Chapter three
Bowen stared, flabbergasted.
"Draco was the last," he finally said, his eyes still wide. Sayna grinned.
"But you overlooked one, your Greatness! *Tiamat* is the last of them all." He walked slowly up to Tiamat, who by now had recovered from her crash. The dragon stood still as he ran a hand over her burnished scales.
"But...how? How did you survive my cruel wrath in the days I was..." Tiamat surpressed a grin.
"I hid from you, Lord. Call it cowardly if you wish, but I admit I was scared of you." Bown dropped to his knees.
"Your Majesty," he whispered, bowing his head. Kara was over her shock, and walked slowly forward, red hair shining in the sun.
"The last of them all...the most beautiful of them all." And, if dragons could blush, Tiamat would've.
"I'm...I'm the runt of them all, don't bow to *me*." Sayna, by now, felt to shy to speak. She slipped into the shadows of the wall, seemingly overlooked and forgotten. Bowen looked up at Tiamat.
"You're not a runt...you're a dragon! Queen of the skies!" These words attracted the guards. One of them almost fainted, another yelled and yet another was speechless.
"But they don't exist!" Cried one. "It's a dragon! A DRAGON!"
The next few minutes were minutes of confusion and utter terror for poor Tiamat, who was unused to people. She backed away towards the wall, unsure of what was going on. People wanted to touch her or see her, and she wasn't expecting such treatment.
"Sayna, help me! They'll listen to you!" She hissed out of the corner of her mouth. The twelve-year-old sprang in front of her, sword pointing at the incoming circle.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" She shrieked, the sword turning to each person nearby. "Can't you see that she's terrified? She hasn't been around people for most of her life, for Draco's sake! Get out of my way!" She shoved people aside. "Tiamat, let's leave this place. It's obvious these people aren't ready." She mounted, and whispered, "Do it." Tiamat, still unsure, spread her wings and beat the air. The people shrinking below them yelled and screamed, but the young girl was immune to their cries.
"Sayna, where are we going? I thought you wanted to go to the castle, not away from it!" Sayna pointed out Draco's Waterfall, and they settled down to land.
"My reason is because these people, so full of greed and wickedness, aren't worthy of you. The knights of the Old Code indeed...what a joke! My uncle is supposed to be a knight, and look at him! Let us stay here for a few days, and only then when the world sees how ungrateful they are shall I allow us to return." Tiamat cocked her head in curiosity.
"Wise words for one so young," she said, folding her wings. Sayna shrugged.
"It doesn't matter. It's just that it angers me how ungrateful and...and...savage they can be! It was only when I pointed my sword that they obeyed. Isn't that the only way people listen?" She sighed, stroking Tiamat's hide. "But you are not to be blamed. I'm hungry. How 'bout you?" She said, changing subjects. Tiamat grinned.
"I want to try a claw at open-wind hunting. I've always wanted to."
Tiamat hunted, and came back pleased and triumphant. She brought back a deer and a few rabbits, and decided it should be sufficient enough for one day.
"Urgh, did you really kill 'em like that?" Asked Sayna, lip curling in disgust. "No thanks! I'll stick to my bread. You eat it; you're a growing dragon. Besides, you'll need strength." Tiamat blinked.
"For what? Has this got to do with the fact that I'm a runt?" Sayna stood up, outraged.
"Call yourself that again, Ti, and...and...well, you're *not* a runt! You're the most beautiful, gorgeous creature this planet bears! There are creatures who call themselves beautiful...like the wretched women in the village. But I know their hearts are dark, believe me. You are not. You're heart is pure gold!" Tiamat looked at her chestplate, and looked up at Sayna.
"But you have beauty too, Sayna. Inner beauty...the heart of a pheonix, the wisdom of a dragon and the spirits of Unicorns that used to run free long ago." She paused. "If I have to share my heart with Sayna, it shall only be you." The girl blushed, and leaned into Tiamat's scales.
"You're the most wonderful gift a girl could have, Ti."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sunset of the day flooded over the castle, streaming through the stain-glass windows like a blanket. The clouds were shades of light peach, the sun a dragon-red. The trees were splashed with delicate shades of pink and yellow, the burning sky orange. It seemed peaceful. But the beautiful sunset did nothing to improve the atmosphere inside the castle.
Bowen was angry. All in an instant, he had lost his only touch with dragonkind, and all he had to blame was his mouth. Kara tried to comfort him, to no avail. He desperately thought where the creature could be, but could think of no place.
"Perhaps she went back to the places of Draco?" Suggested Kara, watching him pace in front of the royal thrones. Bowen shook his head.
"No, she's a wise creature. Where would she go...concealed from mankind...a place where a dragon-lover would go for quiet thoughts?" He looked up through the window. "Where, Draco, where? Where is she?" He whispered. "She's the last, Draco. Please show me to her. I *must* speak with her." He received no answer. Kara sighed.
"I have duties to attend to, dear. I'll be on the grounds with Maia...you know my handmaiden, don't you?" Bowen nodded absentmindedly. His wife disappeared from the room, and he was alone.
"Draco? If only...if only he could tell..." There was a low chuckle, almost indistinct.
{Look where the flow falls, Bowen.} Bowen turned around, but Draco didn't stand there. The words echoed in his mind.
"The flow falls? What flow? Draco? Tell me!" There was nothing more. He thought hard, unable to reveal the place in his mind. "The flow...what kind of flow? And where does it fall, and why?" He slumped in his throne, and looked upwards at the mural that spiralled and curved on his ceiling. There were several images, there; it was the whole story of Bowen, Draco and Einen, beautifully painted. But wait...what was that? There was a waterfall, and a river flowing from it. A dragon stood there, defending Bowen as Einen and his men fled. Bowen stared at it...
"The flow...the flow falls! Flow? Water! Water flows! And it falls! A waterfall! Draco's Waterfall!" He rushed to his feet, running out of the room. He knocked over a servant bringing him wine, and he sped to the stables. The stableboy blinked in surprise.
"Lord? Where-" Bowen ignored him, and rushed to his horse. He leapt onto it, and rode out of the castle as fast as he could go. The boy shook his head. "Kings! They're all the same."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Tiamat! Hush! Someone's coming." Tiamat crouched in the back of the cave, and Sayna drew her sword. She slid out from behind the waterfall, and hid behind the rocks. The stranger rode past her, and being dark, she couldn't see his face. She leapt from the rocks onto the stranger's back, holding the sword at his throat.
"Move, you die! Who are you?" She demanded. The man threw her off, and she gasped. "King Bowen!" He smiled and chuckled, dismounting.
"I admit, you're a tough one. You never told us your name." The girl pulled herself out of the river, and shook the water off.
"The name's Sayna," she said, suspicious of Bowen's actions. "Why are you here?" Bowen sighed, and pulled his horse to the side.
"To apologise for the people's behavior earlier. I know that Tiamat may have been unused to people, so naturally she was frightened and unsure...it's okay, I'm alone. She can come out now." Sayna eyed him, and turned around, cupping hands around her mouth.
"It's okay, it's Lord Bowen." Tiamat shyly emerged from the falls, her golden eyes glittering in the darkness.
"King Bowen?" She said, quietly. Her scales glistened in the moonlight, the red-gold catching the pale yellow of the moon.
"I've been riding all evening to find you. Draco told me you'd be here, Lady Tiamat." The dragon blinked, cocking her head.
"All evening? For me?" He nodded.
"You're the last, Tiamat. After losing Draco, I-" He broke off. "I was wondering if you'd like to come back to the castle." Sayna, for the second time that day, jumped in front of Tiamat, brandishing her sword, pointing it at Bowen.
"No, we don't want to. Don't they understand what a miracle is? Tiamat exists! She is the last! Yet, they acted all grabby and showy. I could feel their hearts full of wickedness, thinking of the uses for her. But I shan't allow it! To get to Tiamat, you must kill me! She is not going back to that wretched devil-pit!" Tiamat clenched her teeth, awaiting Bowen's reaction. She had just spoken angrily to a king, and, in most kingdoms, would pay the price for it. But Bowen wasn't surrounded by guards, and wasn't facing a six-foot soldier. He was facing the most spirited, enlightened young woman who was determined to give her life for one of the greatest beasts to live.
"No, then I will not force you." Another pause. "I will go back to the castle now that we've had this talk. If you wish, you may come along too. I won't force you. But I'd be honoured with a lady like yourself among our ranks, child." With those words, he remounted and rode away. Sayna trembled, her eyes set on the sword in her hands.
"Perhaps we will," she called after him, "But another time."
Bowen stared, flabbergasted.
"Draco was the last," he finally said, his eyes still wide. Sayna grinned.
"But you overlooked one, your Greatness! *Tiamat* is the last of them all." He walked slowly up to Tiamat, who by now had recovered from her crash. The dragon stood still as he ran a hand over her burnished scales.
"But...how? How did you survive my cruel wrath in the days I was..." Tiamat surpressed a grin.
"I hid from you, Lord. Call it cowardly if you wish, but I admit I was scared of you." Bown dropped to his knees.
"Your Majesty," he whispered, bowing his head. Kara was over her shock, and walked slowly forward, red hair shining in the sun.
"The last of them all...the most beautiful of them all." And, if dragons could blush, Tiamat would've.
"I'm...I'm the runt of them all, don't bow to *me*." Sayna, by now, felt to shy to speak. She slipped into the shadows of the wall, seemingly overlooked and forgotten. Bowen looked up at Tiamat.
"You're not a runt...you're a dragon! Queen of the skies!" These words attracted the guards. One of them almost fainted, another yelled and yet another was speechless.
"But they don't exist!" Cried one. "It's a dragon! A DRAGON!"
The next few minutes were minutes of confusion and utter terror for poor Tiamat, who was unused to people. She backed away towards the wall, unsure of what was going on. People wanted to touch her or see her, and she wasn't expecting such treatment.
"Sayna, help me! They'll listen to you!" She hissed out of the corner of her mouth. The twelve-year-old sprang in front of her, sword pointing at the incoming circle.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" She shrieked, the sword turning to each person nearby. "Can't you see that she's terrified? She hasn't been around people for most of her life, for Draco's sake! Get out of my way!" She shoved people aside. "Tiamat, let's leave this place. It's obvious these people aren't ready." She mounted, and whispered, "Do it." Tiamat, still unsure, spread her wings and beat the air. The people shrinking below them yelled and screamed, but the young girl was immune to their cries.
"Sayna, where are we going? I thought you wanted to go to the castle, not away from it!" Sayna pointed out Draco's Waterfall, and they settled down to land.
"My reason is because these people, so full of greed and wickedness, aren't worthy of you. The knights of the Old Code indeed...what a joke! My uncle is supposed to be a knight, and look at him! Let us stay here for a few days, and only then when the world sees how ungrateful they are shall I allow us to return." Tiamat cocked her head in curiosity.
"Wise words for one so young," she said, folding her wings. Sayna shrugged.
"It doesn't matter. It's just that it angers me how ungrateful and...and...savage they can be! It was only when I pointed my sword that they obeyed. Isn't that the only way people listen?" She sighed, stroking Tiamat's hide. "But you are not to be blamed. I'm hungry. How 'bout you?" She said, changing subjects. Tiamat grinned.
"I want to try a claw at open-wind hunting. I've always wanted to."
Tiamat hunted, and came back pleased and triumphant. She brought back a deer and a few rabbits, and decided it should be sufficient enough for one day.
"Urgh, did you really kill 'em like that?" Asked Sayna, lip curling in disgust. "No thanks! I'll stick to my bread. You eat it; you're a growing dragon. Besides, you'll need strength." Tiamat blinked.
"For what? Has this got to do with the fact that I'm a runt?" Sayna stood up, outraged.
"Call yourself that again, Ti, and...and...well, you're *not* a runt! You're the most beautiful, gorgeous creature this planet bears! There are creatures who call themselves beautiful...like the wretched women in the village. But I know their hearts are dark, believe me. You are not. You're heart is pure gold!" Tiamat looked at her chestplate, and looked up at Sayna.
"But you have beauty too, Sayna. Inner beauty...the heart of a pheonix, the wisdom of a dragon and the spirits of Unicorns that used to run free long ago." She paused. "If I have to share my heart with Sayna, it shall only be you." The girl blushed, and leaned into Tiamat's scales.
"You're the most wonderful gift a girl could have, Ti."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sunset of the day flooded over the castle, streaming through the stain-glass windows like a blanket. The clouds were shades of light peach, the sun a dragon-red. The trees were splashed with delicate shades of pink and yellow, the burning sky orange. It seemed peaceful. But the beautiful sunset did nothing to improve the atmosphere inside the castle.
Bowen was angry. All in an instant, he had lost his only touch with dragonkind, and all he had to blame was his mouth. Kara tried to comfort him, to no avail. He desperately thought where the creature could be, but could think of no place.
"Perhaps she went back to the places of Draco?" Suggested Kara, watching him pace in front of the royal thrones. Bowen shook his head.
"No, she's a wise creature. Where would she go...concealed from mankind...a place where a dragon-lover would go for quiet thoughts?" He looked up through the window. "Where, Draco, where? Where is she?" He whispered. "She's the last, Draco. Please show me to her. I *must* speak with her." He received no answer. Kara sighed.
"I have duties to attend to, dear. I'll be on the grounds with Maia...you know my handmaiden, don't you?" Bowen nodded absentmindedly. His wife disappeared from the room, and he was alone.
"Draco? If only...if only he could tell..." There was a low chuckle, almost indistinct.
{Look where the flow falls, Bowen.} Bowen turned around, but Draco didn't stand there. The words echoed in his mind.
"The flow falls? What flow? Draco? Tell me!" There was nothing more. He thought hard, unable to reveal the place in his mind. "The flow...what kind of flow? And where does it fall, and why?" He slumped in his throne, and looked upwards at the mural that spiralled and curved on his ceiling. There were several images, there; it was the whole story of Bowen, Draco and Einen, beautifully painted. But wait...what was that? There was a waterfall, and a river flowing from it. A dragon stood there, defending Bowen as Einen and his men fled. Bowen stared at it...
"The flow...the flow falls! Flow? Water! Water flows! And it falls! A waterfall! Draco's Waterfall!" He rushed to his feet, running out of the room. He knocked over a servant bringing him wine, and he sped to the stables. The stableboy blinked in surprise.
"Lord? Where-" Bowen ignored him, and rushed to his horse. He leapt onto it, and rode out of the castle as fast as he could go. The boy shook his head. "Kings! They're all the same."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Tiamat! Hush! Someone's coming." Tiamat crouched in the back of the cave, and Sayna drew her sword. She slid out from behind the waterfall, and hid behind the rocks. The stranger rode past her, and being dark, she couldn't see his face. She leapt from the rocks onto the stranger's back, holding the sword at his throat.
"Move, you die! Who are you?" She demanded. The man threw her off, and she gasped. "King Bowen!" He smiled and chuckled, dismounting.
"I admit, you're a tough one. You never told us your name." The girl pulled herself out of the river, and shook the water off.
"The name's Sayna," she said, suspicious of Bowen's actions. "Why are you here?" Bowen sighed, and pulled his horse to the side.
"To apologise for the people's behavior earlier. I know that Tiamat may have been unused to people, so naturally she was frightened and unsure...it's okay, I'm alone. She can come out now." Sayna eyed him, and turned around, cupping hands around her mouth.
"It's okay, it's Lord Bowen." Tiamat shyly emerged from the falls, her golden eyes glittering in the darkness.
"King Bowen?" She said, quietly. Her scales glistened in the moonlight, the red-gold catching the pale yellow of the moon.
"I've been riding all evening to find you. Draco told me you'd be here, Lady Tiamat." The dragon blinked, cocking her head.
"All evening? For me?" He nodded.
"You're the last, Tiamat. After losing Draco, I-" He broke off. "I was wondering if you'd like to come back to the castle." Sayna, for the second time that day, jumped in front of Tiamat, brandishing her sword, pointing it at Bowen.
"No, we don't want to. Don't they understand what a miracle is? Tiamat exists! She is the last! Yet, they acted all grabby and showy. I could feel their hearts full of wickedness, thinking of the uses for her. But I shan't allow it! To get to Tiamat, you must kill me! She is not going back to that wretched devil-pit!" Tiamat clenched her teeth, awaiting Bowen's reaction. She had just spoken angrily to a king, and, in most kingdoms, would pay the price for it. But Bowen wasn't surrounded by guards, and wasn't facing a six-foot soldier. He was facing the most spirited, enlightened young woman who was determined to give her life for one of the greatest beasts to live.
"No, then I will not force you." Another pause. "I will go back to the castle now that we've had this talk. If you wish, you may come along too. I won't force you. But I'd be honoured with a lady like yourself among our ranks, child." With those words, he remounted and rode away. Sayna trembled, her eyes set on the sword in her hands.
"Perhaps we will," she called after him, "But another time."
