Woo! Next chapter! First of all, I apologize for the chapters being extremely tragic and full of angest! This chapter is mainly comical relief cause I don't want to upset you poor readers. Unless you like tragedy. I personally do. Either way, enjoy! Also, Happy Easter, everyone! :)
Silas grunted as he struggled to drag the stag uphill, the young man pausing to catch his breath.
"This is ridiculous!" Silas spoke, his heart pounding wildly as the young knight focused on his breathing. Looking at the bow in his hand, Silas was almost ready to abandon the weapon and start dragging the deer with both his hands. His shoulder was sore from the strain.
"Why can not her lair be downhill?" Silas asked to himself, beginning to sweat as he tried to move slowly as to not irritate with lungs.
After dragging the deer uphill at a painful rate, Silas eventually got to the mouth of the lair. Sighing in relief, a smile lighted Silas' face. Pushing the stag down the mouth of the cave, Silas watched as the deer rolled down in an almost comical fashion, legs stiff and tongue hanging out.
Ember raised her head as she heard the noise, her eyes shining with joy as the human amazed her yet again.
"Oh, Silas! You didn't have to do that! Thank you so much! I hope it wasn't too much trouble." Ember spoke, Silas heaving the body towards Ember, the deer landing in front of her with a thud. It took several seconds for Silas to regain his breath.
"Trouble? Oh, no trouble. Though it would be more of a convenience for your lair to be downhill than uphill. I almost collapsed dragging your meal up here." Silas spoke, sitting down as he proceeded to take off his chest plate armor, a bit awkwardly from his stiff trunk.
"I can finally breathe!" Silas commented, smiling as he set the piece of armor next to him. Slowly, Silas worked on unstrapping his arm and leg plate armor, revealing the chainmail underneath. The chainmail clinked together as Silas took it off, folding the chainmail in a neat pile next to his armor. All he had underneath was a simple tunic and trousers, several areas stained with grease from the armor and perspiration.
Ember starred in curiosity at the knight. Even without his armor on, the human still seemed quite large. She could tell that he was good physical condition.
"How can you even move in all that armor?" Ember asked, Silas smiling at the dragoness.
"You get used to it. I can move just fine in full plate armor."
"How much does your armor weigh? It looks heavy."
"It depends on the make, but I believe mine is about eighty pounds. I know some knights have sixty pound plate armor while other have a hundred." Silas answered, Ember's mouth a gap.
"Wow! How did you get that strong?"
"H-How? Well, I am sure I am not the strongest...but I was trained at a young age. My training actually started when I was seven years of age."
"Truly? What did you do?" Ember asked, blowing fire on the carcase, the smell of burnt flesh rising in the air as Silas jumped, startled.
"Ohh, my! Watch where you spew your flame! You could have burnt my eyebrows off!" Silas warned, coughing from the horrid scent. Ember smiled sheepishly at the man.
"Sorry."
"Now...what was I going to say? Oh, yes! My training! Well, in my first seven years I was a Page. I really didn't do much but take orders from the adults and act like a servant. When I turned fourteen I became a squire and aided an actual knight. I would spar with him, fit his armor, tend to his war horse, attend court...and aid him in small battles. Oh, and I studied history, and several languages like English and Latin."
"So English is not your native tongue?"
"No, German was originally. I take it English is your mother tongue, yes?" Silas asked, Ember nodding.
"Yes, it is. How did you learn English?"
"I found books in the castle's library and taught myself. I thought I would never learn English, to be honest. It was harder than any physical training I ever took. I do not mean to offend you, but...how did you learn to speak English?"
"Me? I...It was just something that was passed down from generation to generation. I know we used to have a written language, but I think that is destroyed. The books I mean. The ones that told our history." Ember answered, watching the stag burn.
"That is unfortunate. I am sorry."
"Oh, don't be! You say sorry for everything!" Ember playfully snapped, her tail wagging almost like a dog's.
"I am so...nevermind." Silas muttered, Ember laughing.
"I trained my human well."
"Oh? I doubt that. The knights said I was the worse Squire in the history of Regensburg. Many nights I would be at the altar to pray, but sometimes I would go there and just stand in the middle of the room, listening to the silence...and then I would open my mouth and scream just to see if anyone was there! Hahahah! Oh, the priests hated me for that. They actually thought someone was getting murdered once!" Silas laughed, Ember giggling as well.
"Really? What else did you do?"
"Hmmm...well...not much really. I was raised with the Duke's daughter, so she and I were constantly getting into trouble. She was actually one of the reasons I wanted to learn English, and she helped me too."
"Awwww! Does Silas have a wittle crush?" Ember asked, teasing as Silas redded.
"No!...yes." Silas muttered, struggling to push the thought that she was gone out of his mind.
"Hahaha! I love how you can't lie!" Ember laughed, the deer done burning as Ember glanced at it, hesitant.
"You can eat. Do not let me stop you." Silas spoke, Ember licking her jaws as she daintily tried to eat without making herself look like a pig.
"Why do you eat so slowly? I thought you would inhale it." Silas stated, Ember pausing as she swallowed.
"Don't judge me! I don't want to embarrass myself!" Ember stated. "Don't you ever try to act your best when you eat in front of someone?"
"I do not eat in another's company. My eating habits are terrible. One time, I was eating in front of Anaya-it was pork soup, I might add-and I laughed so hard that soup came out my nose. It was embarrassing." Silas stated, chuckling at the memory. He could hear Ember try to stifle her laughs.
"Oh, by the Ancestors! What did she say?" Ember asked, her body rocking.
"She laughed so hard she started choking on her own spittle. I do that sometimes and I feel like a dunce. I will be walking down the street and I just start choking and people stare! Hehehe! My father pretended not to know me once." Silas laughed, Ember crying from the amount of laughter.
"Oh, I do that too! One time, I-GUUUURRRPPP!" Ember belched loudly, and embarrassed, covered her mouth with her paw, eyes wide as her face heated. Silas stared silently at the dragoness, mouth agape in pure shock. The loud belch resounded off the walls and out the mouth of the cave.
Several seconds of pure silence with by, nothing but the soft crackling of the fire making noise. Suddenly, Silas twitched, and his breathing began to hitch and increase, almost as if the knight was struggling to breathe. The man's shoulders began to heave violently as a smile appeared on his face. With struggled breathed, Silas pointed at the embarrassed dragoness...and laughed.
"Pffff! Mother of God, I could never compete with that!" Silas laughed loudly, holding his stomach as he coughed occasionally, tears running down the man's eyes. Ember shrunk into herself, hiding behind her wings in embarrassment.
Silas' laugh slowly turned into coughs, and soon, the young knight was overcome by a full on coughing fit.
"Oh, my-Silas! Silas are you okay?" Ember asked, concerned over her new friends as the man began to cough up blood. Silas waved the woman off as his coughs slowly subsided.
"Are you okay? You sound like you are dying!"
"I may very well be. Only God knows that answer." Silas reasoned, lifting up his tunic to reveal a large bruise on his side. The large black and blue seemed red in some areas.
"Ancestors, that looks horrible! You should have never gone hunting with that wound!" Ember scolded, eyes laden with guilt and worry.
"You would have perished if I had not. I would not allow that to happen. And it is better than waiting to die." Silas spoke, pulling his tunic back down as he smiled almost sadly at Ember.
"I do not mean to be rude, but what are these Ancestors you keep speaking of?" Silas asked, wishing to change the subject.
"The Ancestors are all the dragons of the past. They watch over us, and guide us, and grant us their strength and wisdom in our time of need. When a dragon dies they return to the earth, return to nature. We truly never die, we just...become one with nature and watch over the others." Ember answered, Silas staying silent.
"And you believe your parents are watching over you?"
"I do. As well as all my friends. Cynder, Flame..." Ember trailed off , voice faltering. Looking at Silas, Ember could tell he was curious, but the knight didn't dare ask out of politeness.
"Flame...he was going to be my mate. I loved him, and he loved me. He...saved me, died for me when hunters came. I tried to help, but I only got in the way. I was so scared I just...froze." Ember spoke quietly, soft tears rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes were like sparking diamonds in the flame. Beautiful, yet broken.
Silas bowed his head, covering his eyes as he folded his hands, fighting back emotions he fought to contain.
"I am sorry. I pray that you find solace with your friends watching over you." Silas spoke gently, still hiding.
"Are you crying because you failed? You said you failed once. Did you lose her?" Ember asked softly, Silas slowly looking up, eyes red rimmed and wet.
"Aye. I did. I failed her."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Ember asked, Silas shaking his head.
"Thank you, Ember, but no. The wounds are far too fresh I fear." Silas spoke, sighing heavily as he looked at the green scarf on the floor. To his surprise, most of the blood had gotten cleaned off.
"You were going to give that scarf to her? To Anaya?" Ember asked, Silas nodding.
"Yes. I loved my dear Duchess. When I saw the scarf...I knew I had to give it to her. When I came back to Regensburg, however, I was too late. She belonged to someone else. It pained me, and I was crushed. Upon hearing of my return, Anaya hugged and kissed me. She was so overjoyed to have me return to her and refused to leave my side. She had missed me dearly, just as I had missed her. I wanted to give her that scarf, desired to, but I could not. I was terrified, and I did not feel worthy of her affections if she had any for me."
"Why did you not feel worthy? You are a knight! Knights are important in human society, right?"
"They are, but...I...was hardly from noble birth. I would have tainted the bloodline." Silas spoke, embarrassed.
"So what if you aren't from an elite bloodline! You loved that girl! Boy, act like a man! Grrrrr!" Ember spoke, proving her point in a playful manor.
"But...I was not born a noble...technicaly...I was born as a slave. My mother was a slave, as you remember, therefore I was a slave to the owner." Silas admitted, more than embarrassed.
"That's horrible! Was your father the owner?"
"Heaven's, no! Slavery is an abomination! My father was in Rome at the time, and had fallen in love with a Roman slave. Somehow...he, I believe illegally, he brought my mother back to Regensburg where I was born. The slave owner had managed to track my mother down and wanted both mother and child back. My father would not have it, however, he only had enough money for one of us. He bought me from the owner and the man took my mother back to Rome. That's why I went to Rome. I was looking for a woman named Seraphina-my mother. I never found her, and my father said that when he went back to Rome to buy my mother she had passed from plague."
"That is horrible! I am sorry!" Ember cried, horror in her eyes.
"I thank you, thought it is unnecessary." Silas spoke, smiling softly.
"While in Rome...I find it ironic that I had almost followed in my father's footsteps."
"With a slave? No!" Ember replied, a large smile on her face as Silas nodded and smiled sheepishly.
"Ooh, yes. I met a young slave girl...and, well, I fancied her. She was an indentured servant-a sweet little thing. She was terrified of me!" Silas spoke, laughing.
"I can see why!" Ember giggled. "What happened?"
"I tried to court her."
"Eeewwww! Did it work?"
"No." Silas answered, laughing. "She wouldn't even give me her name!"
"I-I almost gave her Anaya's scarf too! I felt horrible about her not owning anything so I tried to give her that scarf. She refused, embarrassed beyond belief! You-You should have seen her face! Beet red!" Silas laughed, Ember giggling as well. "Ohhh, such a fool I was."
Silas calmed down, coughing softly as he looked at the scarf lying on the ground. Picking it put, the knight brushed the dirt off, smiling gently.
"Here. Give me your paw." Silas spoke gently, Ember confused at the request, by put her small paw in the man's warm hands.
Ember couldn't help but blush upon realizing that the human was tying the scarf to her wrist.
"There you go! It will serve you better than me!" Silas spoke, happily smiling as Ember looked at the scarf that was tied to her leg.
"Ohhhh! Thank you, Silas!" Ember gasped, feeling feminine at her new accessory. "You didn't have to give it to me though!"
"I always intended to give it to a woman. Why not a dragoness?" Silas replied, laughing. Ember giggled at his response.
"For that slave girl...did you ever say anything romantic to her?" Ember asked, giggling playfully. Silas blushed, and hesitated to answer.
"Ewww! Tell! Tell! Tell!" Ember chanted, her excitement growing.
"Alright! Sheesh! Let me think..." Silas paused in thought.
"Loquuntur verum de pulchritudinem. Angeli non habent nomina." Silas resided, smiling as Ember raising an eye crest in response.
"What?"
"They speak the truth of beauty. Angels do not have names. "
I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter! It has come to my attention that Silas and Ember appear to have some sort of chemistry between them(a reader had pointed this out to me in Redemption). But no worries! I do not plan for them to have a relationship(besides friendship), because that would be kind of weird. I would like to thank all the reviewers for giving back imput! I would also like to thank Riverstyxx for telling me to follow my passions and giving me the ambition to write this story! Please review and give me your thoughts! :)