Disclaimer: I want a knight and a dragon...don't have one
Oh, like my Dragonheart: A New Age, this is partly book-verse as well.
This time when Bowen woke up, Draco was already up, had eaten, started a fire, left food for Bowen, and was now lazily flying on the sea breeze. The knight chuckled and did as the dragon implied and ate heartily, then cleaned up the campsite and saddled his horse with his bags and weapons.
Draco landed with a rough shake of his scales, the mud brown color gone and everything gleaming. "Ready?"
"Yep."
XXXXXX
Kara sighed and gently swatted at the white doe, the goat had found it amusing to chew her dress and it was irritating.
Hewe growled as he stood with the full milk bucket, "Now I know you're completely mad, you want us to follow you and a 'priest' against Einon." Annoyance heavily lacing his words.
"Yes."
"To Hell more likely." Hewe snarled testily.
"But this time we can win you don't understand."
"I don't want to understand, I understand this, I understand six years in the quarry…I don't need to understand."
Kara sighed again frustrated, "I know, believe me, I know what you've been through Hewe, but this time we've been joined…"
"Only a fool would be mad enough to join with you." The man snapped interrupting her and walked away to the fence line and set down his bucket.
"Oh Hewe, you're not listening to what I'm saying!"
"I don't want to listen!" Hewe growled and hefted a shovel to knock some sense into the babbling girl's head, "I've had enough of your mischief, now get…"
Ssswwishsh…Thwump!
An arrow embedded itself in the shovel as the shooter came charging over the far hill, black cloak and armor gleaming, deep bay horse shining, the knight radiated honor and courage as he thundered up to them.
Kara smiled the second she met the man's deep blue eye, earning a wink from Bowen, "Save your strength for the fight against Einon."
Hewe glared with his one eye, "There isn't any fight against Einon." Irritation coming back now that the initial shock was gone.
Bowen smirked, "I'm going to start one."
"Oh?" Hewe sneered, "You and what army knight?"
Bowen's smirk vanished and he gave Kara a knowing wink before nudging his horse into a canter, he reached the top of the hill and raised his bow to the setting sun.
Kara's heart soared as the familiar and distinct flapping came over the hill just a second before Draco's massive form rose from behind the hill, copper scales shining and black ones throwing deep shadows. The dragon was illuminated by the sun in a fiery blaze…
XXXXX
Later that night
Kara smiled as she walked closer to where Draco had retreated after nearly scaring her village, (again), out of their minds. The dragon lay curled in a sort of depression in the tree line near the pond in the center of the village. A soft snort was the only greeting she received, but Kara knew Draco was happy to see her, she could feel his faint humming through her hand as she petted his nose.
Kara laughed a little, "What took you so long?"
Draco gave a low chuckle, "Had to deal with a few other things first."
Kara frowned a little; Draco didn't usually keep his voice down even if others were sleeping unless they were right near him.
"You don't have to keep quiet, anyone nearby listening in, if they even dare, probably could care less."
Draco shook his head, but lazily stretched a huge wing out, the long length going right in between the two huts Draco was behind, (Hewe's and Kara's father's to be exact) and even reaching out into the village center slightly.
Kara raised her eyebrows, impressed; "What?" The dragon not only could feign innocence perfectly, he had yet to cease amazing Kara.
She shook her head, "Just…sometimes I forget how big you are compared to everything else, almost like you're my height or at least like Bowen's stallion, then you go and do something like lift a horse and a mule with riders and everything right into the air and fly for several dozen miles…or stretch a wing out that's nearly as long as my entire village."
Draco blushed as Bowen came around a corner and ducked under the unfolded wing, "It's not that long…"
Kara chuckled and blushed herself as Bowen's smile sent butterflies to her stomach, "I wondered where you two had disappeared."
The knight smiled, the expression reaching across his face and even in the dark, Kara could see his dark blue-gray eyes shine.
Kara's blush deepened as she looked down with a half giddy smile.
Neither of them noticed Draco fold his wing to his side as he stood casually; the dragon's tail gently nudged Kara forward slightly and then bumped Bowen a bit harder.
The pair stumbled into each other, completely ignorant of Draco's departure into the woods, both lost in each other's eyes.
XXXX
Plans for the fight began first thing the next morning, and two days later, training, supplies gathering, recruiting...etc. were in full swing.
Archery Practice & Training
Tents were going up all around them, old ladies and younger girls were fletching arrows behind them.
Many of the men stood in a line in front of straw and wooden target dummies.
Bowen stood with a half-disbelief frown on his face and a smirk on his face that only a teacher talking to a nervous student could have.
Brother Gilbert stood beside him with a bow and arrow, held with slightly shaking hands.
"You have never drawn a bow in you life? In anger or in practice." The knight said this with a tone of mild interest.
"No."
Bowen's hands rested on his hips casually, "Draw your bow. Sight along the arrow. Release."
The arrow thunked into to wooden head, right between the eyes.
Bowen's gaze was confident and reassuring as Brother Gilbert and Hewe looked at the arrow with a bit of confusion.
Hewe scowled, "Beginner's luck, try again."
The monk nodded submissively, and drew the bow back after knocking another arrow, his grip quivered with the strength needed to hold back the taut string, but he managed.
Bowen glanced once at the arrow in the dummy's head, then shifted his gaze back to the friar, "Steady."
Ssswwisssh...thunk!
Right in the crotch.
Bowen smiled, "Brother Gilbert," A brotherly hand clapped the monk's shoulder, "You're a natural."
Hewe stood confused for a second as Bowen handed the position of Archery teacher over to the bear, the knight walking away to supervise another training session elsewhere.
xx
Kara grunted with the exertion of swinging the battle axe to hit the log chained up, one swing sent her falling and she stumbled to stay up right.
Bowen had stopped behind her to watch, his voice piercing the noise of the camp, "Easy." The tone nearly a low growl, sending Kara's stomach into knots.
"Here," The knight gently, but firmly gripped her elbow and wrist, guiding the limb into the proper form as his torso conformed to her back. Bowen's knees adjusted her thighs, the knight seemingly becoming her.
"Widen your stance." The pair moved together into the correct stance, Kara immediately felt her weight shift and as Bowen raised the axe and her arm, it felt like an extension to her arm, not a heaving, cumbersome tool.
"Up." They moved the axe up.
"Down." The axe swung down, Bowen's arm guiding how she moved, his body rocking hers in time to the motion.
"Up." This time Bowen's arm slackened enough for Kara to do some of the work, but his steady grip remained as the movement made them rock back slightly.
"Down." Again they moved together, Kara's balance already greatly improved.
"One."
"Fluid"
"Stroke."
The passion and drive in Bowen's voice made Kara glance at him slightly, they both realized what they were doing, (mainly how they were standing) and stepped away.
Kara glanced at the axe in her hand, almost completely natural in her hand, "This could...cleave a man's skull."
It was a sort of questioning statement as Bowen took the axe from her, his knowing gaze filled with the familiar confidence and assurance Kara had come to enjoy seeing since he and Draco had arrived and started the preparations.
A small step back and mighty heave was Bowen's initial reply, the axe sailing cleanly through the air and missing other people by inches.
With a whoosh it spun and sank up to its hilt in an orange squash with a satisfying squelch.
Bowen smiled, "Like a pudding."
Kara watched as the knight walked away to go onto his next task, she followed slightly, her gaze locked on the knight as he rendered her speechless, and nearly breathless.
Her gaze unconciously drifted down his retreating form, before she snapped out of her distraction and went to go find Draco, at least she knew he could calm her without making accusations like many of the women in the village would upon seeing her flushed face and half dreamy gaze.
Mostly Bowen/Kara in this one, it'll be a combo one next time around, well...what do you think?