Chapter One
"Have you memorized the words to the old song?" Lucrezia asked as they approached the great hall.
"Yes, sister." Relena looked down at her hands which she'd folded in front of her.
"It is so odd that the Lord requested it. It has not been sung since the death of the last of the dragons." Relena had to agree. Once the song was sung as a funeral dirge for the women offered to the dragon as tribute to prevent the attack and slaughter of their people.
"Then again," her sister-in-law continued, "perhaps it is because it was his great grandfather who slew the beast?" That was another detail Relena continued to forget. Long ago, a previous Lord Winner's love was chosen by the dragon. In rage and grief, he set out to rescue his love and slay the dragon. As the story goes, he was too late. His love was dead, however, driven by the passion of sheer hatred; he slew the beast and brought back its head.
"It is fortunate he succeeded then." Relena spoke aloud and her sister-in-law nodded. "If there is still another dragon out there then-"
"Relena, no one has seen a dragon since the last was slain. I doubt that there is anything to worry about. Focus instead on the events of today." Lucrezia stopped and turned Relena toward her, cupping her face in her hands. "I have watched you grow into the woman you are today. And I couldn't be prouder."
"My wife speaks true for both of us." Her brother offered the smallest of smiles as he walked up and wrapped her in a hug. "And if father and mother were here, they would be too."
"Brother." Relena returned his hug until he pulled back.
"What you do today, you do for all of us." He looked into her eyes. "I know this isn't what you dreamed of. I just hope you can find happiness."
"Thank you, Millard. But I am more than prepared to do my part."
The guests began to assemble in the great hall to see her out to the square. As legend had it, they would adorn the young women with beads and other offerings for the dragon. Now such things were relegated to offerings of good luck and fortune and acted as part of the bride's dowry. Dressed in silks and lace, braided and beaded, Relena felt more like a gift-wrapped prize than a bride. If she were honest, it might not have been so bad if she and Quatre had had time to discuss things. As one of her oldest friends, surely he would be willing to help her try to find another solution? However, her brother and his advisers were quick to ensure that the agreement was ironclad and so the two friends seemed doomed to a loveless marriage.
As she entered the main square, she saw him waiting on the other side. He looked as nervous and uncomfortable as she felt and it was hard to miss the anger and jealousy in the eyes of Dorothy, his true love, as Relena began to cross the courtyard to him…
She woke to the sounds of birds chirping overhead. It was light in the cave now and the water left behind by the storm dripped in a peaceful cadence around her. It might have been pleasant if not for the fact that there was a fire breathing dragon nearby waiting to end her existence. Relena sat up and tried to cling on to the last vestiges of comfort left behind by her dream. She missed her family. She missed the safety of the castle. Even the loveless marriage seemed far better than her current situation.
"But that hardly matters." She stood up and looked around. "I'm here now and feeling sorry for myself is not going to get me out of here."
"I told you, there is no way out." The voice from earlier. It was that man. He'd returned. She turned her attention to the hole in the wall. "I brought fire." He reached a piece of wood through the hole; the warm, orange glow looked too good to be true but if she could get a fire going, then she might be able to feel some form of comfort.
She walked forward and took it from him. Immediately, several pieces of dried timber fell through the hole as well and clunked against the cave's stone floor.
"Use the torch to light the wood. I'll try to get you more as often as I can." She saw him turn away but her curiosity got the better of her.
"Wait!" He turned back to her.
"Why are you helping me?" He was quiet for a moment, and she thought at first, that he wouldn't answer.
"I don't know." Fair enough, but her curiosity didn't end there.
"How are you able to move around so freely? Aren't you afraid of the dragon?"
"Not as much as you should be." He was scoffing at her, a fact that made her bristle.
"I don't have time to fear it." She picked up as much of the wood and tinder as she could without jeopardizing the torch and walked over to set it where rain could not reach. "I'm far too busy figuring out a way to get off the island and get home." He made a sound that might have been a small chuckle, but she couldn't be sure.
"The dragon won't let you go."
"We'll see about that." She knelt down to stack the wood.
"Not like that." She stifled a frustrated groan. "Make sure you stack them in a way that allows air to get through." In spite of her annoyance, he was right. She'd never made a fire before, but tending the coals in her chambers back at the castle taught her that stirring it was necessary to keep the embers burning.
"Thank you." She didn't need to see him to know he approved of her gratitude. As the fire leapt to life and she began to feel its warmth on her frosty fingers, she couldn't help but wonder how her family was doing after her abduction. That moment was still burned into her memory…
The sun was hidden behind a blanket of clouds and yet stepping out into the courtyard was blinding. Relena felt her stomach clench with pure nervous energy and reminded herself to breathe. Quatre waited in his own ceremonial garb looking just as uncomfortable. Behind him, she saw the pained, jealous eyes of Lady Catalonia watching Relena's approach. She knew this wouldn't be easy for any of them and it certainly wouldn't be ideal, but it was out of their hands.
'At least we're friends.' She breathed out slowly. 'There is a chance of a pleasant marriage in that fact." She breathed again and as the drums began to ceremonial rhythm, Relena began to sing the ancient song. As the lyrics spilled from her lips in a dutiful recitation, she felt nothing. This was her fate. She was fortunate to be who she was and raised the way she was, but part of her had always hoped-
A wind colder than any she'd ever felt gusted through the courtyard. The sun disappeared in fog and darkness and the roar of the dragon shook the world around them…
The crackle of the fire as one of the small limbs snapped broke through her day dream. She shook herself and stirred the fire. Daydreaming would not get her home.
"I need to focus; to plan ahead and take charge of the situation." A growl rumbled from her stomach. "And to eat." She looked around and thought of calling to her mysterious companion, but decided against it. "He said he couldn't help me. I need to do this one my own." The water next to her sloshed against the cave wall. "Maybe there are fish in here too?"
Before, it had been too dark to look around, but the fire and the natural light from the opening above would aid her in remedying that. Reaching down, she plucked one of the sturdiest pieces of wood she could from the fire without risking its collapse, and began to explore. Despite being a cavern, somehow bits and pieces of wrecked ships and other various things seemed to have found a home inside it. She made a mental note of each useful item: a ship's sale; damaged but usable. There was rope tied to broken planks and plenty of timber that could be used to feed the fire if necessary.
"Hopefully I won't be here long enough to need it." She glanced at the rope, then at the opening above her. "If I could tie a piece of wood or a stone to the rock and find a high enough spot, I might be able to throw the rope up there and climb out of here."
"You're wasting your time." The man interrupted her again. "The dragon will kill you if you leave this cavern."
"It hasn't killed you yet."
"That's not-" he stopped short and she could have sworn she heard him growl? "As I told you. I am not his intended victim."
"Even so, I cannot simply stay in this hole forever."
"And how do you plan to get off the island?" It was a valid question. Doubtless there were no intact boats waiting nearby and if there were, the sea worthiness would be questionable but still…
"I'll swim all the way if I have to."
"Even if you evaded the dragon, you would drown in the storms." Relena felt her annoyance rising. She didn't know who this man was, but he wasn't helping! Well, he was helping by bringing her food and fire but as far as keeping her spirits up, he was less than useless.
"Well, I won't give up. I will make it off of this island and I will make it home again." She turned and looked up at the hole above her. "I have to."
Her strange companion brought her food again a few hours later even as she finished tearing a few threads from the sail. Her intention was to use the thread to create a fishing line of sorts to snare some of the crabs and other little creatures she saw scuttling about the water's edge. It wasn't that she was ungrateful for the aid of the mysterious man, it was simply her desire to survive on her trip home required her to know a few things.
"It's a good thing I'm a bookworm." Adventure was always something Relena had longed for. Not like this, but any chance at all to be away from the castle was a blessing. In her desire for travel, she'd read many books about survival that gave her the idea for her fishing trick. "All I have to do is find a hook and some bait…"
"You talk to yourself a lot." Relena nearly groaned in agitation.
"Well, if it annoys you so much, why don't you go somewhere else on the island since apparently the dragon has gifted you with the ability to do so?" Silence was his answer. She wondered if he'd gone, but didn't bother to ask. There were more important things she had to do.
It took her a few days to take stock of everything at her disposal. All the while, her nearly silent companion continued to bring her food. He was a mystery and puzzle to her. He helped her but yet he discouraged her efforts. He seemed annoyed by her and yet would occasionally ask her questions or give her advice. One night, as she sat eating by the fire, he asked a few questions she was expecting.
"You miss your family?" The sudden question took her by surprise.
"I do." She looked down at the fire. "My brother and Lucrezia must be terribly worried."
"Do you think your husband will try to rescue you?" She shrugged.
"Quatre isn't my husband." There was a sound from him, one she couldn't quite make out. "I was taken before we said our vows. I cannot say if he will come for me or not. But I'd like to think so."
"You love him that much?"
"Quatre is a very dear friend. I've known him many years, but I do not love him. Not like that."
"Yet you agreed to marry him."
"How does a man who grew up on an island alone know of love and marriage?"
"I know more than I should." And that was the end of that conversation.
Many such nights passed before she had everything she needed. For the bait, she decided to use what was left of her fish from the previous night. She'd braided the snail's threads into a sturdy cord thin and strong enough to serve as a fishing line.
"And for the hook… I can try bending one of the old nails from the driftwood." And so she did. It took her numerous tries and several sore fingers, but-Using two rocks-she smashed the nail into a curve and tied it to the string before adding the bait. "If this works, then I'll have no problem taking care of myself once I escape."
So, Relena dropped the baited line into the pool and waited. And waited. And finally, she felt the bite on the other line. With a declaration of triumph, she pulled and pulled until her hands were sore and then, finally, the fish crested the water and she was able to pull it onto the shore.
"I did it!" She looked down at her sore hands. "But I should have used something as a pole to protect my hands. Looks like I won't be climbing until these abrasions heal."
"Even if you could climb out of here, how would you get off the island?" His voice again. She frowned and reached down to pick up her fish just to have it flop uncontrollably out of her hands and back into the water. Relena stared at the spot on the water where her catch disappeared. All that work and all she had to show for it were the sores on her hands. Her eyes stung with tears of frustration, but she wouldn't cry! Her attention turned to her estranged companion.
"I'll find a way!" Her voice echoed out to him. "I have to!"
"Even if you did, the dragon would catch you."
"So you're saying I should just give up?" Silence. She stood up and walked to the cave wall where the hole was. He stood there alone in the waning light.
"I know you're upset. I don't know how to offer the comfort you seek." His voice was soft, sorrowful and apologetic. "This. Talking with someone. Is new to me."
"You really have been here a long time." She saw his shoulder slump. In spite of his apparent rudeness, he had been very helpful bringing her the salve and the fish and the fire. "You're words have been… grating… at times, but." She smiled softly and leaned down so that he could see her. "You have helped me when you didn't have to. And it is… comforting to know that I'm not alone here. Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being here." He was silent for a long time before he turned to face her. His piercing eyes locked with hers and she saw something burning in their depths.
"You're welcome." A smile, so faint that she thought she might have imagined it, turns up at the corners of his lips and she returned it. The rest of the evening passed in comfortable silence with a hope in her heart that, at least for whatever time she was on the island, she might have a friend.
