Deal With Me
Jack Wellington was distinctly uncomfortable as the slivers of sunlight danced through the corners of the curtain. He groaned before readjusting his long limbs, but in spite of his weariness, he just couldn't get comfortable again. Long fingers searched for something to cuddle against, but could only find a pillow that was chill with disuse.
Although it was the last thing he wanted to do, he gave a long stretch like a cat before easing himself out of bed. Even in his half-sleeping stupor, he was careful to avoid waking the white dog sleeping next to his side of the bed.
Yawning tiredly, he exited his bedroom, made his way to the kitchen, and wrapped his arms around his wife from behind. "There now," he sighed while resting his head on her long red hair. "This is what I was missing."
The tall woman managed a soft laugh, turning her head just enough to kiss him. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."
"Pumpkin pancakes?" he asked hopefully, even though he could tell by the smell they were ordinary ones.
"Afraid not. I wish they sold canned pumpkin year round, or Mrs. Tremaine would let us grow some to enjoy ourselves, but we have to make do," Sally recited tiredly, since this was far from the first or last time they had lamented the lack of pumpkins on the island at any time other than the expected two months of the year.
They did try to compensate and store up, but they were hardly the only people that enjoyed pumpkin and tried to do the same.
Jack nodded miserably, tightening his hold on her while burying his face in her long hair again. "You know, we don't have to get up this early. It's the weekend."
Sally sighed tiredly. "Sorry, dear. … I just had a… dream. I'm trying to decide whether or not to be worried about it."
Jack raised an eyebrow at her before rescuing the syrup from boiling over. "Why don't you tell me about it? You don't get dreams very often."
His wife nodded, her large eyes still distant. "It was about a dragon. A huge black one that breathed green fire."
Jack brightened at the idea. "Please go on."
"… I think there were knights around its feet," Sally offered while flipping a pancake. "They had spears and swords but were afraid to attack. The dragon was angry, trying to fend them off with the green fire and a terrible roar."
Jack couldn't resist a stupid grin at the mental image. "So who won?"
Sally moved one pancake from griddle to waiting plate. "… I couldn't see very well, everything was blurred. But then a white wolf came out of nowhere with a rider on its back. I think it was a girl because of the high ponytail, but I'm not completely sure."
Jack hummed while adding cherry flavoring to the syrup before a few drops of red food coloring, just because he could. "I want to ask if it was Arista or one of her sisters, but the only one that might be reckless enough for that is Ariel."
"It wasn't one of the Havets," Sally insisted without hesitation. "This ponytail was too short and thin to be one of them, and the body was scrawny compared to them."
Jack concentrated while pouring the syrup into a tiny pitcher. "I have to admit I'm drawing a blank. But go on."
Sally flipped the last of the pancakes off the skillet, turned off the stovetop, and switched the plate to the little table they had all their meals on. "I saw her let go of the wolf's fur with one hand to shout something as the wolf carried her to the dragon. I couldn't catch the words, but she sounded scared."
"Well, when you're being taken to a dragon, who wouldn't be?" Jack couldn't resist laughing but stopped when his wife slowly looked up at him with haunted eyes.
"It wasn't that kind of scare. Think about how the town children act when Ms. Skal or the mayor is walking the same street as them. That girl was acting like the dragon was the only one that could keep her safe, though I don't want to think about what she needed protection from a dragon for."
Jack blinked but still eased his wife's chair out as usual. "How did the dragon react to that?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
Sally sunk into the chair while shaking her head with bewilderment. "The dragon stopped breathing fire and wouldn't look at anyone but the girl. As soon as the wolf was close enough, she hopped off it and ran at the dragon with her arms out. The dragon lowered its head so that she could hug it, and then…"
"And then?" he asked eagerly while sitting across from her.
"… Everything was fine. I don't know how to explain it," Sally confessed helplessly. "But as soon as the dragon accepted her hug around the muzzle, all the noise, the chaos… it just vanished. The soldiers meant nothing compared to what she did."
Jack frowned while splitting the pancake stack between them, making sure to give her the extra. "It would take a pretty brave girl to hug a dragon on the rampage."
"It wasn't on a rampage, I think," Sally corrected with a frown. "It was staying in one place and didn't want to move, but the soldiers wouldn't leave it alone." She moved the extra pancake to his plate, as usual.
Jack carefully thought over what to say before buttering his pancakes, using the knife to return the extra back to her. "I won't deny you the right to dream whatever you want, my love, but please think about how the town treats poor Bruno when he tries to talk about his dreams."
"Poor Bruno," Sally agreed, since he really was a nice man. "I only told you because you're my husband and best friend. But I can't shake the feeling that the dream is important."
He smiled lovingly at her before reaching across the little table to hold her tiny hand in his long fingers. "If it's any comfort, dragons are a bit scarce around here. We don't have so much as a werewolf on our tiny-"
Someone started banging on their front door. And from the insistent rhythm, both of them knew who it was.
"It's too early for him," Jack groaned while forcing himself to get up as Zero padded out of the bedroom, also looking annoyed.
"You could tell him we're-" Sally started before cutting herself off with a frown. "No, he'll just invite himself to breakfast again."
Jack spent the little time it took to walk between his kitchen and the front door thinking of a good reason to send the man away while sneaking a few scratches to his dog's long white ears. He knew better than to ignore the knock; if he didn't answer it in a certain amount of time, the man outside would start looking through windows.
Learning from previous 'visits', Jack firmly planted one foot in the door's path before opening it a few inches. "Good morning, Mayar," he greeted, secretly grateful that he didn't have to fake a yawn and that he was still in his pajamas.
"Jack, you'll never believe the good news!" the short man beamed while trying to storm in.
The tall thin man immediately wished he had put on shoes before putting his foot in the door's path, especially since the ensuing pain granted Mayar access to his home.
Sally wasted no time rushing to her husband's side and helping him to the closest chair. "It better be worth injuring my husband," she informed the intruder with a certain coldness as Zero began growling at him.
Mayar's wide grin had instantly turned into a horrified frown. "Well, how was I to know he'd put his foot there?" But the grin turned up again once Jack was sitting. "And besides, it is worth being told immediately, I just knew you'd want to be the first to know, Jack!"
"Just… tell me," Jack hissed between clenched teeth, more to get the town gossip out of his house than anything else.
"I found out why Ms. Pheasant's been taking all those trips off the island. She just came back with a girl!"
Jack momentarily forgot about his foot and reached over to soothe his angry dog so he could hear better. "Please clarify."
Mayar's grin managed to get even bigger at the permission to speak. "Ms. Pheasant must have finally caught on that she's got no one to share that big house with other than that monster of a dog, so she went out and adopted a girl from somewhere else!"
Sally and Jack quickly looked at each other with pale faces.
"Oh dear, I hate to think of a little girl living in the middle of the inner forest with no neighbors to play with," Sally stated with worry, but her eyes were locked on Mayar.
"Oh no, she's not a little girl," the man laughed before thinking. "It is strange that Ms. Pheasant chose a teenager. I mean, the most she'd have with a girl that age is a handful of years before she can go anywhere she wants. But Cherry really likes her," he remembered with bafflement. "It's so strange; I don't have a single memory of that brute without him glaring or snarling at someone when Ms. Pheasant brings him into town, but he was acting like an overgrown puppy around that girl!"
A shudder ran up Jack's spine as he rubbed his bald head in thought with one hand and rubbed Zero's with the other. He gave another quick glance to his wife, who nodded her silent agreement through a terrified expression.
Cherry was all too easy to confuse for a white wolf. It was a wonder they hadn't thought of him before.
"What did this teenager look like?" Jack tried to ask casually, but Mayar waved his hand dismissively.
"Oh, she's a scrawny thing with brown hair and brown eyes. What's important is that she had a sweet voice and smile when she said good morning to me just a little while ago at the dock!"
Jack blamed the early hour for only now understanding why Mayar was so convinced that Jack needed to be the first to be told. "… She automatically outranks the Tremaines."
"As Ms. Pheasant's new daughter, she outranks everybody," Sally breathed in appreciation.
"Jack, you have to convince her to try out for the play," Mayar begged with a now pathetic smile. "If I have to listen to one or both of the Tremaine girls butcher a performance until my ears bleed one more time, I'll throw myself out the nearest window! None of us can afford to skip attending the play, you know that!"
"That particular ban won't be necessary with a new lead." Jack glowed at the idea enough to stand up and limp while pacing, though he didn't feel the pain anymore. "Mrs. Tremaine wouldn't be able to force her will about attendance without answering to Ms. Pheasant, and nobody crosses Ms. Pheasant."
"Well, how would you fight against the woman that owns the whole town?" Mayar whined, making Jack and Sally lock eyes again, and nod in silent agreement.
If it was a coincidence, it was a little too convenient. But coincidence or not, Jack had every intention to milk it.
"Mayar, I need you to do me a little favor," Jack asked with a smile he didn't normally waste on the town gossip.
"Anything, Jack!" Mayar gleefully promised.
"Tell everyone that isn't connected to one of the Heads of the town. We want to make Ms. Pheasant's new daughter feel as welcome as possible. We want to show her that we are good, friendly people."
Mayar frowned, clearly not understanding why.
"I think that if she has a good opinion of us, she can make life better for all of us," Jack heavily hinted. "Or at least more bearable. We certainly wouldn't want to give her a reason to not take the reins from the Tremaine twins over more than the play."
Mayar's smile could have sent him to heaven. "I'll get started right now!" he promised, bustling out the door and shutting it behind him.
Jack was careful to listen for his footsteps to be a safe distance before sighing. "Too bad I can't use that one again."
Sally grabbed him and forced him back into his chair. "Stay right there, dear. I'll be back with your plate and some ice. But you realize what this means, don't you?" she begged with a wide smile.
Jack couldn't resist the impulse to take her face between his hands and kiss her soundly. "If we get lucky, this girl could very well be the only one to hug the closest thing we've got to a dragon and get away with it!"
This kind of news was more than worth cold pancakes.
xxXxx
This is a prequel to a whole story I'm planning for later.