Arianna Ballard

Summary: The night after Draco gets his name and before meeting up with Kara, Bowen gets drunk to the point of not being able to function, a nearly incoherent ramble lets Draco know how to help and introduces one of my OC's. Side-fic to my story "Dragonheart: A New Age", hope you enjoy enough to read more!

Chapter Two

Sister Secrets

Draco awoke early the next morning to near silence, a mild relief to a halfway restless night. Bowen had been mumbling and tossing in his sleep for a few hours after he'd fallen asleep.

The dragon first noticed the lack of a swearing Bowen over a headache, which was usually the cause of the dragon waking up; instead the uncomfortable sounds of a miserable, wretching Bowen had disturbed the dragon.

"Oh Bowen..." Draco trailed off with a soft sympathetic growl, knowing (reluctantly) exactly how the knight was feeling. Draco looked off from the knight, remembering how he'd preferred little to no contact with any others while feeling this bad.

xxx

Half an hour later, Bowen was able to stagger back to the fire that Draco had relit against the early dawn chill. Bowen sat cross-legged with a low maon, an arm wrapped around his aching stomach and the other held his head as he sat hunched over, absolutlely miserable.

"...Bowen?"

"*moan* huh?"

Draco grimaced at Bowen's hoarse voice, "Anything I can do?"

Bowen coughed roughly, "Don't eat anywhere near me." A low moan followed the statement as Bowen stood and returned to the tree line.

Soon enough the sound of the knight heaving again made it to Draco's ears.

xxx

It was midday when the light doze Draco had slipped into was broken by a soft snort from Bowen's stallion, the knight slowly saddling the horse and fastening his armor on the saddle instead of himself.

"How are you feeling?" Draco asked gently and stood as Bowen mounted.

"Been worse," Bowen snapped testily, "gonna head to the next village with an inn for the night; see if a softer bed will settle my stomach."

Draco nodded, usually Bowen's hangovers consisted of an hour or two of snapping and muttering curses, today the going on six hour ailment was not only abnormal, but extremely uncomfortable for Bowen.

xxx

Draco glided above Bowen, choosing to stay with the man instead of scouting ahead. Bowen's arms were nearly limp at his sides as he held the reins, mostly letting the horse amble along without much direction.

Before Draco could even blink a few seconds after the horse and rider had stopped on a narrow bridge, the knight began to hunch forward over the horse's neck, and soon he was sliding off.

The dragon dove from the air and scooped up the horse with the sick Bowen, only a semi shocked response from the stallion, he'd grown all too used to Draco's methods. Draco hadn't planned on a horse-scoop maneuver today, but seeing as Bowen was fighting for conciousness in his grip...

"Bowen?"

It took several minutes of Draco circling the bridge in a wide, slow circle before Bowen was able to answer with a low moan.

"Any suggestions" The dragon asked uneasily as he drifted towards a section of woods with a wide but shallow, glittering creek; Bowen's fever-flushed cheek rest against the dragon's wrist heavily.

Bowen must have seen the water as well since he stirred enough from his stricken daze and the heat from his fever left Draco's wrist briefly.

"Head North, follow Wayman's Creek."

Draco sighed softly when Bowen moaned after speaking loudly and probably uncomfortably, but the dragon complied, trying to keep his flying smooth.

Another set of several tense minutes followed when Bowen remained deadly silent and led the already edgy Draco to really hope the man hadn't passed out.

Bowen suddenly stiffened as an isolated cottage and barnyard came into view in the middle of a large clearing in the woods.

"There."

Draco stiffened suddenly in the sky, his wings jerking on air and making Bowen lurch in the saddle; even the stallion reacted with a loud whinny.

A pair palomino (gold) horses in the farm's pasture called back to the horse in the sky, a man and a woman exited the lodge and glance around before looking up at Draco's flapping form.

The dragon hadn't been shocked at the sudden stop or the fact that Bowen was risking showing the dragon the hopefully people who could help.

Draco reacted to instinctual recognition of dragon slayers...

She watched with bated breath, the patience and tense form of a natural huntress.

He shifted slightly, barely noticeable beside her. Just a prepartory twitch of his finger to make sure the muscles were perfectly ready to clutch a weapon.

The dragon was massive.

Easily over forty feet long, most likely close to twenty feet at the height of his shoulders.

She hadn't seen that glorious coloring in years, and that was saying something.

She didn't know what to do, the dragon would throw a huge fight and there was no way she was risking her own home, now if they could lure him away...

The dragon didn't seem to notice though, he too was uneasy.

The huge copper landed a little awkwardly, the horse in his clutches seeming to be perfectly at ease with the beast.

The horse's rider on the other hand...

Was falling off the saddle even with the dragon's talon's (as long as her arm) gently supporting the man...

She minutely narrowed her eyes to focus on the man a second longer than she normally would have dared take her eyes off the dragon, something about how his black tunic fell on his muscular shoulders and arms...

Or it was the raggedy leather surcoat lain across the armor tied to the back of the saddle with the emblem showing off proudly, and warningly.

The man beside her noticed it too, the ever so faint hitch in his breathing the only indication of his recognition.

The two humans and the dragon stood tensed, none of them wanting to move, but the other man couldn't wait...

xxx

Draco grimaced internally as Bowen moaned loudly and slumped heavily against the dragon's paw, he was fighting not only to remain awake but now also for breath.

This time, Draco did hear the other man's gasp as a reaction, he visibly stiffened and semi-crouched lower, instinctively protecting his softer underbelly, and in turn Bowen.

A low growl started building in his throat, deepening in his chest as a warning no one should take lightly.

The man moved his hand slowly behind him to grab a dagger, Draco could tell just by how his arm tightened in response to grabbing the hilt, he'd had way too much experience.

Bowen groaned, this time shifting feebly, "Shuddup dragon."

The phrase may have been said with a hoarse, weak voice, but the command was strong.

The woman startled at the sound, then stupidly relaxed her guard as Draco's tail swung agitatedly.

"Bowen you ass! What the hell didya do now?"

Another groan was her answer and she stepped forward quickly, only for Draco to actually lunge and snap at her.

The other man tackled her to the ground just in time.

"Leave...'em be...Draco."

Bowen's voice was too weak to carry anymore, and the dragon was even straining to hear him.

A slight hiss was the dragon's 'are you sure' reply.

Bowen grunted an affirmative, and the dragon turned a sigh of acknowledgement into a low, dangerous snarl as he gently eased Bowen fully onto the ground and jumped into the air, quickly disappearing into the sky and sun.

xxx

The lady jumped to her feet the second the dragon was in the air, though that was stupid and had cost others their lives she didn't care.

She stopped quick and kneeled beside the ill Bowen, he gave her a faint smile, his hand reaching up to gently stroke her cheek as she clutched at his hand.

The man crouched beside her looking over the knight with a hunter's critical gaze, "Doesn't look like you got beat up."

Bowen let a short laugh out, barely able to suppress the following coughs, "Boromir, I was wondering when I would see you again if not in Hell."

"Sshh Bowen," The lady soothed as Bowen slid into a coughing fit, "Let's get you taken care of and then you have some explaining to do."

Boromir eased Bowen up and slung an arm over his shoulders, taking most of the knight's weight with ease.

Bowen suddenly seized up just before reaching the lodge door, collapsing out of Boromir's grip and starting into dry, body spasming heaves.

The lady was instantly at his side again, holding his tangled hair from his face and gently stroking his fever-flushed cheeks.

"I'm here my brother."