Chapter 6

There was a sound, it was rhythmic and slow. What was that sound? Cináed could barely hear it. It was following him, no, he was making it. Cináed cursed his muddled mind. Why couldn’t he think clearly, was it the exhaustion… was it the weight? He could feel it pushing him down, straining against his shoulders. He began to piece together the mystery of the sound even through the fog of his thoughts. The sounds he heard were the sloshes and pops of feet moving through mud. He stopped to listen; the sound also stopped. Right, Cináed thought, he was making the sound. What a mistake he had made, now he had to get moving again. He tried to move his feet, but they refused. He had to move, to start again, to make the sound. Cináed focused on the sound, he willed the sound to return, he needed to hear the rhythmic noise. And as his ears picked up the now-familiar sound, Cináed forgot what was making it.

.....

Mary was furious and that made her feel horrible. She was mad that the no-good traders and guards who she had been with for two months had left her there in the road. She was mad that bandits would dare attack a merchant caravan on a road that was supposed to be “Safe”. She was mad that there were living dragons and she had never met any before. She was mad that her short time away from home was going to be cut even shorter. And she felt horrible because none of that compared to losing one’s home and parents.

Her mind went back to the dragon, its unwavering eyes that told of years of cunning and calculation. A dragon, creatures of such myth, frightened even the greatest of kings. Their overwhelming longevity gives them the wisdom of ages to draw upon, not to mention their raw strength. What it could be to know the mind of such a being, but that would probably be dangerous. She had no doubt her own mind wouldn’t be able to handle the truths that only dragons could know. The only question she truly had was why this great and mighty dragon was named Wisely.

When Mary asked Cináed about the dragon’s, name he had just laughed. It was the only time she had seen him smile yet. She understood, grief was strange in so many ways and although some claimed to know its secrets, she suspected no one ever really experienced it the same way. After all, it had obviously made Cináed far too familiar with the dangerous dragon. He should be careful not to anger such a being. He had even called it “his dragon.”

Then there was that infuriating knight. She wanted to tell him just who she was so she could make him apologize, but she couldn’t. For some reason she didn’t quite understand, after waking up to Cináed’s soft sad smile that was full of concern and lingering grief, she didn’t want to. Not that she cared what the rude knight thought but she liked how Cináed treated her so earnestly, no hidden motives at all. That would surely change if he knew.

Mary’s father, the Earl of Winrest had recently gained favor with the king and was moving their family to live at the king’s court. Mary didn’t want to go; she had argued that she needed to both see the lands they ruled and understand its economics. Her mother thought it unnecessary; her father wanted her to be present at court.

“Half of power is being present when decisions are made,” he said giving her the I am making this up on the fly but if it sounds good, I’m going to run off and repeat it to your brother face. “It is why our invitation is so prestigious. Anyone not present, no matter how powerful, has no way to give their option to the king. For example, if you are never at court, you will never likely meet the prince, the prince will never find you attractive or interesting, he will never talk to the king about you and the king will never talk to me about the two of you. Now it might not happen even if you see the prince daily, but it definitely will not happen if you are not present.”

Mary had commented on how the prince’s marriage would be out of his control, but her father had a counter for that, “If you were a commoner, I would agree. If there were a foreign nation we were looking to gain close ties to, I would agree, but neither are true and, given your status, the prince’s opinion would certainly matter. Besides, that was only an example, you will meet many important people at court and in the capital”

So, Mary had compromised; she had bought half a year of relative freedom in exchange for years of relative captivity. The worst part was with what Wildemere claimed about the signs of orcs in the land, bandits bold enough to attack armed caravans, and now an actual dragon. She was never going to be set free again.

As Wildemere brought his horse to a stop up ahead, Mary brought the wagon she was driving to a stop in the camping spot he had chosen. Why did she have to go back so soon, no one knew where she was to fetch her. The annoying knight had said they were going to see the king, she could stay with them. What safer company could there be for her to travel with. Her parents would probably be worried, but they would know she was alive after she dropped off the wagons in Arradon. Besides, she could enjoy her freedom and maybe even earn the favor of a mighty dragon.

Climbing down off her wagon, Mary looked behind it at Cináed as he removed the improvised harness Wisely had been using to pull the other wagon. His sad eyes drew her own, he didn’t cry or pretend to be happy. It was sad resignation; he gave a smile, clearly forced, and Mary decided that he would look quite nice if his smile was genuine. She had enjoyed the laughter from their conversation about the dragon. Decision made, Mary set off to at least try and bring back his smile before their travels together came to an end.

.....

The setting sun was warm on Wisely’s scales, they no longer shined like a mirror’s surface, yet the sun warmed them anyway. Both Mary and Cináed appeared to be avoiding Wildemere. Wildemere wasn’t Wisely’s favorite human ether, after all who introduced themselves by attacking. It reminded him of a time when flights of dragons would fight armies of men. It was strange how the ages passed. One moment dragons and riders were the pinnacle of power and importance, then neither race could kill enough of the other. That was how humans and dragons were the same; change was inevitable, greed a leading leash, and peace a time to prepare for war.

If he had been a young dragon, Wisely might have considered that he could bring back the golden age of dragons and riders. Undo change and its ally - time’s actions. His example would bring out his fellow dragons to once again find their own riders. It would be difficult, most dragons resented losing to humans in ages past. Yet, he could rally the young and sway them to his cause. But he was too old now, and only recently did he gain the wisdom to finally realize what was important. The best years of his life, the ones worth fighting for, were anathema to what most dragons treasured. The best years he had ever known were on a farm watching a boy of a different species grow into a man. And Wisely wished that his younger self could have known this truth. He would not have so much regret if he had.