Ruse gone awry
"Where could they be? He said they'd catch up, right? That's what he said, right?"
"Yes, that's what he said," Bowen grumbled as he struck the flint stone against his sword again, smiling when the sparks managed to light the dried grass he had found. Well, at least Draco will be able to see this from the air....if he ever gets back.... He frowned and threw a few twigs onto the budding fire, being careful not to smother it. The dragon and that other girl had been gone for the entire day, and because of that, they still hadn't reached the next village. Add to that the fact that Erica was slowly driving him insane, and he was just about ready to snap. "Will you stop pacing?"
"No! I'm worried!"
"So am I. I'm worried about what your friend has done to Draco. For all we know, she led him into a trap with rival dragonslay--"
Erica cut him off the fastest way she knew how : she introduced his broken nose to the sole of her boot. "Don't you ever say that again! Rachel would never do something so....so....barbaric! What is wrong with you?! Gods, don't you care about anything other than yourself?!" When she didn't get a response, she blinked and looked over at him, sighing when she saw that he was out cold on the ground. "Wonderful."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Well, at least I know that Elves can't see squat in the dark," Rachel groused as she walked deeper into the forest, carefully leading her horse between the trees. The only light that allowed her to have a bare idea of where she was stepping came from the moon, and she thanked any Gods that could be listening that it wasn't a cloudy night.
Draco chuckled at her annoyed remark and glanced back at her from where he was leading the way. "We're almost there. It's just a little farther."
"Famous last words."
He grinned and resumed walking, taking care not to lash his tail in case he knocked her over. They had made good time, considering that they had spent nearly all day by that river simply lounging in the sun and enjoying each others company. It was only when he had seen the sun nearing the horizon that he had realized exactly how much time had passed and how far behind they now were. That had been three hours ago. "Rachel?"
"Yo."
He chuckled. "Thank you. For today. It's been a very long time since I've had the chance to truly relax and talk to someone who isn't trying to kill me."
"Anytime," she smiled, ducking under a low branch and turning to hold said branch out of the way of her horse. A low rumble made her return her gaze to the dragon, and she sighed in relief when she saw a campfire up ahead. "I'd cheer, but right now I just want to curl up and sleep for a good twelve hours."
"Come on then," he told her, lightly nudging her with his tail. "It's strangely quiet. Maybe they've already fallen asleep."
Rachel followed him into camp and blinked at the sight that presented itself to them. "Or maybe one of them is unconscious."
"Rach!"
"Ack! 'Rica! Can't....breathe!"
Erica released the teen from her hug and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her roughly. "Where have you been?! You ditched me with the idjit for the entire day!"
"Will you get off?!" Rachel swatted at her friend's hands and backed away from her, eyeing her warily. "Geez, 'Rica. Calm down. And what happened to him?"
"He insulted you and I kicked him," Erica muttered, casting the knight a sidelong glance. "I think I broke his nose."
"I did that yesterday."
"I think I broke it again."
"Oh."
"Yeah. I got him really good, too. Um....you think you can Heal him?"
Rachel shot her a glare. "No. I am not wasting my energy on him."
Draco looked over at them from where he had moved to check on Bowen. "Rachel?"
She sighed and went to tether her horse next to Erica's, ignoring everyone as she undid the saddle buckles and dropped it and the saddlebags on the ground. Only when she was done did she turn to look at Draco, meeting his disapproving gaze for a moment before sighing in defeat and throwing her hands into the air. "Fine! Alright! I'll heal the Grumbling Wonder. Just stop looking at me like that, dammit!"
Erica snickered, eliciting a rather nasty look from the other teen as Rachel went to kneel next to Bowen, glaring at him for a moment before she drew a quick symbol in the air, then lay a hand over his badly bruised nose. When she pulled away seconds later, nothing but a slight redness remained of the obviously painful breaks.
Draco looked from the knight to Rachel, frowning when he saw her grimace and raise a hand to her head. "Are you alright?"
"I'm okay. Just give me a minute....or five...."
"She uses her own energy to heal," Erica explained as she walked over to her friend and gently pulled her to her feet. "Something about not wanting to drain the energies of nature. I dunno, she never really explained it to me."
"You never asked," Rachel muttered, clinging to Erica so as not to collapse. "Oh Gods.... Put me down, the landscape's movin'."
Draco frowned and settled himself down for the night. "Bring her here."
"It's not usually this bad," Erica frowned as she gently lowered Rachel to the ground next to the dragon's right shoulder. "She's only like this when she does two healings in one day....but she only healed Bowen."
Two healings? Then....then what I felt last night after the 'attack'...that was her. "Actually, she Healed me last night. You were sleeping, but an....old complaint decided to act up. I didn't realize she had--"
"I am still awake, you know. It's annoying when you talk as if I'm not here."
"Trust me, it's impossible to ignore you," Erica smirked as she grinned down at the white-haired teen.
The dragon looked at her, smiling warmly. "You should sleep. Bowen will likely be up with the sun."
"That's because he's a damned sadist," Rachel yawned, dimly aware that Erica had gone to rummage through the saddlebags as she gingerly leaned back against Draco's shoulder. "You don't mind?"
"Not at all," he murmured, knowing that she was referring to leaning against him. He watched as Erica gently tucked Rachel's cloak around her and smiled as he met the teen's sleepy gaze. "Stop fighting it."
"She's stubborn as all hell," Erica smirked as Rachel finally let sleep claim her. "But hey, so am I. I guess that's why we're such good friends." She headed closer to the fire and sat down, pulling her cloak around herself. "Y'know, she may not ever admit to it, but coming here....to this place....it's what she's always dreamed of."
Draco stared at her, listening raptly as she spoke. "Her wish?"
"She told you about that?" Erica asked, plainly surprised.
"A little. She's worried that she's trapped you here, that much I know."
"She worries too much. Besides, even if I am, it's worth it," she smiled, looking over at her friend. "She's finally happy." She rose her gaze to the dragon and smiled again. "G'night."
"Good night," he replied, more out of habit than anything else. As she lay down and pulled her cloak tighter around herself, he rose his gaze to the sky, effortlessly finding the stars he was looking for. Elders....why did you send them to me?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bowen groaned as bright sunlight assaulted him and rose a hand to shield his eyes as he slowly sat up, gasping in shock at the distinct lack of pain in his face. Eyes wide, he reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, blinking when he felt smooth unbroken skin. There was no swelling, no mind numbing pain... He scrambled to his feet and grabbed his sword, pulling it half out of it's scabbard and peering at his reflection, unable to understand how this had happened.
He turned to ask Erica if she had given him any herbs, and balked at the sight of Draco for a moment before sighing in relief, glad that the dragon had found them. His attention switched from Erica to the beast as he moved forward to wake him and ask him how this was possible, but stopped short when he saw a white-haired form curled up against the dragon's chest. How long was I unconscious?! "Draco!"
The dragon stirred slightly and cracked an eye open to look at the knight. "Hmm?" Is it morning already? Why does he look so flustered? Better yet, why is he looking at me like that?
"What....When did.... How...."
"Bowen, you're not finishing your sentences."
"What are you doing?!"
"Well, I was trying to sleep," he grumbled as he rose his head and yawned, purposefully exposing all his fangs. "Now calm down and try that again."
"Her! What are you doing with her?!"
Draco glanced down and stared at the sleeping form of Rachel that was nestled against his chest for a moment before returning his gaze to the knight. "Bowen, you have a filthy mind."
"Me?!"
"Oh Gods....is it morning already?" Erica moaned, raising her head from where it was pillowed on her right arm and looked over at the two males, noting Bowen's irritated expression. "What crawled up your shorts and multiplied?" When the knight coloured and gestured to the dragon, she rose her head a little higher, spotting a head of white hair resting against the dragon's right foreleg. "So?"
"So?! That's it?!"
"Get yer mind out of the gutter you pervert," she growled, slowly sitting up and shaking grass off her cloak. "Men. They're all the same."
While Bowen sputtered, Draco covered Rachel with his left claw and lowered his head to lightly nudge her shoulder, whispering softly so as not to startle her. "Rachel? It's morning."
She shifted, pulling her cloak tighter around herself before raising a hand to rub at her eyes. "Wha?"
"Good morning," he chuckled, meeting her sleepy dark blue gaze. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah...." she ran her good hand through her hair and sat up slightly, blushing crimson when she saw where she was. "How-?"
"I thought you'd be more comfortable. Bowen on the other hand...." he trailed off and looked over at the knight. "Is being....what did you call it, Erica?"
"Perverted."
"He's being....? Oh good Lords." Rachel dropped her face into her hands and groaned. "It's too early for this."
"Strange how you keep saying that every morning."
"That's because you people are expecting me to be sociable at ungodly hours of the morning," she retorted, mock-glaring at Erica as she straightened and raked her nails through her hair. The utter lack of sound from Bowen made her glance over at him curiously, and she blinked slowly when she saw how he was staring at her. "What? Actually, no. Don't answer that. I don't want to know."
Erica snickered softly as she watched Rachel slowly get to her feet and stretch, then threw a small rock at her. "You didn't tell me you did a double yesterday."
Double? Oh, the healings. She shrugged and pulled her clock tighter around herself, feeling Draco's warm breath wash over her back. "I didn't get a chance to. That and it's... er..." Not wanting to get too far into the conversation, she shot a glance at the knight, then relaxed when she saw Erica nod in understanding.
"Right. Well don't do that again. You know it's dangerous."
Rachel smirked and rolled her eyes. "Yes mother. Yeesh. Nag."
"Bitch."
"Well, at least you two have that part right," Bowen grumbled, ignoring the scathing glares from the two women but not the low growl from Draco. "Don't tell me you're on their side! They're insane!"
Erica sighed and got to her feet, shaking dirt off her cloak before clasping it onto her shoulders again, a smirk spreading over her lips as she glanced over at Rachel. "He needs new lines. That's getting old."
"Hmm. I noticed. Rather repetitive."
"Boring actually."
"Yup. But then again, we haven't known him all that long--"
"Thank the Gods."
"--and for all we know, this could be the best he's got."
"How utterly sad."
Draco chuckled softly at the expression on the knights face and slowly got to his feet, closing his eyes as he opened his wings to their full extension and arched his back, limbering himself up for the day ahead. "How far to the village Bowen?"
"Not far," the human grumbled sourly as he sent dark glares at the two women, muttering under his breath when they snickered in response. "Should be there by high noon."
The dragon nodded in thanks, then looked at the other two. "Care to join us?"
Erica looked at Rachel, who shrugged, then glanced back at the dragon. "Eh, sure. Why not? It's not like we have anything better to do."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Bowen growled, turning away from them and going to saddle and ready his horse.
Draco blinked at him for a moment, then leaned closer to Rachel and Erica. "This is going to be a long day."
~*~
"Will you three hurry up?!"
"Yes dear!" Erica called, grinning at the look the knight shot her. She, Rachel and Draco had been purposefully hanging back so they could talk to each other in private, and she was highly amused by the dragon's seemingly unending curiosity about their world. But she and Rachel had agreed that it would be very dangerous to tell him too much, since they didn't know where or when they were, they didn't want to risk destroying whatever timeline they had landed in.
"Y'know. One day, he's gonna try to hurt us," Rachel mused as she looked over at the knight that was riding ahead of them.
"I wish him luck and painkillers then," Erica smirked. "Especially if he's stupid enough to take a swing at you."
Draco smiled from where he was walking next to Rachel's horse and gently nudged her with his wing. "Indeed. But try not to kill him if he does. He's.... important."
"Important? Important how?"
Er.... how do I explain this? He glanced away for a moment, troubled. He hadn't wanted to explain all this to them yet. And certainly not with the knight so close by....
"Oh. This has to do with that long explanation that you can't tell yet, right?" Rachel murmured, meeting his gaze when he looked at her apologetically and nodded. "Okay. I can wait."
"First time for everything," Erica muttered playfully, knowing that if it had been anyone else, Rachel would have pestered them incesscently until they finally caved and told her what they were hiding. Expertly ducking a smack, she urged her horse into a trot. "I'm gonna go bug him. I wanna know what we're getting ourselves into."
"Have fun," the white haired teen grinned, waving at her before sighing and looking at her right hand, frowning as she carefully tugged the improvised bandage back into place. A soft rumble drew her attention, and she blinked as she glanced over at the dragon. "What?"
"That wound will become infected if you don't treat it properly."
"It's not so much a wound as a bruise," she shrugged, gingerly flexing her hand and trying not to wince at the painful stiffness. Memories of worse injuries from fights with bullies distracted her for a moment before she shook her head slightly and stubbornly shoved those thoughts aside. "It'll heal."
"Mmhm. Like the last time?"
"Last time?"
"Your cheek." He saw her raise her good hand rose to lightly touch the almost fully healed cut before she frowned and looked away, focusing on the land ahead. Seems I hit another sore spot. How badly has she been treated that she feels that she has to always be on the defensive? "I didn't mean to upset you."
She stayed silent for another moment before sighing. "You didn't. It's just... old ghosts."
"They're usually the ones that cause the most pain," Draco murmured as he turned his gaze to the two riders ahead of them. "It's hard to face them, isn't it?"
"Harder to live with them every single day," she countered softly, raising a hand to return Erica's wave when her friend gestured for them to hurry up. "We'd better catch up."
"Rachel."
Gently pulling back on the reins to stop her horse from following through on her order to break into a gallop, she turned in the saddle and looked back at him, meeting his quiet gaze. "Yeah?"
"You told me yesterday that if I wanted to tell you of... of the truth behind what this is all about, that you'd listen." He paused and ducked his head down to be at eye-level with her, smiling at her reassuringly. "I'm more than willing to return the favour, if you need it."
Surprised, she merely nodded for a moment, then recovered and reached out to rub the knuckles of her good hand over his right eye-ridge. "Thanks."
"Yo! Rach! C'mon! I'm not getting any younger over here!"
"Not getting any quieter either," the teen muttered under her breath as Draco pulled away and looked over at the waiting duo, and she couldn't stop a sigh from escaping her when she saw Bowen glaring at her in annoyance. "This, is going to be a long afternoon."
~*~
"You want Erica to what?!"
"I am not going to play 'delicate waif' just so I can be kidnapped by Draco! I'm afraid of heights you moron! Do you want me to die of fright?!"
"Don't answer that." Rachel muttered, eyeing Bowen angrily. "Look, think of something else. Why can't you two just go and wage pretend war on that village like last time?"
"It'll have more effect if they think he's killed one of you."
"And they'll care about us, because? They've never seen us before, Bowen. Why would they give a damn whether we get killed or not?"
"She has a point Bowen," Draco said from where he was lying a little to the right of the group, looking out over the plateau at the nearby village.
"Well we can't just let them wander around. They'll get in the way."
Erica grumbled and folded her arms over her chest, leaning closer to Rachel. "You're right. It is annoying when people talk about you as if you're not there."
"Told ya."
"Bowen, look. There's a patch of forest directly under that cliff you want me to perch on. It'd be simple for them to ride ahead and hide in there while you and I do the routine." A taloned claw pointed to the thick spot of woods in question before Draco turned to look at them. "It's far enough away from the village that no one would be able to see them. And no one would ever think that two maidens would ever come near a dragon."
Rachel quirked an eyebrow and glanced at Erica. "We've been upgraded to 'maidens' now."
"I noticed. I'd prefer 'Your Majesty' but that'll have to do," her friend grinned. "And I'm for Draco's idea."
"Then go," Bowen said, looking from them to the dragon. "We'll meet up when everything's over at the base of the waterfall. Draco? You know the drill."
"Yes, yes."Draco chuckled and looked at the knight. "Go on Bowen, I won't miss my cue."
"We'll see you at the cliffs, Draco," Erica grinned as she tugged on her mares reins, guiding her down the hill they were situated on, hearing Rachel follow her with less caution. Hence the fact that her friend had just bolted past her, the mare snorting as she barrelled down the hill and broke into a full gallop, cutting across the plain. "Hey! Rach! Wait up!"
Draco smiled as he watched the three riders head for the village, his keen eyesight easily enabling him to keep track of them, even when the two girls broke away from Bowen and headed for the cliffs that were situated high up on the mountain face behind the village. Like before, he waited until he was certain that he had given Bowen enough time for the knight to make his presence known before getting to his feet and spreading his wings, glad for the opportunity to launch himself into the winds again.
He circled the village once from above the clouds, peering through the white mists to make sure that everyone was in place before turning on a wingtip and diving down to a more normal altitude, soaring up behind a thick forest before chuckling and starting his 'attack'.
It really didn't take much to frighten them. A roar, a close flyby and a flick of his tail that left a hole the size of his tailspade in a house roof. That alone sent people running for shelter. They have no idea that a dragon would ever even think of harming them. Not unless severely provoked. The Once Ways grow dim these days. Flaring his wings, he twisted in midair and landed heavily on the cliff, adding a touch to the facade by licking his lips and hungrily looking down at the people below.
Keeping close attention on what Bowen was doing so he wouldn't miss his cue, he shifted his stance a little, talons digging deep into the stone and sending showers of dirt and pebbles cascading down to the ground below. Erica and Rachel should be here by now, so where are they?
The sound of clapping distracted him then, and he swung his head down to look at the two riders below him as they emerged from the woods. "Ah. There you are. Enjoying the show?"
"You're our favourite actor now," Erica chuckled, hearing his own laughter echo her before he shifted again and looked back at the village, focusing on something that neither she or Rachel could hear.
"There's my cue. Cover your ears, girls."
"What is he--?" Rachel yelped when he threw his head back and roared, wings spreading wide as flames shot into the air, accenting the quite believable malevolent glare he sent down at the village. She yelped again when her horse screamed in terror, rearing once before a powerful buck sent her flying, leaving her to crash to the ground in an undignified heap as the mare spun and bolted. Groaning, she opened her eyes and stared up at a worried Erica, who had managed to keep perfect control of her mare. "I hate that horse."
"Are you okay?"
"Nevermind me!" she cried, suddenly realising exactly how bad this situation was. "You've gotta go after it! The spellbook's in the saddlebags!"
"Oh crap!" Identical panic registering on her face, Erica wheeled her mare around and urged it into a gallop, racing after the other mare that already had quite a headstart on them.
Rachel, meanwhile, somehow managed to convince her body to work, therefore enabling her to haul herself to her feet and reach behind her to rub at the aching small of her back. "The Gods are laughing. I can feel it."
Worried, Draco crouched on the ledge and frowned down at her. "I am so sorry. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I'm fine. Damned horse needs to learn how to relax...." She trailed off and sighed before looking up at the dragon. "I'm okay, really. Did it work?"
He glanced in the direction of the village. "They're still talking. I can't tell what about, though. Are you certain you're alright?"
"I'm fine. Honest." A smile spread over her lips as she reached up to rake her nails through her hair. "More worried about the horse actually. I hope 'Rica manages to catch up with it. I do not relish the idea of walking back to the waterfall."
A chuckle rumbled out of him at the tone of her voice, and he straightened as he angled his wings to bask in the sunlight. "I'm certain we can work something out. Besides--" He cut himself off with a start and frowned. "What in the worlds are those people doing?"
"I wouldn't know, there's a forest in my line of vision," she retorted, eyeing the cliff face a bit before smirking and darting into the forest to her left.
"They've just tied someone to a post and... Rachel? Rachel, where are you?" The sound of stones cracking and sliding down the side of the cliff made him glance behind himself, blinking at the female that pulled herself up to him. "You're incorrigible."
"I'll take that as a compliment," she grinned as she got to her feet and brushed dirt off her pants, carefully picking her way across the loose shale as she neared him. "It's easier to get up here than I thought."
"Be careful all the same." Smothering a worried rumble, he rose his gaze to the village again and sighed. "What are those people doing?"
Curiosity overriding her sense of fear, she moved over to stand near the edge of the cliff and peered over at the cart that was being wheeled out of the village, the woman that was tied there struggling frantically. "I... have no clue."
He glanced at her for a moment before shifting to place his right foreleg next to her, gently pushing her backwards, away from the ledge. The sound of hoofbeats caught his attention, and he looked down at the forest below as Bowen rode out into the open. "Who's the girl?"
Highly irritated by a plan gone completely to hell, Bowen jerked the reins roughly, bringing his horse to a stop as he glared up at the dragon. "A nuisance! Get rid of her! And where's the other two?"
"Rachel's next to me, Erica's gone to try to catch her runaway mare. Now why are the villagers doing that to her?"
Just once, I wish he wouldn't question everything. "They're trying to placate you with a sacrifice."
"Well whoever gave them that bright idea?" Draco retorted wryly, hearing Rachel's smothered chuckle from beside him as he crouched to look at the knight closely for a moment before returning to his former pose.
"Nevermind! Just get rid of her!"
"How?"
Oh like I know?! "Eat her!"
A grimace spread over his snout at the mere thought of having to eat a human. "Oh please. Yech."
"Aren't we squeamish? You ate Sir Eglamore, hypocrite!"
Catching the look that Rachel shot him, Draco quickly averted his gaze from her as his wings folded against his sides, mimicking the stance of a human with their hands on their hips. "I merely chewed in self-defence! But I never swallowed."
"That is so disgusting," she muttered, just loud enough for her to know that Draco had heard her. It was obvious by the embarrassed expression on his face.
Now fully annoyed by this turn of events, Bowen sighed heavily and rose a hand to massage his suddenly aching temple. "Improvise!"
"Alright! Alright." Sighing, he rose to his full height for a moment before looking down at Rachel. "You'll have to stand back a little. I don't want to risk knocking you off the..." He trailed off at the sight of Bowen already riding back to the village and growled under his breath. "Well. So much for getting Bowen to give you a ride back to the village. Alright. Climb up."
"What?!"
He chuckled and looked at her out of the corner of his right eye as he crouched low, raising his foreleg as a step for her. "Climb up. Quickly now. Don't worry. I won't drop you."
Shaking, she hesitantly reached up to grasp his scales before setting her foot on his leg and vaulting up to perch on his back, feeling the row of spikes that adorned most of his spine press against the small of her back as he stood, the sudden movement making her throw her arms as far around his neck as she could. "Oh dear Gods I must be insane...."
"You're doing fine," he told her, amused by her antics as she clung to him. "Hold tight! This is going to be a rather rough first flight."
"What are you-- ACK!" The urge to scream was overridden by the sensation of the ground falling away, and she was certain that she had left her stomach back on the cliff as Draco gave a powerful downbeat with his wings, effortlessly soaring towards the 'sacrifice'. I am not going to die. I am not going to die. I am not going to.... ACK! Her nails grated against his scales as he twisted in midair, grabbing the cart with all four sets of talons before grunting and rising back into the air, deft swipes of his left foreclaw freeing the now unconscious girl from the ropes that bound her as he dropped the useless cart, letting it crash to the ground below them.
"Rachel? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" She answered in a voice that was three octaves too high, her voice cracking in the process. "I'm okay, I... Oh gods, I shouldn't have looked down..."
He found himself chuckling at her tone of voice, despite the realization that she was very much afraid. "I won't let you fall. Besides, I thought you weren't afraid of heights."
"Normal heights, no. I've just never been three hundred feet above the ground before!" She swallowed thickly and hesitantly forced herself to sit a bit straighter, trying not to impede his flying. "How's the sacrifice?"
"She fainted," he told her as he looked down at the girl he was holding in his claws, frowning at the mud and dirt that caked her skin. Looks like whatever happened in that village wasn't in her favour. The sight of the waterfall in the distance made him smile, and he did his best not to jostle his passenger any more than necessary as he slowed his speed and circled the falls once before deeming it safe. His wings cupped the air as he carefully landed, trying to avoid knocking Rachel off while still holding the other girl in his claws. Finally, his feet hit the ground, toe talons digging deep into the lose soil as he set the girl on a large boulder before dropping down onto all fours and glancing back at the teen on his back, chuckling softly. "You can let go now."
Rachel startled and opened her eyes from where she had buried her face
against the rough plates of scales, blinking at their surroundings for
a moment before smiling sheepishly and lowering her aching arms from his
neck. "Sorry."
