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The village market attracted people from all of the farms and small fishing villages dotting the coastline because you could find anything there- from fresh produce to clothes to exotic merchandise brought in on the expensive ships to the harbour. Smithy smiled as he called Pig and they walked out of the castle, waving to Jane at the gates as they headed down through the crowds to the water front. Smithy would be alone in his visit this month. He had list running through his head from Pepper, who was too busy preparing for a special dinner the King had ordered to leave the kitchens today. Rake usually declined leaving the peace of his garden, especially when it did not mean spending more time with the cook. Smithy did not mind being alone a bit- the fresh air, the new sights and the crowds all created a feeling of joy in the young smith.
And best of all, he thought, it's a chance to learn new ways to do my smithing. He dodged venders and travelers and children racing down the stone streets. He turned his head to watch a little game of sticks and toss, remembering a time when he had sat on the streets at home, playing just the same. Shaking his head at his nostalgia, he looked forward, seeing a flash of brown hair before someone ran right into him.
They stumbled together, and he reached out and grabbed onto thin arms to steady himself. He realized it was a girl, about his age, but a head shorter. The girl looked up at him and he noticed her messy brown hair, roughly chopped so that it fell about her shoulders and face in uneven strands. Her face was not the neatly scrubbed look of the village daughters and he assumed she must be from one of the farms close by, although he had never seen her before. The crowds were not so large that a new face could escape notice. She flashed him a smile. It was charming and cute and yet… Something he could almost catch onto distracted him. At his heels Pig snorted in a disgruntled kind of way.
"Sorry," the girl said. Smithy nodded, lost in thought and not letting her go. Her smile grew. "Are you going to let me go my way, Blacksmith?"
As if she were hot coals, Smithy released her arms. She let out a little giggle and brushed past him. His gaze followed her progress down the street. He looked forward and shook his head a little to clear his thoughts. He started walking again, in the opposite direction his mystery girl had been heading, when he froze again, frowning. His head tilted to the side as he tried to figure out what was wrong. He felt... unbalanced.
Pig snorted again and Smithy smiled, reaching for the pouch on his belt that held a little snack Pepper had made for his Pig.
His belt was not where it should have been.
He looked down to make sure. The leather loop that held it in place was hanging off his belt, but the pouch had been cut. He had lost not only the treats, but the wages he had wanted to spend at the market.
Remembering the collision, he spun, trying to find the pretty girl in the crowd. Seeing a flash of that unruly brown hair, he followed quickly. Time to catch a pickpocket.
-----
Kleptana moved fluidly through the crowd, tucking the smith's pouch into the folds of her brown tunic. She moved slowly, taking a few easy targets as she walked. She did not expect the boy to follow after her.
What if he did? He was cute.
And you stole his savings. Concentrate!
She looked back anyway, not because she had developed any kind of instinct but because she knew, better than she knew anything, that to know what was around you was to survive. The Smith was trying to catch up to her. He knew.
Cursing, Klept dodged, ducking behind an arguing merchant and farmer's stand. His considerable bulk hid her thin frame as she moved around the stall, ducking between the stall and a building lining the road. Seeing no sign of the large smith, she moved back into the street, ducked into a defensive crouch.
After a count, she stood up, looking into the crowd cautiously.
"Having my pouch back would make me very happy right now." A low, steady voice said from behind her. Klept looked over her shoulder and up, into the blue eyes of the smith. He had a farmer boy's gentle speech and smile and the thick build of a worker and she had thought him dull-witted because of his appearance: she had been very wrong.
She flashed a smile. And ran, moving with the crowd. Her small size would help her- she could move around the crowd where he had to move through it. Blindly following the movement, she did not realize where she was going until the slight chill of a shadow made her look up. She ran through the gates of the castle, standing in a small courtyard. A moment of hesitation cost her the lead she had made in the run.
"Jane! Stop her. She is a thief!" A familiar, infuriating calm voice, called out over the noise of the crowd.
Klept shot the smith a glare. Some people cannot be decent victims to a bit of theft-
A skinny red-head moved toward her. Klept did not make the mistake of underestimating this girl. There was a look to the girl that showed she meant business. The light armour and well-used blade reinforced the opinion. She was behind Klept- somehow the thief had ran right past the girl who was standing at the gate, although how she had managed to miss her with that hair…
Klept ran, again, letting out a loud, sharp whistle as she moved towards higher ground.
-----
Smithy followed Jane as Jane ran after the thief. He wanted to see how this ended, even if their procession through the castle grounds looked like something from one of Jester's stories. He watched as the thief bolted up narrow stone stairs, running to the walltop where it was highest, overlooking the sea.
Another sharp whistle pierced the air, and Smithy winced. Why is she doing that?
Leaping up the stairs leading to the top of the wall, Smithy stopped on the top step, watching over Jane's head. The thief stood with her back to the wall, her face flushed pink, her hair in greater disorder. Her thin chest rose and fell with each gasping breath, and Smithy knew she could not run anymore. This was where it got chancy. Any animal he dealt with was more dangerous when they were out of options, and humans were not different when it came to that. Jane stepped forward, her sword clenched in both hands, held out in the air between them.
"Acting under the law of the realm, I will take you for justice before our King." Jane said, firmly, taking another slow step. The thief turned her head sharply, looking over the wall, into the sky.
All thoughts were suddenly lost from Smithy's mind and his stomach dropped with a jolt as she jumped up on the wall, her heels inches away from empty space.
"Please. Come here," Jane asked, desperation in her voice. She dropped her sword to her side, holding out her empty hand towards the stranger. The thief turned, her eyes meeting Smithy's. She shrugged, a sad half-smile on her face.
Then she turned, flinging herself off into the air. As if in slow motion, Jane reached the wall as the girl went over the edge, reaching out to grab her, just missing her tunic by a moment. Smithy yelled out, shocked by the sudden, certain death of the girl, right in front of his eyes.
-----
The wind whistled over Klept, blowing her hair back and pulling on her clothes. The force of it stung her eyes as she moved too quickly towards the earth.
I am falling. Where are you? She had time to think, closing her eyes tightly, as if that would stop her deadly landing.
-----
Jane watched, hanging half over the wall, her red hair in her face. Her green eyes were wide, transfixed with horror, as the thief plummeted towards the earth. Suddenly, there was a red flash in the corner of her vision. Jane's eyes left the thief's falling form for a second, and she gasped out loud at the sight before her. Wings outstretched, claws extended, a dragon dove towards the small figure. The sun glinted off its red scales.
Red scales?
A dragon. There was a red dragon.
Pulling up from its spectacular dive, the dragon got under the thief. The girl hit the dragon's neck, her stretched out arms linking around its throat. The dragon beat its wings, flying low over the village and over the water, moving quickly out of sight.
A dragon. There was another dragon in Kippernia.
-----
Then Klept felt her fall suddenly stop. Ridges pounded into her stomach, and her arms, outstretched, both to slow her fall and prepare her for impact, snapped around the neck of her dragon. She held on, still gasping for breath when they turned, moving forward through the air and away. Klept opened her eyes, seeing water beneath them, before she squeezed them shut again, and concentrated on holding on. She was hanging over the side of his neck, the muscles in her arms keeping her from falling into the sea beneath them.
"Hanging on there, Little Thief?" the voice whistled back threw the air, thinned by their speed, swept away with the wind.
"Fine. Just fly, dragon." She was not even sure he heard her. She concentrated on holding on. It would just be embarrassing to fall and die now.
-----
Plants swayed as the red dragon slowly lowered himself between the trees, letting Klept's feet hit the ground softly. Klept groaned, releasing her stiff arms from their hold on the dragon's neck. She collapsed onto the dirt. The earth was cool, sheltered by the thick branches that sheltered the ground from the sun. Klept lay curled on her side, her face buried in the dirt. She closed her eyes, feeling the throbbing in her arms fade. The pouches she had taken before the chase- one from the smith, two from farmer's stalls and one from the unsuspecting merchant she had hidden behind- dug into her ribcage, but she did not bother moving to ease it. A reminder of a day well spent.
Even if her arms did feel like undercooked bread.
"Did that go well?" The dragon asked, his voice inches from Klept's ear. She raised her head tiredly, looking right into the nostril of the dragon. Not an image I needed, thanks. She thought, pulling her face away. He was stretched out like a dog, his chin resting on his folded hands. Not that he would enjoy the comparison, Klept thought, amused.
"I assume the smile means a 'Yes', unless this is a weird No-Winger joke. Or you are going crazy." He peered at her, his pink and red-flecked eyes concerned. "Are you going crazy? I think that can happen to your sort, very delicate you all are. Is there-"
"Shhh. I am not crazy."
"You would say that."
Klept looked him in the eye, raising one eyebrow. He settled his head back onto his forearms, satisfied that his young companion was well enough, for a human.
The sun was setting, already hidden from their position by the thick foliage. Klept built up the energy to roll closer to Dragon, who twisted so she was snuggled against his stomach, using the great heat of a dragon to keep her warm for the night. This was an old practice, between the two of them. With no homes to return to, they had gotten used to taking care of each other.
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Jane stood in front of a councel, her hands clasped behind her back, her head lowered. Her hair almost hid her shamed face.
As a very unwelcome addition to the proceedings, the Merchant had quickly burst in, demanding that justice be brought to the unknown thief that had stolen 'some very valuable and irreplaceable merchandise'. Jane had been forced to explain that they did indeed know who the thief was, but that she had gotten away from the squire on duty: Jane herself. The throne room was very quiet as the King took in the information that Jane and Smithy presented
"Well, Jane. I must say that I am disappointed. Very disappointed indeed," The King finally said, stroking his chin.
"Yes, Your Majesty." She said quietly, her head still bowed.
"I had hoped that you would take your obligations here seriously. We feel that any guard who lets a thief not only enter the Castle, but leave again, would be replaceable." Jane nodded her head, trying not to cry.
"But, Sir Theodore spoke up for you, Jane," the King said, more kindly. "He seems to think that you have it in you to repair the damage done to our kingdom."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Jane agreed, bowing low, and straightening, opening her mouth to announce the news of how the thief escaped. She looked at the crowd gathered in the room and hesitated. News spread quickly through the castle. Those here would pass on the news of a dragon faster than she could bow to her King. Those not permitted in the room would hear the news by the day's end, and Dragon-
Jane's heart seized. Dragon would go after them. This was what he wanted, more than anything. He would not stay here, with Jane. And Jane could not leave the castle; she had responsibilities to the throne. She would never see him again.
And so, she shut her mouth. Bowing again, she spoke to the court. "I will do whatever is necessary. I swear."
"We certainly hope so!" The King replied, stepping off the throne and walking over to the girl. "Truth be told, I would be loathed to lose you as my squire." Jane bowed deeply again, holding the pose as the King, the Chamberlain and the complaining merchant left the room. She looked up meekly at the imposing height of her Knight-master. Sir Theodore looked down at her over his nose.
"I am sorry for disappointing you, Sir Theodore." Jane said quietly.
"Just make it right, Squire Jane." He said quietly, striding from the room. Jane covered her face with her hands. She had held information away from her King. But Dragon...
Jane straightened her shoulders, her face set. She would make this right. If she caught the thief, all would be well. The other dragon would come here, and Jane would not lose her best friend. She could make all well, if she acted quickly. Jane ran out into the courtyard, heading towards her tower room, thanking fate that Dragon had not shown up at the castle today.
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Smithy waited in the stables, holding the reins of two readied horses. In his mind he was trying to compose an argument, his eyes glued to the door that he knew his stubborn friend would be walking through any moment. He needed to be ready if he wanted her to take him along.
Jane, I know you are a knight, but I should come with you. You might get hurt, out there by yourself-
No. She will not appreciate getting taken care of.
Jane, I am going to come along. The horses are skittish around dragons, so you will need some extra help handling two-
She would not, if two horses were not going.
Jane, I met a thief today. She stole my savings, but I am not mad at her. She can keep them. So, even though I do not know why, I am coming with you to catch a girl that I do not really want caught and thrown in the dungeon. I have no idea what I will do, but you should bring me with you.
Truth is the best policy? Smithy thought, dejectedly. I would not let me come along, with that explanation. Jane never will.
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Jane marched down the stairs, her armour heavy on her chest, a helmet in the crook of her arm. At her waist hung an engraved sword, runes on the hilt. She walked from the sunny courtyard into the dark stables, blinking a moment to regain her vision.
"Smithy!" she called out, her eyes adjusting to the dark, "I need a horse saddled and-" Jane stopped, taking in the two horses and her blonde friend. She set her fists on her hips. "Smithy, why are there two horses?"
"Well, you see, I thought-. Well, I am-" He faltered, not knowing what to say to the fierce look on his friend's face.
"I do not have any time, Smithy," Jane said, looking out the open door, her eyes to the sky. "I have to leave. Alone. Now, let me have Cleaver." She stepped forward, holding her hands out for the reins, but her eyes were not on Smithy or the horse. She was watching the sky above the castle.
Smithy stepped back, the horses going with him. "Why are you not going with Dragon?" He asked, already figuring it out.
"Dragon is busy-" Jane said, looking at the ground.
"Jane, you know that is not true. You do not want him to know, because..."
"Smithy!"
"You did not tell the King." Smithy went on in a hurry, watching as his friend's face fell. "You hid the news. Why?"
"He will leave, Smithy." Jane confessed, her voice clogged up. "He is my best friend."
There was silence, except the shuffling of the horses and the grunts of Pig, asleep in his stall. "I will go, myself. I will bring back the thief and the dragon, and no one will need to leave. Everything will be alright." Jane said, trying to convince herself as much as Smithy.
"If I come," he replied slowly. "I can help grab the thief, while you deal with the dragon. It probably will not be pleased."
Jane pursed her lips, torn between accepting help on her mission and getting the thief and dragon back to the castle as quickly as possible. Her gaze went to the empty sky, which was quickly lightening as the sun rose over the horizon. Soon there might be a familiar shape in the sky, coming to the castle and blocking her quick exit. After that, the sky might be empty forever.
"Then let us go, Smithy."
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The red dragon moved away from the sleeping human, walking a few feet away before throwing his wings out and jumping into the air. Flying in the crisp air of dawn energized him. He let out a billow of flame, breathing deeply as he flew. Suddenly he stopped, midair, just his wings flapping to keep him airbourne. He took a deep breath, trying to catch a scent he knew he couldn't have caught in the air here.
In the air anywhere, he told himself. There are no more dragons, Torrid. You are alone. His gaze settled on the trees beneath him, where he knew there was a sleeping human, as alone in this world as he was. He started to fly towards the ground, getting back before she woke up. If he had learned anything in his centuries of life, it was that the family you chose, the family you made was the one you had to hold onto the hardest.
Especially when the world took the rest away.
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