Revenge
Chapter 15: Persuasion
David rubbed his temple. He felt a headache coming on and it was no wonder.
First, Marion and Samantha were still recovering from their ordeal. Lily was now well enough to go around doing her normal chores but the Matriarch was keeping a close eye on her.
Second, there was the problem of the pterandon invaders to deal with. Oonu was worried and so was he. How on earth did the pterandons manage to get past the sunstones? Oonu had already sent messenger birds back to Canyon City, the Master rider desperately wanted to go back to the Skybax Academy but he had his duty to the Mayor to fulfil first. The worst thing was the lack of information, Oonu hadn't been back to Canyon City for a quite while now. He had followed Romana to Volcaneum and had come straight to the Earth Farm from there and there had been no reports from Canyon City as of yet. David felt uneasy, he knew something was wrong but he had no idea what it was.
Third, well... the object of his third problem was hobbling straight towards him with an angry scowl on her face.
"Cherry," David said keeping his voice neutral.
"Hi," she muttered as she leaned on her crutches.
"How are you?" David asked genuine concern showing through.
Cherry somehow managed to shrug even with the crutches under her arm.
"Been better I guess."
They both knew they're avoiding the subject they had to discuss but neither wanted to get into another argument. If Cherry wanted to avoid it then it was fine by David. Clashing with Cherry right now was not on the top of his favourite things to do list.
"That's good to hear."
Cherry nodded and hobbled away as David let out a long sigh.
Why couldn't life be easy?
Romana stepped into saurian home and was immediately greeted by a young proceratops. Due to her rosy pink scales dotting her back, she was called Petal. And like many of her kind she was also one of the few dinosaurs that can speak human speech.
"Romana," Petal said gravely.
"How is he?" Romana immediately getting to the point, "I'm so sorry I wasn't here earlier. I had to go the Earth Farm and..."
Petal looked at her with tears in her bright azure eyes.
"Father is getting worse," she replied with much sadness in her voice, "he wishes to see you."
Romana took a deep breath and followed the proceratops remembering to duck under the low doorway.
She stopped and blinked back tears seeing the frail old proceratops lying in a nest-shape bed.
"Ahhh... Romana," Chaz murmured weakly.
Chaz had been with her father, Will Denison when he had ventured into the Rainy Basin to rescue a young T-rex from the clutches of human pirates. After that adventure, the two had been good friends and Chaz was also her saurian godfather.
It hurt Romana profoundly to see such the wonderful, wise dinosaur who had watched over her from the day she was born, lying there in so much pain.
"I'm so sorry Chaz," she murmured kneeling down next to the bed.
Chaz looked up at her and a ghost of his usual smile flickered across his beak mouth.
"What for?" he whispered.
"For not being here."
"Stubborn just like your father," Chaz told with laughter dancing in his old eyes.
Romana couldn't help bug smile back at the saurian.
"Do not be sad," Chaz told her, "I have seen and done many things other humans and saurians could only dream of. I have lived long and have many fond memories to take with me."
Romana nodded sadly.
An uncomfortable silence fell between the two as Romana knelt there looking at the loving saurian who had been there to comfort her when her two parents at died. Now with Chaz's approaching death, it seemed that she was going to be alone in this world.
She gripped the proceratops foot tightly as if she was trying to drag him back from the reaches of death. She struggled to keep the tears from flooding down her face as Chaz smiled at her sadly.
Knowing what the young woman was thinking, Chaz sought to distract her.
"Have I told you the story about your father's adventure in the Rainy Basin? The story about Brognar Blackstrap and Prettykill?"
Romana somehow managed to chuckle.
"Only a thousand times. Your memory must be fading."
Chaz smiled.
"Then I must tell the story again to make sure I remember it
properly."
Petal entered the room and rested her head on Romana's lap as the girl listened
as Chaz once again retold the epic journey of her father through the Rainy
Basin.
For a few blessed hours, Romana forgot about the approaching death of her saurian godfather and entered the world of fantasies, mysteries and a land where good always triumphed evil.
Cherry cautiously put her weight onto her injured leg. She smiled there was a little bit of pain but nothing she couldn't handle. Careful not to bump her leg into anything, she walked around testing it.
Satisfied that she wouldn't suddenly collapse she walked out of her room and right into the last person she wanted to see... David.
"Hi," she said weakly hating this sudden uneasiness between them.
=This is stupid!= she cursed in her mind, =Couldn't they see Sharpbeak didn't do anything?=
But of course David thought that she should obey Oonu and the Mayor. Hence they were uncomfortable with each other.
"Cherry," David sounded surprise, "Is your leg better?"
Cherry managed to grin.
"Yeah, I think I can walk around normally now."
"Are you sure? I mean you could injure it again."
"It's fine," Cherry reassured him.
They stood there looking at each other, Cherry wished that somebody else would come along and ease the tension between them.
"So," David took a deep breath and stared again, "Have you thought about it?"
David didn't need to elaborate what 'it' meant, Cherry knew all too well. She tried to beat down the anger raging inside her and at least be civil to David and give him a proper answer. He deserved that at least.
"I still think it's wrong," she said flatly, "Sharpbeak didn't do anything. He shouldn't have to go."
David sighed.
"Cherry, I know that Sharpbeak didn't do anything but you need to prove it to the Senate. The trial will be short and fair nothing would happen to Sharpbeak."
Cherry scowled.
"No, I still refuse to let Sharpbeak go. It's simply a matter of fairness and this isn't fair!"
"Nothing in this world is fair," David reminded her.
"I know that but Dinotopia is supposedly based on fairness and if I allow this to happen then it would pretty much undermine Dinotopian ways, wouldn't it?" Cherry asked smiling knowing she had David cornered.
David wished that Marion hadn't taught her so much about Dinotopia. There really wasn't any way he could argue against that logic.
"Well, it's not me you have to try and convince it's the Matriarch and Oonu."
Cherry shrugged.
"I'll figure out a way."
With that Cherry left David who sighed and wondered just how stubborn she could be. She was almost as stubborn as Karl and he never thought that was even possible but it was starting to look like that.
Perhaps there was another way to persuade her that this trial was the only way that the residents of Dinotopia would accept that Sharpbeak was good. There had to be a way...
David smiled. He knew exactly what to do.
Rosemary watched her youngest daughter sleep and couldn't help feel angry at the man who had attempted to hurt such an innocent little child.
Deep inside, she was worried. Pterandons were attacking but what happened to the sunstones at Canyon City? And who was that mysterious cloaked man? So many questions so little answers.
Rosemary felt hopeless and she didn't like it.
Samantha stirred and opened her eyes slowly.
"Mother?" she whispered sitting up in bed.
"I'm here," Rosemary told her softly.
"What happened?"
"You, Lily and Marion were in danger but David, Karl and Cherry managed to rescue you three."
"Marion? Is she all right?" Samantha stopped and remembered the reason why she had attempted to run away in the first place and felt ashamed at her behaviour.
"Marion is fine. She tried to rescue you but she too was caught up in the danger," Rosemary knew what had transpired between Samantha and Marion and took the chance to try and make things better.
"It's all my fault," Samantha whimpered.
"It's not," Rosemary told her firmly, "Everything that has occurred was not your fault. It was orchestrated by someone we don't know but I know that you had nothing to do with it."
"But I tried to run away!" Samantha turned to look at her mother in the eyes.
Rosemary's calm level gaze caused Samantha to look away.
"I'm sorry," Rosemary said simply and quietly, "I should have been a better mother."
"No! You don't have to be sorry! You were a good mother it's just me! I was too blind to see thing that were right in front of me!" Samantha's voice trailed off as she looked down at her blanket-clad legs.
"I guess we're all at fault in some ways," Rosemary suddenly enveloped her daughter in a hug, "I was so scared."
"Me too."
Daughter and mother sat there hugging each other as old wounds were closed and slowly began the long path towards healing.
And in a city far from Vidabba amidst the smoky air caused by forges and amidst the noisy clang of metal hitting metal, a new wound was being open.
Chaz finished his tale and smiled softly seeing the human he loved as if she was his own daughter smile.
"A good story," Petal said breaking silence, "One of courage shown in many ways and forms."
"Yes," Chaz replied, "And now you two must have the courage to go on without me."
He coughed hoarsely and felt the firm grip of death clutch his body.
=It is time and I've led a good life= he thought wistfully wishing he could stay in this world for just a little longer but he knew that death was inevitable.
"Farewell, my daughters," he gave one final smile, "Live long and happy lives and look after each other. Farewell!"
With that Chaz the proceratops, father of Petal, godfather to Romana slipped away from his world with a faint smile on his face.
Romana and Petal hugged each other grieving over what was lost and celebrating the wonderful life that Chaz led and the good he did in his life.
Life moved on but it left behind one brave, kind and loving proceratops: Chaz...