Owned by: Vivian Vande Velde
Warning: rated K+; spoilers for end of book
The Dragon and the Witch – a Dragon's Bait collection
1: Stay
Summary: Alys decides to toy with Selendrile before she gives him an answer. last page rewrite SA
"Or," Selendrile said, not quite looking at her, "you could stay with me."
"What was that?" Alys asked, not quite believing her ears. The dragon youth sighed in irritation, but proceeded to repeat himself anyway.
"I said," he spoke more slowly now, his expression still bland, "you could stay with me." Alys bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. That certainly solved her problem . . . but she wouldn't let him know that quite yet.
"But I'd probably just burden you," she sighed wistfully, fiddling with her hands as she sat on the scratchy bales of hay. "I wouldn't be able to bear seeing something similar to the situation with Atherton happen again."
Alys winced for real at her own mention of the late Inquisitor, remembering Selendrile's weakened state, the iron shackles scalding his wrists . . .
She looked up to see Selendrile staring intently at her. "It was my fault for getting involved . . . I chose to accompany you, remember?" He was being unusually soft, almost caring. Alys was intrigued – maybe a few more answers couldn't hurt?
And then it seemed as if the dragon youth caught on to her charade, grinning accusingly at her, "You sneaky witch!"
"Hey!" She protested, "I thought we'd come to an agreement that I wasn't a witch!"
"Yes, well perhaps Gower was right . . . now that I think more about it, the more I realize you've bewitched me with your dark powers." His tone was teasing now, and Alys scowled.
"Then I suppose I'll have to stay with you; after all, who knows what you'd do without my control over you," she huffed, but soon they were both grinning at each other. This would prove to be very interesting . . .