how much she loved him, how could she let such a cruel fate of waiting for her take over his life?

  They walked and walked. She knew traveling this way would take far too long. She stopped and turned to face him. He'd already seen how fast she was capable of running so why hide it now? Her secret would soon be revealed anyway. She wrapped her hand around his and held it so tight he looked at her in shock. This was the first moment of much more with huge, frightening revelations.

  “You have to trust me,” she told him.

  “Always,” he responded.

  It broke her heart. A single tear slid down her cheek. He was so receptive to her and he trusted her and all the while she had kept this colossal secret. She paused for a moment. She realized this was not just her secret she was revealing.

  “Doran,” she started, “You have to promise me something.”

  “Anything.”

  “Not one soul in the world can know what I show you today.”

  “I promise.”

  She believed him. She held him tight and took off running faster than any human could run. He screamed in her ear at the speed with which they moved. He was afraid of losing her grip and being thrown in a different direction. Guinevere would never let that happen. It was not until they reached the edge of her forest, in the direction of her old territory, that she stopped running.

  “How,” he coughed out a couple minutes later, “How do you run so fast. Guinevere, what are you?”

  She was about to open her mouth to respond when they both heard a mirthless laugh come from behind the trees. Guinevere turned around to see a very large, frightening man emerge from the forest. She could tell he was a dragon in human form. Every step he took was with a sickening crunch. She gulped. Even just by looking at him she knew this was not a dragon that was kind– he had to be one of the trouble dragons.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “We were just–”

  “You shouldn’t have brought him here,” the large man laughed, nodding toward Doran.

  “Why me?”

  Guinevere whipped around and hissed, “Stay quiet.”

  “Listen to her, if you know what’s good for you.”

  Guinevere could tell Doran wanted to ask what was going on. She could see the fear in his eyes. She wanted nothing more than to comfort him and tell him everything would be all right but she could not do that now. She knew the best option for them now, or at least for Doran, was for her to give in to whatever was demanded. But she had to come up with the terms up front.

  “What do you want?”

  “Careful, girl,” the man said coldly. He stepped to the side and she could see he had his eyes set on Doran. He was looking at Doran as if he were his next meal.

&nbs
p; “No! Please! Please leave him alone! Spare him!”

  She knew pleading loudly and crying out would be seen as weak but she could not help it. She would defend Doran to the very end, especially because he was in this fatally dangerous situation because of her. The large man laughed mirthlessly once more before exhaling smoke. She saw his eyes change and then he transformed back into a dragon.

  “WHAT THE–” Doran cried out but Guinevere quickly ran over to him and covered his mouth.

  She stood on her toes and whispered, “Run and hide. You will know when.”

  “How…”

  He stopped talking the second her transformation began. She returned to her dragon form and turned to face the trouble dragon in front of her. Even the way he looked now was horrible and frightening. He was large, steel gray, with a bony head. He looked like a sinister skeleton and she wondered how he came to be this way. But wondering would do nothing to save her and Doran’s lives.

  Guinevere roared loudly and the other dragon did the same, his much deeper and threatening than hers. She roared again and turned to face him. She stared him down, refusing to show the fear that coursed through her. She had to gather all her strength and courage if she was going to fight him. This was to defend Doran. He was innocent and she hated herself for bringing him here. It had all been a terrible mistake.

  She spread her wings and beat them down, moving slowly up off the ground. The other dragon did the same, roaring with each beat of his wings. She took in every detail about him to determine what his weak points were. She saw he had horns on his head and a few spikes on the rigid frill surrounding his face, but the most concerning thing was a huge and curved spike that looked like a blade at the tip of his tail. Guinevere had nothing like it but her two horns on her head were much bigger and stronger than his. She also had more agility than his bulky body and knew that was something that would definitely have to be used to her advantage. He beat his wings down and roared impatiently, smoke coming out from his nostrils.

  “Aren’t you a pretty dragon,” he taunted.

  Guinevere felt anger rush over her. She hated being belittled for how she looked. She roared angrily and soared upward, leaving the big dragon way below her. She quickly scanned over the earth to make sure Doran was nowhere in sight. She did not want to risk being too far from him if the troublesome dragon could easily grab him. She flipped around and then flew down like a torpedo, spinning quickly. She struck the big dragon’s back with her two horns and sent him flying down to the ground. He landed with a loud thud and roared angrily. She knew she’d just wounded his pride by getting the first hit, something that would only enrage him. That would make him all the more dangerous but at least this way he now knew she was more than just a “pretty dragon”.

  He beat his wings furiously and flew up to where she hovered, opening his mouth to expel a stream of fire. Guinevere’s agility allowed her to dodge the stream but she did feel the heat from it. She flipped around and breathed out her own fire, which he also managed to dodge. He flew back around and whipped his tail forward. Unfortunately, Guinevere did not fly down in time. She felt a gash open near one of her legs and she cried out in pain. Even that, however, was not enough to slow her down.

  She soared up into the sky and prepared to dive back down but it was only to throw the big dragon off. She sped down and flattened at the last minute, confounding him. It was just an instant but she took advantage of it and launched forward, biting into the first part of him she could make contact with. He roared out in pain and fury. She saw his tail swing around and she flew beneath him just in time. But he took the opportunity to return the bite. He clasped his strong jaw around her leg and with all his might, threw her. She slammed into one of the trees and it snapped under her weight.

  The big dragon breathed fire into the night sky. He had weakened her severely with that last throw and she feared not being able to save Doran. She whimpered and tried to force herself up, but she only collapsed down on the broken tree. The bark scraped against her scaled painfully. She looked around, trying to spot Doran even though she hoped he would not show himself. It was his only hope now.

  The big dragon flew in circles overhead, breathing fire stream after fire stream. Then he finally hovered over her with a sickeningly triumphant look in his eyes. She knew he had come down only to finish her off. Even though she could feel every ounce of energy seeping out of her body and he could leave her for dead, she also knew that would not be satisfying for a dragon like him. Her vision became cloudy and she struggled to breathe.

  The big dragon opened his mouth when, suddenly, a heavy roar was heard overhead. A dragon flew past her so quickly she could not make it out. It slammed straight into the big dragon and a burst of fire was seen. Yelps were heard. Everything was too much of a dark blur for Guinevere to figure out what was going on. Then she heard two sickening thuds as both dragons in front of her fell to the ground, lifeless.

  Guinevere’s eyes shut but she did not know for how long. She kept them shut until she felt some of her energy return, at least enough to stand and walk over to see what dragon had come to her rescue. She also needed to look for Doran, who still had not come out of hiding. She forced her eyes open and walked over slowly, first making out the lifeless figure of the terrible dragon she had fought. Then her eyes landed on the other lifeless figure.

  Wails escaped her mouth, pain unlike any other she had every felt taking over her body and mind. There, on the ground, she saw a large, white dragon she recognized all too well. The majestic creature, always strong, was now gone forever. The dragon had been reduced to a lifeless lump. She could not believe her eyes so she rushed over and, upon being closer to the body, collapsed beside the lifeless figure of her Elder.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Guinevere wailed into the night. She cried and cried. She placed her head upon the lifeless body of her Elder with her entire body shaking violently. This could not be real. This could not be happening in her life. She had just helped save her Elder’s life by acquiring everything needed for the treatments. Now it was her fault all of that had been for nothing. If she had not brought Doran to the forest, none of this would have happened. She cried harder, blaming herself entirely.

  Then she felt the touch of something small and warm. She gasped and turned to see Doran. He stood beside her, his hand on her body. She could see he was trying to comfort her even if he had no idea why she was crying so much. She looked at him. She stared him down but he did not flinch. He only continued to rest his hand on her and look at her the same way he always had ever since he started to develop feelings for her. It did not matter that she was a dragon and he had only just discovered the existence of her kind. It did not matter that a dragon fight had just broken out in front of him and his life had been endangered.

  Guinevere pressed her snout to her Elder’s neck before transforming back into a human. She turned to face Doran and immediately fell into his arms. Any thoughts she had vanished into the air. There was only the pain of losing her Elder and the comfort she sought in the arms of the man she loved. She wept into his chest until the sun rose above them. The entire time Doran remained strong and silent. He held her tight and stroked her hair. He placed soft kisses on the top of her head. She breathed in his scent and they eventually sat on the floor. She curled up on his, her back pressed to her Elder.

  When the sun finally shone brightly Guinevere knew it was time to stop crying and take care of her Elder’s body. She looked at Doran and implored him to return to town. It was not safe for him out here.

  “This can’t be the last time I ever see you,” he told her.

  “I hope it isn’t,” she answered.

  He took her hands in his and pressed a sweet kiss to each one before saying, “I will always keep your secret, Guinevere. You can trust me.”

  She nodded and leaned in to rest her head on his chest one last time before she had to leave. It was one last moment of comfort.

  “Please don’t forg
et about me. Don’t disappear like the other times.”

  “I can’t promise anything,” she told him unhappily.

  “Can you at least promise me you’ll try to come back to me?”

  Guinevere could see the hope in his eyes. He was holding onto it so tightly, almost as tightly as he had held her all those hours she'd cried through the night. "I promise," she whispered against his chest. Even if they could never be together, even if there was no future for them, she had to at least have a proper goodbye. But for now, she was far too distraught for that. She could hear his heart beating and it made her tremble. She pressed her lips to her chest, then to his cheek, and finally to his lips.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you,” she responded.

  She watched as he took off running back toward the town. She knew the journey would take him much longer than it would take her but she had to return back to her new dwelling. The clan’s superior, the green dragon had to be informed of the death of her Elder. She soared up and flew over the trees until she reached her destination.

  Althaeda, who had decided to stay in the same den as them for a period of time, knew something was horribly wrong the moment she saw Guinevere.

  “Guinevere! What has happened? Tell me. Tell me everything!”

  “My Elder,” her voice cracked, “Is gone.”

  She broke down crying again. Althaeda led her inside the den at once, where Guinevere painstakingly recounted the events of the night, all through broken sobs. Althaeda listened silently the entire time. It was not until Guinevere finished speaking and her crying quieted just a bit that she finally said something.

  "I knew your Elder was going to your rescue. It was sensed that you were in trouble. But, Guinevere, it is not your fault. It is not Doran's fault. In fact, your Elder wanted me to tell you there is nothing wrong with who you fell in love with. I also have to tell you there is nothing wrong with what you did. Sometimes we need to do things even if they are dangerous or frightening. This was a risk worth taking."