Flight of Dragons(73)
“Feel free.”
“Finding her was the easy part. Getting her back is where things get complicated. Now, before I tell you this next bit, keep your mind open, because this is the point in the story where I lost my lord’s confidence.”
Eadlin sighed. “Yes, yes. Get on with it.”
“She’s being held prisoner by a dragon…” Walter paused, waiting for the inevitable outburst of disbelief. It didn’t come. “You believe me?”
“Of course. Now hurry up, this just got interesting.”
“Well, the dragon also takes human form. I don’t know what makes him switch between dragon and man, but I’ve only ever seen it happen when he enters and leaves his room. Inside the room he’s human, outside, he’s not.”
Eadlin nodded and motioned for him to hurry up and continue.
“I’m sorry, after the day I’ve had, I’m finding it difficult to understand how easily you are accepting all that I have to say.”
“Look, I know I’ve always been considered one of the more peculiar residents of Iron Hill, but part of being odd is being open to believing in the strange and unusual. Now hurry up, the day’s wasting.”
“He read aloud a prophesy from a piece of parchment that told him what was necessary to become human and I think he’s misinterpreted it. He understood it to mean that Greymoor’s woman was the only one who could help him change.”
Eadlin leaned forward. “What exactly was the prophesy?”
“The dragon will give way to the man only when he’s drawn the virgin’s blood of a flame-haired woman.”
Eadlin slowly reached up and touched her hair. “And you thought the aging red-headed virgin would make the perfect martyr to the dragon, did you?”
“No, no, not at all. I thought you would be open to the possibility of spending your life with a man more your own age.
“I won’t lie to you. He has a vicious temper. But I also saw a tender side to him that he doesn’t show to the outside world. I could be very wrong, but I think jealousy and frustration are what spark his temper, which I think gets away from him when he’s in dragon form. Again, I could be very wrong, and I can only speak to what I saw and heard. There is no doubt that he has mistreated Freya in the past. And I will never condone that, but I can understand how his anger could flow when he thought Greymoor had ruined what he thought was his one and only chance at disposing of the dragon for good.”
“So, you want me to lose my virginity to an angry dragon on the off-chance he might turn into a nice man so Lord Greymoor and this Freya woman can have their happily ever after?”
“Well… there is one more complication I haven’t mentioned yet. There is a child.”
“Of course there is. Greymoor and Freya’s child, I assume.”
“Yes.”
Eadlin stood and wandered around the room, then stopped in front of the window. She stared through the glass for a long time before returning to her seat. “I need to know more about this dragon-man before I can give you an answer.”
“What do you need to know?”
“Just one thing, really. That he won’t keep me prisoner and take his anger out on me if the prophesy doesn’t hold true.”
A reasonable request, to be sure. And while he had no idea how to go about getting such an answer for her, he was going to his best to figure one out.
“Thank you, Eadlin. Truly. Even if this doesn’t happen, the fact that you are willing to consider it is beyond generous.”
“Don’t take too long, Walter. I’m not getting any younger, and even if I say yes, this man might decide I’m too old even if we are a similar age.”
“I’ll do my best. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Eadlin started to rise, but Walter held up his hand. “No, don’t get up. I can see myself out.”
***
Freya stared in disbelief from her corner as the beast silently moved piece after piece of furniture into her prison. This was the first time he’d ever shown any kind of real compassion towards her and Daisy. Well, that wasn’t quite true. He’d given them a blanket and a pillow the night before.
By the time he finally left, still having said nothing, they had a table, two chairs, and a bed with a thick mattress. She was exhausted from her long night and dying to test the bed out to see if it was as soft and comfortable as it looked. But she was still very wary of the beast and didn’t trust that this wasn’t a trick of some sort.
Daisy wasn’t so cautious. Shortly after the beast locked the door, the child flung herself on the bed and began to jump. Not wanting to ruin the her fun, Freya stood guard at the door, ready to throw herself on the beast’s mercy.