Page 20 of Redeeming the Dragon

Chapter 10

The questions plagued me long into the night until I finally fell asleep. At this point, sheer exhaustion had taken over, disrupting fear and silencing inquiries. Inquiries to which there would be no immediate answer. Repeatedly, I considered awakening the dragon, the man, and demanding why he was there and for what purpose. I found, especially considering the wild events of the past couple of days, that I lacked the courage.

Instead, as time passed, I wound up slumping onto my side of the bed, seeking a position of comfort in the pillows and blankets. While my bedfellow slept, I carefully worked myself into the covers, then lay there staring at the ceiling, debating how my life had come to this impasse. Finally, my eyelids closed. When I awakened, morning had arrived. Or, so I assumed. It was not as though I had natural daylight or darkness to guide my sleeping and waking. When my eyes did open, I hastily turned my head towards the opposite side of the bed but found it empty.

Had I dreamt the entire matter? Hallucinated it through fear and weariness?

No. When I ran a palm over the mattress, I felt the subtle indent of another body. The mussed sheets and blankets, as well as the dip in the pillow, told me I was not mistaken.

The dragon, altered into a man, had lain there the night before. He’d not assaulted me. Offered no words to claim me. Had done nothing, in fact, except lay beside me and sleep.

Why?

That is the question, isn’t it?I asked myself, climbing off the bed. I glanced around the stony bedchamber and shivered. Although there were no windows to judge daylight, the entire room was now lit with a subtle glow, announcing that, somewhere in Aerisia, dawn had broken. I felt immensely relieved to be alive, considering the terror I’d endured the last few days, but I also felt sad. I missed my family and my home. Gladly would I exchange rough rock walls and mysterious illumination for the golden beaches of the Jeweled Isles, warmed by the bright sunshine. I wanted to hear the gentle roll of the ocean surf, smell the scents of water, sand, and fish, and feel the mist of the ocean spray on my face.

No such luck.

Instead, I went to the washroom. Rather than feel the spray of the ocean on my face, I splashed my skin with water from the rock, which was cold, clean, and smelled of stone and forgotten places. Afterward, I cleaned my teeth with toiletries from my bag, then used the scrap of towel I’d found neatly stacked on a rock shelf in the corner to wipe down my body. Lastly, I slipped into a change of fresh clothing taken from the wardrobe in the corner.

The clothing was simple. A tunic over leggings, tied about the waist with a bright sash. I’d simply grabbed the first outfit my hands landedon, but after dressing, I went back to examine the interior of the wardrobe further. My eyes grazed the clothing, landing on something more interesting. A pile of light blue satin fabric, carefully folded and placed on the topmost shelf. I’d not noticed it last night. Now, I pulled it out, frowning at the oddity of such beautiful fabric in this rough abode.

Why is this here?I wondered, running my fingertips over the smooth material, relishing the feel against my skin. It was truly lovely, yet seemed out of place in the dank cavern.

The seamstress in me, who did the family mending, stitched light blankets, embroidered shirts, and occasionally enjoyed weaving, ached to create something lovely with it.

Well,I thought, folding it neatly and placing it back on the shelf with a modicum of regret,unless the dragon or the man appears with tasks for me to perform or an adventure to go on, I’ll likely have the time.

Considering the fear, the terror, and the unexplained magic I’d endured the past few days, one might have supposed I would relish peace, quiet, and solitude. However, too much peace, quiet, and solitude can quickly grow wearisome.

That first morning in my new home, following the discovery of the beautiful fabric, I retraced my footsteps until I located the dining room where I’d eaten dinner. There, alone in the vast hall, I consumed a solitary breakfast of bread, cheese, and an unfamiliar fruit—different from the fruit we ate on the Jeweled Isles—musing over the strangeness of my life. My needs, it seemed, were to besupplied by invisible magical servants—or simply by the cave’s magic. The entire place reeked of magic.

I quickly learned the walls would glow brighter during what I assumed were daylight hours, and dim during the night, creating an artificial environment mimicking the world above. Three meals a day would appear for me on the long table in the dining room, and if I happened to become hungry in the meantime, an array of non-perishable food items would appear on the sideboard. Biscuits, cookies, sweetbread, dried meat, dried fruit, and the like.

I never lacked drink, for, as in my washroom, water emerged from holes in the walls, filled shallow troughs and basins, and whisked itself away into holes opposite from where it had entered. I could use it to drink water, wash myself, and wash my clothing.

Did I explore my surroundings? Aye, I did, but I could only wander so far because the illumination in the walls only went so far. If I ventured further than permitted, the lights would fade out. Trapped in total blackness, I dared not advance. I found candles in one of the chests lining the walls in the dining hall, chests containing a variety of simple household utensils—nothing special. However, when I tried lighting the candles to help my exploring, it did no good. The magic of the place was too strong. When I attempted to carry a candle beyond the glow of the rocks, a sly wind would snuff it out. I tried this method several times before surrendering. The magic would not permit me to go further than the boundaries the dragon had set.

And what of the dragon, the man? What of my mysterious prison lord? Why had he brought me here? Certainly, it was not to devour me. Several days slipped by, judging by the lighting and dimming of the cavern’s lighted glows. I did not see the dragon again. But each night…

Each night…

I climbed into bed, determined to stay awake and confront the man who visited my bed. However, he arrived so late that I always fell asleep before I could challenge him. Inevitably, at some point, I’d awaken with a start in the midst of the night. I’d twist my head to the side, or roll over…and there was just enough illumination to see a form lying beside me. Although I would strain to pick out his features in the gloom, all I could see was the gentle rise and fall of his chest, a dark smudge on the pillow that I supposed was his hair, and the length of his body, which seemed much longer than mine.

One evening—the fifth, I think, after I’d been brought to my new home—I finally worked up the courage to speak to him again. By this point, I was dubious, yet curious. I lay there squinting in the gloom, going over everything I knew of the man and the dragon, my mind concocting wild theories as to why I was there and what he wanted with me.

Was I to be his bride? Bear his child?

I half-snorted at the folly. No marriage ceremony had been performed, and, I might know little of men, but if he wished me to bear him a child, he’d certainly have to do more than sleep beside me. Not that I wished him to do more, of course, but that was the point. It made no sense. Why terrify myself, my family, and my entire island with a stupendous show of magic and power, only to bring me here for…this? To live alone in a cool, quiet cave, tended by invisible magical servants during the day, and to sleep beside him at night?

It was nonsensical.

I would have to confront him. I’d no notion of how it would go. Would he be angry? Would he shapeshift into his dragon form and devour me? Beathe dragon fire on me and incinerate me? Likely not, I decided. I was pacing the floor of my bedchamber, wearing a simplenightshift, my long hair bound in a braid. I was not wringing my hands with nervousness, but I was rubbing them anxiously.

No need to shapeshift into his dragon form to kill me. He could retain his human form and do the job just as well. Although, when he is a man, I stand a better chance of fighting him off.

Fighting him off. Would I have to fight him off? Would he attack me? Perhaps I ought to take a weapon to bed with me.

A weapon. A weapon,I thought, pausing to glance about the stone bedchamber for something with which to defend myself.A weapon. What sort of weapon is available?

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