AN: I really hope that the rest of you who did not review liked my last chapter. I have a great chapter in store for you today my readers. And I have to take this moment to thank each and everyone of you, even those who do not like my story, for reading. It means so much to me. And I would like to take this time to say this is only my second story.(not counting the song)Though I did discontinue my other
LOOK HERE!! This is M rated. Because I have sexual content in the story later on so I'm just warning you now.
Scales Of Our Time
Chapter two
Forest Of Purple
The slave girl stirred not moving an inch in fear that she would hurt herself. She made not a sound as she slowly opened her eyes just a crack so that no one would be able to tell she had woken.
She had learned this quite a while back and always did this because you never know when you are in the presence of enemies. What so saw did not shock her at all. She saw that black haired boy sitting in an armchair watching her intently. Which she found just a little creepy.
However, the only thing strange to her was the fact that her room seemed bigger. It used to be a small closet not big enough to house a large dog. Now it fit two people and a chair!
She opened her eyes wider seeing, as there were no big threats about the space. Her eyes hurt and She winced not expecting this sending pain through out her body. A tear leaked out of her eye. Moreover, the man did nothing but sit there.
"What are you doing here?" She said knowing she was being just a little rude.
"Why my name is Murtagh thank you for asking. And you're welcome for taking care of you even when the healers wouldn't!" He sounded a bit angry.(well duh)
Well at least she knew his name now.
"Oh sorry" she said not succeeding in not sounding guilty. Still looking at him she continued "Thanks. But—"
"Do you have a name?" he interrupted
She averted her eyes trying to hold back a sob. Sadness weld her voice as she said "I forgot it years ago. Along with everything else."
At this he had, a look on his face…was that pity?
"I'm sorry. Well I came here to tell you that Galbatroix wants you out in the fields today in your usual spot."
"ok" she said not knowing if he was looking for an answer. But when he didn't move she said "Well are you going to help me or not?" She held back a small laugh though she couldn't help but smirk a little.
He mumbled his apologies and walked the half a step over to her mat and helped her up grasping her forearms.
Murtagh stood there as if waiting for something.
"Well are you going to leave now?" she said smirking even though the bandages on her torso hurt terribly.
Murtagh blushed slightly as he turned on his heel saying, "If you need any help don't hesitate to call. I'll promise to help you anyway I can"
"I'll hold you to that." She said as he walked out the door.
The slave girl just shook her head and smiled as she re dressed her wounds and got dressed.
A mere ten minuets later, she was out in the fields at her usual place. At the back. She had always guessed that it was because she was one of the youngest slaves at the palace. Because she had well supported facts. Everyone who was young was back here.
The only thing that kept them getting any work done at all was the fact that they couldn't talk to each other. Otherwise the slaver was open to give at least 3 lashes. Talk about strict.
She was lucky though. She had the farthest back place in the whole field. Aside from the 7 people who worked on spaces almost thirty meters away. You must be thinking that she's crazy. But this is the best place to be. The slaver doesn't pay to much attention to the back.
He mainly stays close to the front so he can get in out of this heat as quickly as possible at the end of the day. This was perfect because she was still trying to contemplate where she had heard Murtagh's name before. She knew she had heard it some where and it had to have been important because he was certainly not dressed like a slave or a servant.
And it didn't help at all that the slave girl was hurriedly trying to shoo away the small animals that had all of a sudden had come to sit in her garden.
They surrounded her feet and wouldn't go when she threw the small herbs they, and most of Alagaesia, liked. She knew she was going to be in big trouble for throwing those good herbs away but she needed them out.
I mean what if the slaver came back here already for his two hourly visit. There were only three rules.
One don't let the animals eat the product. Two don't waste the product. Three still obey all the rules of the palace when in the fields. And four and most important no slacking.
She turned back around and saw she was safe. For now at least the slaver still had his back turned and wasn't paying the slightest attention to her. She had guessed that that was a mistake to turn around because as soon as she did the small animals around her feet began to push her in the direction of the forest.
She tried to hold them back. She really did. But whenever she would shake off one she would have another pushing at her heal. And they were surprisingly strong for there small size. Like little ants.
She soon gave up because Only the lord knew she couldn't hurt things so sweet and cute just so she could get back to work. Not that she wanted to. So here she was stumbling along the trees and mosses the little animals giving her a push in the right direction every once in a while.
It seemed as though she had been walking for hours but she couldn't really tell because of the tick canopy of trees above her.
The animals stopped in a line in front of her. Of coarse not wanting to step on them she too stopped. Taking a look around she noticed the beauty of this place in the forest.
There was a short waterfall that fell in a half circle around the small clearing. Bushes and trees were kind of sparse in the area surrounding. Flowers dotted the young, small trees in a cluster by the waterfalls pool. A river led the water away from the clearing. But most peculiar and what astounded her the most was a half circle of trees in the middle of the clearing. A bolder sat in the middle of them.
'Curious just so…curious' The slave girl thought as she walked over to the boulder. A big stone about the size of her head was sitting on the boulder. But what astounded her the most was that it wasn't the color of any other stone she had ever seen. It wasn't an stone color of brown, gray, bluish or even the unusual red rocks. Not even black. She tilted her head to the side a cluster of bangs falling into her face.
She approached slowly gazing at the royal purple stone. 'Maybe it's a gem' thoughts like those grazed her mind as she came before the stone, her small stomach touching the bolder. 'But it couldn't be' she reasoned 'After all how many gems have white lines sprouting from the top?'!
It was true pure white lines sprouted from there radius at the top most point of the stone, zig zagging like lightning over the surface, spilling all over the stone till it reached another radius at the bottom.
The girls fingers twitched as she held her hands steadily over the stone. She took a careful look around using her keen senses to scout the area for enemies. But she found none. None but the innocent animals of the forest standing at her feet. Once she looked into there eyes they were pleading her to take it. Sota like a… 'gift?' she wondered as she read there emotions like a book from the palace library.
She sighed and took a steady breath as her still steady hands placed themselves onto the stone. Bust of wavy energy shot through her. She pulled the stone quickly to her chest and looked around with shifty eyes for any traps she might have sprung.
She found none. He shoulders relaxed and she felt an odd sense of calm as she walked over to sit on the almost sandy beach by the pool. The sand felt cool between the toes of her sandaled feet.(sandals are uncommon for non-wealthy owner's slaves.)
The stone was smooth almost crafted and yet she couldn't even imagine anyone could get a stone so perfect! As she gazed at it the purple stone she held in her arms hummed. It was a deep buzzing noise but it was musical and to a tune the slave knew all to well. It was the song her mother had sung to her as a child.
She cradled the rock in her arms, fond of her memory. She remembered the words perfectly. 'sleep child lying in my arms sleep child sleep...' She sung inside her head.
She was snapped out of her thoughts as she realized that stones didn't hum. Or know her mothers made up song! In her realization she almost dropped the purple object. She couldn't very well call it a stone anymore now could she? But she felt compelled almost… responsible for the well being of this thing and couldn't bear to drop it.
The egg shook subtly in her arms but something told her not to drop it. It shook again, and again steadily getting harder to hold onto. The egg shook violently now and She could hear a crisp clear note almost as if someone has played a note on panpipes.
The slave couldn't help but notice the sound. The egg stopped shaking. Now the only movement was a fierce wobble every few seconds. But the girl didn't let go! Not until a crack ran straightly from one radius to the other did she carefully set the object on the beach.
She thought for a moment. 'An egg would not get a crack in it for no reason or shake as if it was…hatching! Like an egg! ' As soon as the thought came into her head she took a step back almost afraid of what would come out of the egg.
It might be the case that all animals liked her but she certainly did not like all animals. But who was to say it was an animal. It could be a creature from one of the old fairy tales. Like a basilisk or even a drake!
Her eyes grew wide as a rather large piece of the egg flew across the clearing and a small scaled head came out of its shell. The creature was absolutely breathtaking! And the girl knew at once what the creature was. It was a dragon!
(AN: Like you guys didn't guess already!)
Like breaking glass the pieces of the egg shattered and went to the far edges of the clearing. The Dragon stepped off of the last remaining piece and walked towards her head held high. As it approached her she stood completely still. Unmoving, not even breathing.
Her hands were flexed at her sides. What was she to expect? She had heard so much about dragons when she was a child. But now she only remembers some of it. Like how dragons pick their riders and other important. And seemed strangely like what she'd been told about that.
The dragon rubbed its purple body against her legs. Circling her. The girl took the time now to take in it's appearance. Its purple scales had pure white tips and the scales around her nose were fading into a lilac.
It had fierce green eyes with flecks of purple on the outside of the iris and near to the pupil. The spikes on its back were pitch black like the tip of its tail and claws. But what she noticed first was the amount of spikes from the neck onwards. It had precisely seven.
This is how she knew it was in fact a male dragon. Females have only five when first hatching. The dragon stopped circling. Jumping up the dragon pushed his head against her right palm. She almost screamed. Searing pain sent jolts through her entire body. She knelled down on the soft dirt and held her wrist careful not to touch her tender scar.
The dragon sensed her pain and rubbed its head against her knee. She had to smile at that and even the pain was receding. Stretching out her cautious, steady, unmarked hand she petted him on the head moving from spike to spike tracing the base.
The dragon seemed to like that, he was rubbing his hide against her thigh, was that …humming? She smiled and seeing as touching him didn't hurt anymore she picked him up, and sitting cross legged, put him into her lap.
She felt a sense of peace run through her now that she had another friend. Someone to sit in comfortable silences with and have a warm presence next to her while she slept. Someone to just be there. And as she stared into his big green and purple eyes she just knew he felt the same.
Yes what is it Thorn? Murtagh asked looking up and out the window from his scrolls to see Thorn flying outside.
A new rider has awakened. Someone very close. A slave?…
Most likely…can you tell how far?
All I know is that they are very near here. Now you should start packing what you came back for. Shruikan will have sensed what I have and told Galbatroix.
Murtagh sighed and retreated into his closet for his mysterious object.
Stirring he called his master.
"Oh what is it?" he snapped rudely "I was in a meeting with the governor of Teirm!"
One has hatched and from the feel of it for someone very close. My guess is one of the slaves…
"Have every slave, worker, and resident line up in the throne room I have something to check for!" He yelled at his chief advisor standing at the door.
AN: Mwahahaha Cliffy! really hope you like it! The thing with the spikes was totally made up. And once again I know Galbatroix has no forest at his back gate nor is he near the outskirts of town but I really like the picture that I was trying to paint. So please review and I do accept flames but please don't say I suck without reason why. Lol
Tootles -Nikki