《The Wise Old Dragon》


 Chapter 1 - Dragon in the Barn

    Cin¨¢ed Stopped. Looking down he tried to catch his breath yet, strangely, he seemed unable to. That was when he remembered the immense weight on his shoulders. With his mind foggy with pain and fatigue, it took him a minute to decide what to do and start rotating his head around to see what he was carrying. NO! His head whipped back quicker then he thought possible. Cin¨¢ed didn¡¯t know why he shouldn¡¯t look back, but he knew he had to keep looking forward. With a purpose he hadn¡¯t realized he had his feet started forward. He moved slowly confused and tired but confident this was his promise, he almost stumbled as his mind stopped. ¡°Promise?¡± he thought, ¡°Is that really the right word?¡± Yet, even though he questioned himself, certainty set in; yes, it was a promise and he was going to do it. With that revelation, a strange determination set in driving back the strain in his arms as his legs pushed harder against the ground and, for just a moment, he knew what was on his back and a shiver of fear overwhelmed him before he banished the thoughts deep into his mind and focused solely on his newly rediscovered purpose.


    ..¡­..


    Dragon in the Barn


    Cin¨¢ed stared down in dismay at the shovel in his hand, he was sure that his mother had found the absolute shortest shovel they had for him to muck out the chicken coop. So what if he was late for dinner, it wasn¡¯t his fault he was having so much fun in the woods. Didn¡¯t she understand he just needed to be free, disentangled from things like dinner. As he walked around the side of the barn heading out to the chicken coop he heard a strange sound from behind the barn door. It was as if someone was inside, but that couldn¡¯t be; he had just seen everyone at dinner, a dinner in fact that he wasn¡¯t eating. He felt his hand start to shake as it reached forward to grasp the latch and open the door. It swung open on old hinges and in a shaky voice he squeaked out a pleading question, ¡°Hello?¡±, then slightly louder and with more confidence, he managed to repeat, "Hello who''s in here?¡± Out of all the things his running imagination could come up with he did not expect a soft and tired answer, ¡°I am.¡±


    ..¡­..


    As old as he was there still seemed to be times where, more often than his wise old bones would like to admit, he was genuinely surprised. And this was one of those times, when the boy had entered the barn he was resting and he had not seen the harm in answering his simple question but, what had surprised him was that the boy, ever so young and nervous, had clearly heard his response. With a sigh that lasted an age, he stretched out his tail and began his routine of getting up. It was not a fast action for a dragon of his age to rise from rest. As his full frame came off the soft bed of hay his eyes alighted on the face of his disturber and he heard the boy once again speak.


    ¡°Who¡± the word was barely audible, but the dragon heard it loudly and almost answered, then the boy continued.


    "Who are you," he said with only slightly less shaking in his voice.


    ¡°I am a dragon," the old dragon responded knowing in his wise old years that this was not the answer the boy was looking for, but it was always best to let those who are confused formulate the right questions and wait patiently for them to do so.


    And so the dragon stood still and watched the boy as his face shifted from one expression to another and then another. The boy finally spoke again, and the dragon began to think of the wisest way to respond to the question he knew was coming, but the boy did not cooperate with the old dragon¡¯s preparations as he merely mumbled, ¡°that makes sense.¡±


    What does an old dragon say to that, no, what does a wise old dragon say to that? Standing there they both were lost in their own thoughts; the dragon trying to reestablish his image of wise and old with a slow and confusing response to astound the boy. The boy, on the other hand, was clearly struggling not to move, hoping beyond all hope that his hands did not fall off from the force of their tremble.


    ..¡­..


    An ear-piercing yell erupted from the house, Cin¨¢ed cringed knowing the source of the voice, it was his mother who had just now looked out the window to see the chicken coop empty. Cin¨¢ed looked up startled out of his thoughts and with hands that were strong and steady closed the small barn door while running to reach the chicken coop. He laid into his task with the speed of the desperate, knowing that at any moment his father would be sent to see how far he had gotten. It had to look as if he was well on his way and just had stepped out of sight for a second when his mother had looked. After all, these were dangerous times to be a boy, especially one who had been late for dinner.


    As Cin¨¢ed felt the familiarity of chores set in, he did what he always did when monotony arrived, he daydreamed. Yet, this time he thought of dragons and slowly his mind overcame its fear as old stories by the bedside came rushing in to occupy his mind. Stories about how dragons flew high in the sky, his mother used to tell of the bravest men who sometimes could rid the dragons, in the stories both man and beast became like one. What an idea, the shovel had fully stopped moving at this point and Cin¨¢ed¡¯s eyes shot straight up looking at the darkening sky. He could ride a dragon he was sure of it, and better yet he knew where a dragon was. His mind raced picturing a fearless and powerful young boy mounting the dark shape in the barn and flying over the trees far from the chores he knew would come tomorrow. Just him and the dragon.


    ¡°Cin¨¢ed¡± boomed a loud voice startling him out of his daydream. Fear set in, the coop was no were near as done as it should have been. Looking over his shoulder he put on a sheepish face hoping his look would instill pity from his father. The hard look that stared back at him did not support his hope.


    ¡°Cin¨¢ed what have you been doing out here," said his father in a fierce voice.


    ¡°I, well I got a little distracted by¡­ by an animal in the barn¡± Cin¨¢ed¡¯s voice had started small and scared but sped up and grew stronger when an excuse jumped into his head.


    Cin¨¢ed¡¯s father looked quizzically at the barn and asked, ¡°What was it?¡±


    Cin¨¢ed''s fear returned, he had no doubt his father could chase the dragon away and his dream of riding a dragon would be gone if that happened. There was only one option and so he lied the best he could, which was not all that good. ¡°Oh, I don''t know¡­ well¡­ well, it was dark and the sun is setting so¡­ so¡­ well, it was big, but I don¡¯t actually think it was anything¡­ a shadow or something.¡± Stammered out Cin¨¢ed. His father giving him a withering look and started walking back to the house, soon the long days of fall would start and neither Cin¨¢ed nor his father would return to the house before dark. His father might have been thinking the same thing because he merely looked over his shoulder and said, ¡°Your dinner is on the stove and you can eat it once you are done here.¡± Then his feet picked up their pace as the speed of towards the house.


    ..¡­..


    The old dragon paused as he was settling back down to rest, his conversation with the young boy was troubling, he did not think the boy noticed that the dragon had not spoken a word out loud after all dragons did not have the capacity to speak the human language they could only roar and growl. The dragon had responded in his mind to the boy and the boy had heard him, in his long years as a dragon only one other had done that and that long ago man already had a dragon of his own to pair with. Could this old dragon find the strength in himself to do such a thing? He was no longer the dragon he had once been, he could not jump up from his rest or launch into the sky without warning. He knew however that he was wise, all old dragons were wise and so he must be as well, that was quite the wise reasoning he thought. Then, without warning, a picture of the boy climbing onto his back inside this old barn and them both flying off over the trees flooded his mind. His old heart soared as he thought about how he would love to fly again with companionship. It had been so long since he had seen another dragon, just talking with someone had been the highlight of his dreary week. Would it be so bad to let this boy fly with him, could he not once again fly in the company of others and share the hardships of his soul?


    Yes, he could fly high and proud once again, and he could do it with a young boy, after all, every growing boy needs a wise old dragon as a mentor.


    And he just knew that he was old, and therefore wise.


    .......


    Cin¨¢ed jumped from bed the next morning, dressing in record time, and rushing down the stairs to start his chores before the sun even peaked over the horizon. His mother, surprised to see the normally sleepy boy up so early, watched as he dashed out the door with the energy of youth. She smiled as she returned to her own morning routine silently removing wake up Cin¨¢ed from her list.


    Bursting into the barn Cin¨¢ed scanned the hay almost fearful the dragon had left in the night. With his heart drowning out any sounds the dragon could have been making it was with great relief that he saw the dark shape move in the corner. Cin¨¢ed blurted out his pre-made message, ¡°I have chores to do but will be back after¡± his words almost unintelligible as there was almost no pause between them. The dragon however only rested back down without any outward sign he had heard, let alone understood. Cin¨¢ed didn¡¯t notice as he was already rushing around the barn and out the door with feed in his hand.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    .......


    Did people truly wake so early? The dragon wondered as his head rested back down, the boy had been so energetic what could be so important that he needed to move so quickly? Slowly the dragon left the pile of hay and decided to go see what could have the boy in such a different mood than the day before. However as he turned to look at the big barn door he realized it was not open, when he had first come upon the barn it had been open then an older man had come after the dragon was resting and closed it. No matter, the dragon could knock it down easily enough and so he did. As he stepped out of the barn he realized just how hungry he had become and spotted a pen with what looked like pigs eating something that smelled delicious. As he walked closer the squeals of the pigs got louder and they scampered off to the far side of their pen. Slowly he sniffed the food they had just been eating, then without a second thought, he started to devour it.


    .......


    Gaven had heard of the speed Cin¨¢ed had left the house and was proud of his son. He knew that the boy could be absent-minded and had a terrible sense of time but, he never did complain too much and always did what he was asked, eventually. His son was an explorer at heart, and Gaven knew it. He wished they lived in a world where young boys could go off and have adventures as grand as the stories, but such dreams were just that and faded quickly. Gaven reasoned that some of the best times the two of them had was when they would go out hunting; they would walk through the forest, setting and checking traps, then waiting patiently, completely still, for wildlife to come within range of their bows. Or his bow as he could pull back a stronger bow than his son and so came in range first. Cin¨¢ed never was upset when he used his extra range to fire first, they were not a rich family and did not hunt for sport. This reality sometimes intruded on Gaven¡¯s enjoyment of hunting trips as stress bled away the joy, but he always tried to keep Cin¨¢ed from feeling such stress letting him at least enjoy the hunt. As Gaven though about hunting with his son he heard a great boom come from the barn, in a panic, because he could not think what could make such a noise, he began to run in that direction.


    Arriving Gaven stood open mouthed and stared at the barn doors, doors that were no longer hanging on their hinges. He could not think of anything that would have caused the doors to fall. Stepping forward he inspected the hinges, some of which were on the doors and other still on the frames. What in all of Elleton could have knocked down his barn doors? None of them looked rusted and he couldn''t see any explanation to explain their failure, the nails were just¡­ wait, what was that? He turned towards the pig pen just then realizing the uproar that the pigs were in and froze. At first, he did not know what to think of the creature eating the pigs'' feed. Then his eyes flowed over the scales of the creature to its tail and as the creature shifted he could see what looked like wings. The creature shined in the first rays of the sun with a dark crimson red and what looked like streaks of dark blue racing down its neck and following the spine of its back.


    Almost as if it was startled by his presence its great head turned locking eyes with Gaven, and he had the uncanny feeling there was a conversation occurring he just couldn¡¯t hear. Almost looking dejected the great beast turned back towards the pig pen moving to the water trough and taking great mouthfuls of water. Almost absently Gaven though that he would have to ask Cin¨¢ed to refeed the pigs and full up their water troth before the end of the day. That thought was most certainly an expression of his desperation for things to go back to normal. They did not.


    The creature finished its breakfast and started moving back towards the barn when Cin¨¢ed came running at full speed to stand between it and Gaven. Parental instincts instantly set in and Gaven moved forward to grab his boy and run but he never got the chance.


    Backing away Cin¨¢ed started to plead with his father, "stop, please let the dragon stay, I''ll fix the door I promise, he won''t be in the way, I''ll¡­I''ll feed him every day, you won''t even notice he''s here.¡± pleaded Cin¨¢ed catching Gaven off balance and surprised. Frankly, he wasn''t quite caught up with what was happening but what was certain was the fear and panic that almost shocked him into indecision. His only saving grace was his determination to do anything but stand still giving in to his paralyzing fear. That, after all, is how you died in the woods hunting when your prey fights back.


    Turning to the creature, now only feet away, Cin¨¢ed asked a question Gaven never would have; ¡°Would you like to stay with us?¡±


    The question lingered in the air as Gaven once again felt like the dragon''s eyes were talking, he tried to interject, to voice his own option but he couldn¡¯t and so he just let the distance diminish as he drew near to his son and the beast. To his surprise, Cin¨¢ed started jumping up and down in joy running forward to hug the creature. The creature reared back seeming just as surprised as Gaven was and, to his great relief, showed no signs of aggression. Gaven was still too far away to do anything and knew the worst thing he could do was to act with sharp movements or a provocative voice. He continued his slow movement; unsure as to what he was going to do, but adamant that his son would be far away from the beast, dragon? That is why his hands wrapped around Cin¨¢ed and he swiftly backed away from the menacing presence.


    As they walked back Cin¨¢ed looked up at his father and asked, ¡°So can he stay? I¡¯m sure he is sorry about the door.¡± Gaven had not let his eyes leave the creature and now he once again felt that feeling as if the dragon was trying to talk to him. However, it was Cin¨¢ed that spoke, ¡°See he is sorry.¡±


    Looking down at his son Gaven asked the question that was now burning in his mind, ¡°Can you hear it¡­ speaking?¡± He was sure that Cin¨¢ed could not, but Gaven couldn¡¯t get rid of the strange feeling that the creature had been saying something and if he could just reach out a little farther he would understand. Cin¨¢ed just looked up questioning and said, ¡°Yes¡± drawing the word out to show he thought it was quite obvious. The situation might have been giving Gaven a panic induced focus but he just couldn¡¯t help it when his mind drifted in the wonder of such a revelation.


    Gaven was still thinking about what that could mean when Cin¨¢ed shouted in excitement yelling a much more definitive ¡°yes¡± then as Gaven stood lost in his thoughts and trying to figure what his son¡¯s answer could mean, Cin¨¢ed sprang forward. Gaven hadn¡¯t been holding his son tightly and now he regretted that oversight. He panicked running forward after Cin¨¢ed, but he was not young nor fast. His son reached the creature first and Gaven had a strange feeling of deja-vu as he slowed and approached the two. Cin¨¢ed did not wait and climbed onto the scaly back. Gaven ran forward and reached the great leg. Looking up at his son he put his hands out as if he could pull him with a magical force into his arms. Instead, he looked up as and saw his son as if he was a young knight on a great horse. Cin¨¢ed just looked down in confusion again and Gaven was almost certain now he was only hearing half of a conversation that had been occurring. Cin¨¢ed words barely registered as the creature reared back spreading out his wings and lumbered forward launching into the sky and sending Gaven stumbling back.


    Cin¨¢ed¡¯s last words rang in his ears ¡°I¡¯m going to fly a dragon¡± as the creature, no, dragon, launched into the sky. Could it have really been a mystical creature such as a dragon, then again what else could it have been? Gaven decided to believe it was a dragon because if it was a dragon and his son was riding it, and of course, if the legends were true, then the ancient bond had been made and Cin¨¢ed would not be in any danger. He had honestly never believed in such things but desperation now drove his belief and he would cling to it no matter what. Even if it was just a legend from a child''s picture book.


    Looking up into the sky Gaven cupped his hands and yelled to his son saying, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to feed the pigs¡± then turned and walked back to the house. It was one of the few days in his life he truly wished he had not gotten out of bed. He was not looking forward to telling Clara that he had let their son fly off on a dragon. He almost planned on going to look for his son, but the impossibility of chasing a flying dragon stayed his feet. If Cin¨¢ed could be counted on to return before dinner, Gaven wouldn''t need to tell his wife and she might never know. Such childish dreams would never work, but did he have to tell her right that minute? After all, he did have important work to do, feeding the pigs and all. Resigned to his fate he continued into the house.


    ........


    The dragon looked down enthralled by the world under him, he was flying once again. The trees flew past and then ended leaving them flying over open plains, the boy above him, who he now knew as Cin¨¢ed, screamed to be heard over the wind. The old dragon sighed knowing he would have to explain that Cin¨¢ed did not need to speak out loud to be heard, but that was not important right now and the boy¡¯s words had meaning he needed to act on. Turning to his right he saw what the boy had seen and headed towards the distant mountain. He knew that a younger dragon would be able to fly much faster, but an older dragon like himself had far more control, if much slower. This led to a very smooth ride for the new rider on his back, which was good as there weren¡¯t any of those saddle things he had once seen for riders to hold onto. They slowly closed on the looming mountain, mist now visible curling around its peak.


    As they approached, he could see the peak of the mountain was bare and rocky, as a young dragon he could have perched on such a surface but his old bones would not let him show off to Cin¨¢ed like that and so he looked for a more conferrable place to land. Finally, he found what looked to be a clearing and as he drew near he could tell there was a small lake fed by the winter snow next to the clearing. It led to the edge of the mountain where a small stream of water formed a weak waterfall until it splashed into a much larger lake below.


    The old dragon and his old bones would not let an opportunity such as this go by, he looked forward to the soft landing and headed down to glide over the water. He realized then he probably should have told Cin¨¢ed what he was planning to do, but the boy had been so quiet, looking at everything like he had been blind until today. Without time to send a warning, the two of them splashed into the water at a graceful speed and slowly began to sink. Drawing in his wings the great old dragon began to swim for shore, yet, he then noticed that his rider was missing. Looking back the happy cries of a boy in a lake could be heard over the splashing of feet as Cin¨¢ed swam for the far shore.


    The wise dragon knew he was not the playmate for this boy and laid down on the warm rock of the shore falling asleep with the sun on his scales and the distant sound of a boy with an imagination.


    .......


    Cin¨¢ed loved this lake, its view was amazing, the water was cold but that was because it had come from snow, he considered that swimming in such a lake could only happen late in the summer when the sun had melted all the snow at the peak and warmed the water. The great dragon had left him to go sleep in the sun, he had hoped it would play with him but that was ok, he was having enough fun by himself. A series of rocks jutted out from the peak side of the lake and he was determined to jump off each and every one of them. To his dismay none of the rocks were all that high and, after deciding he needed more height, he had an idea.


    Bounding over to the sleeping dragon he cried out loudly and launch onto its back. Slowly its eyes opened and Cin¨¢ed asked his question. ¡°Can you fly me above the water?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t sure he had articulated his question correctly, but the dragon nodded in agreement and slowly stood. Cin¨¢ed couldn¡¯t help but feel impatient as he squirmed onto the dragon¡¯s back; they finally lifted into the air. When they passed over the water at a height Cin¨¢ed thought was acceptable for a great jumper as himself he called out for the dragon to stop. The dragon did, hovering in place as he looked back in confusion wanting to see what would happen. Then without warning, Cin¨¢ed swung his left foot over the spine of the dragon and fell towards the water the wind drowning out the surprised roar that followed from above. It was ok Cin¨¢ed wanted to say, but the sudden pain in his arm disagreed and as he surfaced and looked up at the dragon a sheepish look crossed over his face. Cin¨¢ed knew his mother would not be happy but at least she couldn¡¯t make him clean out the chicken coop if he was hurt.

 Chapter 2 - Showing Off

    Cin¨¢ed was sour. He could hear the muffled pounding of his feet following him out of his room. In the kitchen, he ran into his mother preparing breakfast as she spoke to him. Cin¨¢ed¡¯s mind noted that nothing said required action on his part and he merely grunted in response as cool air hit him and he started to trudge towards the barn.


    The barn door opened and he grabbed the feed he needed as his mind shifted to this afternoon. He was not excited at all, today he participated in the mid-summer tournament. It was probably laudable compared to a mid-summer tournament in the city, but they were no were near a city. It was more of a ramshackle event to see who could hit the farthest target or leave the biggest bruise with a fat stick, that was Cin¨¢ed¡¯s option anyway. Even though Cin¨¢ed could have started to participate when he had turned sixteen, he hadn¡¯t. It was not something that had interested him. It had been two years since and his mother was the reason he was finally attending. She was worried because he had no friends, apparently, and no girls were even looking in his direction. His mother, lovely as she was, could be annoying.


    ¡°Just show them what you can do,¡± she said, ¡°They just need to know you exist¡±.


    But that wasn¡¯t the problem at all, everyone knew who he was ¨C Cin¨¢ed the boy with the dragon. It was because of Wisely, the before mentioned dragon named so by a young Cin¨¢ed. The name had been a compromise that came about when Wisely introduced himself as ¡°The Wise Old Dragon¡± and Cin¨¢ed had immediately called him ¡°Wisely the Dragon¡±.


    It was all silly to Cin¨¢ed, anyone with a brain could tell the old dragon wasn¡¯t going to eat them. He insisted on his food being cut up and portioned out for him for crying out loud. It made it easier to chew and digest in his old age. Or so he claimed.


    ¡°In my younger day, I could easily eat meat with fur, skin, and bone attached. Now that I am older and wiser, I know I don¡¯t have to since I have a boy to remove those annoyances for me.¡± Wisely would say.


    Cin¨¢ed had asked Wisely if he would come with him to the tournament, his mother had asked the dragon if he would stay away. Cin¨¢ed knew she was worried he would scare away interested parties or something. The goal was to let everyone see his hunting skill with a bow and how far he could throw some big rocks showing off his farm trained muscles, or something. Cin¨¢ed thought about how his mother had won the argument, she hadn¡¯t even tried to reason with Wisely only mentioning how loud the tournament would be and that she would be baking today, Wisely, of course, could sample. There was no way to win after that.


    Finishing the rounds, Cin¨¢ed made his way inside to breakfast as his muscles finally loosened up with their morning movement and he finished grumbling under his breath about the rest of the day.


    ..¡­..


    It was a disaster. Or that¡¯s how Cin¨¢ed saw it anyway. Sure, people were friendly and far more willing to get close to him since Wisely wasn¡¯t there. And yes, he had done well in the strength competition, not the best but better than most. It had consisted of a few different ways to show strength, starting with the lifting of heavy objects. Cin¨¢ed wasn¡¯t the strongest but he managed to do so well because he had used his brain during the competition. It appeared to him as if no one else had a brain. They had started by lifting rocks of increasing size before moving on to lifting logs. Almost everyone tried to lift the logs from the center using their arms and backs. Cin¨¢ed worked one side up and shifted to the center in order to use his legs to lift. Sure, it didn¡¯t look as impressive, but it got the job done. And when they threw the rocks almost no one bothered to build up momentum. Did Cin¨¢ed look silly spinning in place? Maybe. Did he do well in the competition? absolutely.


    The archery event was in Cin¨¢ed¡¯s favor, he had learned first from his father and then through trial and error. What he didn¡¯t like to admit was how much Wisely had helped. Wisely was defiantly not an archer himself, but he understood how objects moved through the sky and wind. Besides who else had to learn to use archery from dragons back?Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Girls spoke in hushed tones as they pointed and giggled. Cin¨¢ed felt a little sad that none of their fingers pointed at him. It was just a stupid contest, but he couldn¡¯t help and be upset that no matter how often he hit his target, how far he through his rock, or how well he did at anything else, people seamed to still avoid him. And the easiest way to avoid him was to ignore him.


    ..¡­..


    Gaven watched with pride as his son showed his skill with the bow, he came in second, but the Mills family boy had always been great at archery ¨C and nothing else in his option. He could tell Cin¨¢ed wasn¡¯t enjoying himself and was happy his mother hadn¡¯t come. The other contestants were glaring at Cin¨¢ed as if he didn¡¯t belong, but only when he wasn¡¯t looking. Mostly they just ignored him.


    ..¡­..


    Wisely had been enjoying his nap, after eating pastries he certainly needed one. Then his head jerked to the side as he shifted to his feet. Cin¨¢ed was in combat, this feeling had only happened twice before when hunting and they had run into something that wanted to fight back. Like the bear, but Wisely had been there and the bear had run away after he roared. This time Wisely could feel a need to be with Cin¨¢ed, it was not right that Cin¨¢ed should fight while Wisely slept snug in his barn. He needed to go and be by Cin¨¢ed¡¯s side. Strange enough, even with the distance, Wisely was certain he knew exactly where Cin¨¢ed was.


    Wisely lumbered out of the barn, turning to lock the door with the latch made just for him. He knew Cin¨¢ed was at some competition, he knew he was probably fine and didn¡¯t need Wisely, and so he could currently survive as Wisely closed the door. Or so the wise old dragon reasoned to himself in order to hold back the need pulling him to leave it be and fly as fast as he could to Cin¨¢ed.


    It was good that he was so old, he thought, a younger dragon would not be able to control themselves as they flew through the sky and circled the mass of people below. Wisely stayed high above, a dot in the sky. He had the strength to resist the need calling him to land amongst the humans all hitting each other and fight by Cin¨¢ed¡¯s side. A younger dragon would not have been able to resist. Or at least that¡¯s what Wisely imagined a younger dragon would do. After all something had to replace a dragon''s strength as they got old why not wisdom and strength of mind?


    Wisely watched as Cin¨¢ed was hit, again and again, it looked nice. It reminded Wisely of how Cin¨¢ed would pound on his back with sticks in a rhythmic manner moving up and down losing those stubborn muscles. Wisely wished he could stand in the middle of all those humans and be massaged, as Cin¨¢ed called it. Wisely watched as Cin¨¢ed flew back and landed in the dirt, he was sluggish as he got to his feet. He appeared to have difficulty holding up his hands, and his quarterstaff. Wisely was surprised he hadn¡¯t lost the stick in his hands yet, it almost happened multiple times, but Cin¨¢ed held on. Wisely could see how exhaustion weighed Cin¨¢ed down, Cin¨¢ed¡¯s face showed great pain. Yet there was that determination between his brows, for a brief moment Wisely was uncontrollably proud of his young rider.


    Wisely circled high above, unnoticed as everyone was watching the melee. He wondered if he should stay and watch. Then he was noticed, and it was by Gaven, who had been checking the sky for some unknown reason to Wisely. When their eyes met, he could almost hear the sigh Gaven gave. Gaven motioned home with pleading eyes and Wisely complied, the melee was over and Cin¨¢ed had survived. Although, despite his effort, it did not appear he had done well. Cin¨¢ed would need more time practicing, Wisely decided he would volunteer as the target for more massaging.


    ..¡­..


    Wildemere shook his head as he approached this backwater village. They were all stumbling home from their said excuse for a mid-summer tournament. He made his way towards the local inn; the innkeeper wasn¡¯t there yet. Did they not know who was waiting for a room? Of course they didn¡¯t. No one would recognize his station in this backwater, even with the symbol of the knights on his cloak.


    The innkeeper finally approached his own inn and Wildemere did not bother to even acknowledge his apology. The man went on about not usually seeing visitors and even tried to engage Wildemere in conversation. Wildemere¡¯s glare ended that. He got the best room they had, a sorry thing in Wildemere¡¯s option. He would sleep in the next morning and when he was good and ready, he would get up and do what he had come to do.

 Chapter 3 - Are Visitors Welcome?

    Wildemere dropped his head sighing as he set down the now empty mug. It was time to ask around and look the fool. He had been sent to these small, out of the way, villages because some trading merchant with good standing claimed to have seen a dragon in these parts. This late into his search he knew to only start asking about dragons when he was ready to leave the village, that way he didn¡¯t have to see the folks pitying looks for his entire stay. They started after he recounted the description from the merchant of a flying horse that doesn¡¯t look like a horse and has a long neck, tail, and wings. The merchant¡¯s actual description was so long it came full circle and contradicted itself, Wildemere used his paraphrased version. It didn¡¯t help that he was talking about a creature used to engage the minds of children, after all no one in living memory could claim to have seen one. Actually, it was worse when children heard about his dragon quest because then they started following him everywhere.


    It was no good delaying, Wildemere stood and made his way to the innkeeper. He composed himself and put on his best palace straight face on and asked his question.


    ¡°Innkeeper have you seen a dragon in these parts?¡±


    He used the most formal voice he could hoping it would convey the serious nature of the matter. He really didn¡¯t want another innkeeper laughing in his face.


    ¡°Sure have, why ida think it was just last week he flew over my head.¡± The innkeeper answered in a matter of fact tone.


    Wildemere didn¡¯t look at the drunkard who had lifted his head at the talk. Then proceed to stammer out a comment accompanied by a massive amount of spittle. It was enough that it was some form of agreement. This whole situation was clearly some sort of set up, a childish prank. Someone had heard of his task and come ahead of him to this backwater village. His emotions turned towards anger, and it showed.


    Noticing this change the innkeeper became defensive and maybe a bit afraid. When the innkeeper next spoke it might have been without stammer, yet the step backward he had taken belied the fear he was feeling.


    ¡°Sir, if you don¡¯t believe me you can go look for yours self. That is out past Rock Hill at the Baldwin farm. That¡¯s wheres the dragon lives, I swears it.¡±


    Wildemere¡¯s look of annoyance was replaced with a skeptical one. Maybe there was something to this innkeeper¡¯s claim, he doubted it was a dragon, but maybe it was a big bird or favorite pet. After all he could never trust that these peasants actually had the ability to think. His royal task spoke to that, he could just see the merchant pleading with the King; O my King saves us there''s a giant bird we think is a dragon flying over our heads. We are right frightened of this mighty bird please send one of your gallant knights to slay it.


    As if the King would only send one man if he believed it himself. This was a good thing Wildemere decided, he would go to this Baldwin farm, discover the pig they launched from a catapult and called a dragon. Then finally go home and report this absurd quest¡¯s completion with a proper drink and a lot of laughter among his fellow knights. He almost bounded out the door, his excitement pushing him along. There was no thought to knightly courtesy, after all, who was watching - the drunk? No the only thing that mattered was this farm and the start of his journey home.


    .....


    Gorgon¡¯s tongue felt the tips of his yellowed and cracked teeth as he stood impatient, soon they would attack. Gorgon hated being in the back, all the good fires were started by those in the front but, he held out hope. If he ran fast maybe he could reach an untouched building before it was set ablaze. He curled his toes as he held back the impulse to yell out his excitement. It was almost time, he knew it; he could feel it in his bones. And not only the sharpened ones he held in his hands but the ones under his skin. He just needed to be released from this waiting, he almost ran forward without the word, but he knew the Big One would just toss him in to fuel the fires if he did. Gorgon allowed his mind to wander, to dream of what was to come, these humans wouldn''t know what hit them. It will be wonderful he thought.


    .....


    Wildemere passed out of the small village, what was it? Rock Hill? No that was just the name of the hill he was going to pass. Honestly, it didn''t matter to Wildemere what it was called, as long as he could put a check next to the area on the map the village name didn''t matter. Heck, he couldn''t even remember half of the names that these small collections of huts had. He could be thinking about more important things such as; did he need to pick up any supplies before his trip home? He thought he had enough food, he was going to a farm maybe he should pick up some fresh food. He was even in a good mood so he guessed he would pay them for it.


    As he approached the farm his horse started to act strangely. It was a well-trained horse and so it didn¡¯t do anything that distracted its rider but still the flaring nostrils and slightly hesitant steps were there. Wildemere however, didn¡¯t notice, his focus was on the farmer as he dug in his heels and galloped over. For once he did not care how ridiculous his words were as he caught the man¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Good day sir, I am Sir Jenson Wildemere here on behalf of his majesty''s court to stop a dragon that is near your farm. I would be my great pleasure to rid you of this beast or otherwise confirm the safety of this area.¡±


    Wildemere prided himself on his great patience and professionalism in all that he did, but the sloth-like way the man looked up, stretched, and spoke push him to his limits.


    ¡°Ah welcome, Sir Wildemere is it?¡±


    The farmer looked questioningly up at him and Wildemere nodded as the farmer continued.


    ¡°Well, I am Gaven Baldwin and we sure do have a dragon at this farm, but he¡¯s no threat just does a lot of eating and sleeping¡­and fighting with barn doors.¡±


    The last part Wildemere could barely hear as it was grumbled under Gaven¡¯s breath. Without thought he looked over at the barn and its doors noting they were open. A strange board jutted out of the closes door completely confusing Wildemere as to is purpose. The strange part was the condition of the doors, scratch and gouged he would have said they were on their last legs, yet the boards themselves looked new. It was distant but the scratches and gouges did not look natural to Wildemere¡¯s eyes. Almost pensively he looked back to the farmer and asked,Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Can I see the dragon?¡±


    ¡°Sure you can, most of the time he just lying around in the sun.¡± Gaven''s eyes darted around as he looked over next to the barn but then continued. ¡°I seem to remember Cin¨¢ed telling me they were going hunting out by Meadow¡¯s stream. It easier you see, in the meadows that is, because they can fly without the trees in the way.¡±


    "Where is this Meadow''s stream?¡± Wildemere asked not wanting to waste time watching this farmer do his farming, and eager to be done with this dragon business.


    .....


    This was it, the Big One was going to give the word. Gorgon could tell and he was ready. He would have to run fast if he didn¡¯t want to be left behind. After all only the first few got to set the buildings on fire. Gorgon would be fast and he would set something, anything, ablaze.


    .....


    Wildemere couldn¡¯t believe he was trudging through the thick forest on the word of some, no-good, probably dragon lying, farmer. He wanted to go home, where the forests weren''t so overgrown, where farmers lowered their heads to knights, and he meant something.


    Knocking the leaves from his hair, Wildemere removed the last evidence of his unfortunate trip through the forest and exited into the long-awaited meadows. Now to find a dragon, what in the world had his life become? Sitting there on his horse, he looked out over the meadows. There, off in the distance, was a deer. They were slowly moving, grazing in the meadow. It was a peaceful sight and, for just a moment, Wildemere enjoyed his trip to the countryside. Was it always this peaceful, where were the smells and sounds of the city? Now that his trip was soon to be over, he almost lamented going back. But that was the truth of all things, only appreciated when they were lost or soon to be so. It did not last.


    A shadow fell over the meadow, it was large and imposing. Giant wings spread out of a dark shape that speared from the heavens towards the deer. Behind the bright sun it was hard to see the shape in detail, yet, Wildemere almost thought he saw a figure falling alongside it. As the shape approached the ground Wildemere finally saw his dragon in all its glory, and yes there was a man riding on its back.


    The man held a lance, a very long lance, against his side as they fell towards the deer. The tip leaped out to the right and in front of the dragon piercing the deer before it could react with a precision Wildemere wouldn¡¯t have thought possible. And out of necessity, Wildemere finally breathed.


    His heart was beating and he couldn¡¯t stop it. His horse was backing away and so he dug in his heals. Forward he moved now towards the dismounting man and his dragon. Dirt took flight behind him as Wildemere speed across the meadow. The speed was building and the distance decreasing. The man was cleaning his kill and the dragon was watching. This was his only chance, his duty.


    Crying out in his hoarse voice Wildemere charged the dragon, ¡°FOR THE REALM.¡±


    His sword was in his hand, the man was turning, he was young. Not a boy, but not a man as Wildemere first thought. What was he doing, fear gripped him as the dragon¡¯s head turned. That is when he reached its rear. His sword cracked against its scales leaving fractures in its wake, and then he was passed.


    Wildemere turned his horse to come around. He hadn¡¯t done enough damage; this would be his end. Why, why was he sent, why him? He knew people didn¡¯t really like him. He knew he looked down on others and they noticed. And, in that short moment before his expected death, regret overwhelmed him.


    His eyes moved to level on the dragon, but it was gone. He spun in his saddle trying to find it; he knew it could attack from anywhere. Yet, he couldn¡¯t find it, the beast had fled.


    The young man stood still in the middle of the meadow next to the dead deer staring at him. Wildemere approached, slowly this time, eyes darting around. Unease and fear in total control.


    .....


    Gorgon was upset. He didn¡¯t get to set anything on fire. He was too slow, too stupid, too¡­too augh too everything. He wasn¡¯t even close enough to the front to hear the initial screams as they stormed into the village. He always loved when the village folk saw him and cried out in fear. They would stand on balconies and yell, ¡°Orcs, orcs, orcs¡± over and over. Yet he didn¡¯t hear a single one this time.


    It was time Gorgon stepped up and took charge. Looking around him at the other dejected orcs in the back Gorgon spoke aloud. Then, noticing no one could hear him, he moved closer to them and spoke again.


    Why do we get left in the rear,


    without any fun to hear their fear?


    Why not take arms and find a foe,


    so we to might reveal in the fires glow?


    I call to you though tusks and girth,


    to come with me and laugh with mirth.


    We will strike the farmers before they flee.


    Tonight shall be one lived in our glory!¡±


    With his fellows encouraged, he marched them off down a dirt road to find a farm. They passed by a hill on their way out and Gorgon wondered just whose lucky farm they would find.


    .....


    It wasn''t clear who would win the staring contest Wildemere or the young man. It was however clear to Wildemere his opponent had only recently coming of age, and questions ran through his mind. Wildemere lost the contest, his eyes darting to the sky as his fear poked its head out for a look.


    There was a small smile on the young man''s face after that and all it did was annoy Wildemere. Wildemere introduced himself, but without any of his normal pleasantry or respectful tone.


    ¡°So boy where¡¯s the beast ¨C and what devil¡¯s deal have you made.¡±


    ¡°Devil¡¯s deal¡± came the incredulous reply, ¡°what devil¡¯s deal? And who on earth goes around attacking random people in the woods, are you a bandit, some sort of extra stupid criminal?¡±


    Wildemere¡¯s anger was well and truly uncontrolled at this point,


    ¡°Criminal? I am Sir Wildemere, knight of Elleton, and I only attack BEASTS who threaten the safety of all!¡±


    ¡°What threat?¡±


    The question came with simmering eyes that did nothing to conceal the hostility. Wildemere took a second, composed himself and thought. And then he thought some more. Why did he attack? that was easy, it was a dragon and he was a knight. Knight were suppose to fight dragons, right?


    It soon became clear that Wildemere was going to take a second and so the young man turned and continued cleaning his kill. He looked over his shoulder and introduced himself.


    ¡°I''m Cin¨¢ed by the way and the ¡®evil¡¯ dragon you attacked was Wisely.¡±


    Out of all that Wildemere was thinking he just couldn¡¯t let that pass,


    ¡°Wisely? Who would name a bloody dragon Wisely?¡±


    Cin¨¢ed stopped and looked at him, a small amount of color reddening his cheeks.


    ¡°I did¡± he admitted,


    Wildemere was now completely confused.


    In the distance smoke wafted over the trees, it had been hard to see with the sun and excitement. Now, in the waning hours of the day, Wildemere could see the smoke. It was from the direction he had come, were they making a feast? Then he could see more and more smoke rising, and even that small hope disappeared.


    Cin¨¢ed turned at Wildemere¡¯s distant look and his face went white. He looked around frantic and Wildemere could only think he was trying to call back Wisely. The dragon was no were to be seen.


    Cin¨¢ed started to run and Wildemere followed. The young man was fast as he hit the forest and seemed to expect every bush and root. Wildemere was faster as his horse ran through the foliage and this time he would not be left with leaves in his hair but cuts on his face for his trouble. As he rode towards the farm and its billowing cloud of smoke he feared what he would find.


    .....


    Gorgon smiled as he watches his fine work. He couldn''t help but call out his victory,


    ¡°This night will be full of light,


    For farms always burn bright.


    The screams of innocents caressing my ears,


    A dying man with fiery tears.


    Who could ask for a better fight?


    The enemy didn¡¯t stand a chance,


    Their pitchforks struck down at a glance.


    Their livestock will feed us,


    The light show will treat us.


    Who could ask for a better night?¡±

 Chapter 4 - Smoke

    Memories flashed through his mind - his mother¡¯s first sight of Wisely, her fury at his broken arm. His father standing there looking relieved as if a broken arm was the least he expected from Cin¨¢ed¡¯s first trip above the clouds. Wisely had become rather good at catching him when he fell. Maybe he had just a little too much practice, but it is not easy learning to ride a dragon. That might not be true, it was quite easy to ride but what boy would be content in just riding? No, he had wanted to hang off the wing, tail, side and, if he jumped off once or twice, who was to blame him. He was sure, that just as Wisely was now the premiere expert at catching falling humans, he was surely the premiere expert at falling, or jumping, off dragons. It was an achievement his mother would never have been proud of, and Cin¨¢ed wasn¡¯t so sure if his father would be or not. He wasn¡¯t about to ask.


    He couldn''t ask. He never would be able to again. This smoke was hurting his lungs and clogging his mind. After all, that is how smoke worked. Cin¨¢ed had seen many a man puffing on a pipe and losing their minds to the smoke. And here he stood, inhaling the smoke and unable to think or move. It was clearly because of the smoke and not because of the crippling grief. If it was the grief, then there had to be a reason for the grief and so it must be the smoke.


    .......


    He could smell the smoke and conflicting emotions rose inside him. Wisely, despite his wise years, did not know what to do. He could see the fires rising in the distance, he knew Cin¨¢ed would have run home but Wisely just couldn¡¯t follow. The joy at the rising smoke was intoxicating, he was a creature of fire, he wanted to burn the forest, to join in. It frightened him.


    Once he would have given in to his temptation, but he was not that dragon anymore. He had become Wisely, a name he considered earned, and he had gained wisdom to combat such temptation. The wisdom, maybe the greatest he had ever gleamed, he had learned in a barn with a boy. It was to never face such temptation alone. The temptation was relenting, promising everything, calling to him.


    Why had he left Cin¨¢ed in that meadow? It had been a knight, yes Cin¨¢ed had been confident he could handle the situation. Wisely even agreed, at the time, that his presence only provoked the clearly confused, if not mentally unstable, knight. But he needed Cin¨¢ed now. And Cin¨¢ed, he was sure, needed him.


    With despair at his weakness, he turned from his home. He could not go there, he did not want to face the temptation and so he headed for town. It too was ablaze but held less significance to him. He could help put out the fires he told himself, he even almost believed his own lie. His wings beat against the air forcing its currents to do his bidding.


    Wisely felt young once again in the heat above the burning buildings. He lowered himself to the ground moving closer to the flames. His mind raced back to his youth when, as a young dragon, he watched his flock burn a city. Watched as the dragons defeated the defenders. Wisely remembered the anger he had felt as one of the massive ballista bolts had knocked his kin from the sky, the joy when the operators burned in the flames of their contraption. He remembered the knights, how they had faced the dragons one on one. Their swords, how he had hated those blades that had cut through scales and hide alike. Such tools of destruction, such fires of destruction, were lost to time but Wisely remembered. He might just be the last on who was left to remember such times. He had felt far different back then; he had wanted to join in, but was too young. When the battle for that city was over, he had found his way into the embers of the largest building and relaxed, it was almost as if he was there again reliving that moment in the fires that surrounded him.


    Wisely''s eyes opened and he saw he was lying in the coals of the burnt tavern, his head turned looking for the judgmental eyes of survivors seeing him enjoy the loss of their homes. He felt even more depressed as he realized relief was flooding through him because there were no survivors. His first thought should have been where are the survivors not I hope they did not see my weakness. The thing about depression when it comes from one''s own faults is that when one thinks about where the depression comes from it only increases. Wisely¡¯s thoughts drifted to dangerous places and he once again remembered his youth and all the battles, all the destruction he had watched, and enjoyed. This time he remembered them not as the good old days but as times he was ashamed of.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Wisely knew that as an old wise dragon he should learn from what he saw now as mistakes. It should only make him wiser and prove himself truly the wisest of dragons as his age and therefore the lessons from his past were beyond that of any other being. But, he could not break free to do so, not alone anyway.


    .......


    Cin¨¢ed felt the hand rest on his back, he realized he had doubled over from the smoke. Cin¨¢ed did not like the knight who had attacked Wisely and been so disagreeable. But he needed someone, he couldn''t face the smoke on his own, after all, it was causing his eyes to tear up at an astounding rate. He didn''t want to know what would come next if he didn''t get control. He wanted to run into the fire, to find his parents, to find anything alive.


    If that hand moved he might just do so, but it didn''t. He allowed it to shift to his shoulder as he sat back. He pictured it holding him back, preventing him from running forward. It was the only comfort he could find and so he focused on it and the smoke. He pictured the hand holding him firm and the smoke, well, he pictured it running from him. It was the smoke¡¯s fault after all, why shouldn¡¯t the smoke run away? If that hand wasn¡¯t holding him back, he would chase down the smoke and destroy it for what it had done.


    He noticed the hand shift as if to pull away, but it stopped regripping his shoulder as if the owner of the hand was looking for comfort himself.


    .......


    Wisely struggled to stand, it wasn''t that he wasn¡¯t able. No, the heat had eased his ancient muscles and joints. It was that he did not want to. If he stood then he would have to do something, and inaction sounded better at the moment. Cin¨¢ed would need him. The thought pushed him up. Some didn¡¯t consider thoughts to have power but Wisely was old and had disproven such a theory before. Thoughts had all the power, they dictated dragons¡¯ actions. For how dragons allow themselves to think, truly think during the smallest or largest of situations, would be how dragons instinctively act when there was no time to think. The thought of Cin¨¢ed drove him, it forced the wind under his wings. It was his compass as he flew over Rock Hill. It was the strength in his legs as he landed next to two crouched people. It was his grace as he rested part of his head in the lap of the young crying man. Finally it brought him relief as the young man¡¯s hand rested on Wisely¡¯s head.


    .......


    Wow, Cin¨¢ed remarked, the barn had burned all night. He instantly regretted how his mind wondered, he was not supposed to wonder how much longer the barn beams would burn. He wasn''t impatient, he couldn''t be, loving sons were not impatient for barns to stop burning after their parents died. They were distraught and unable to notice such details, right?


    Cin¨¢ed could feel Wisely''s support and surprisingly his internal struggle. He almost felt the urge to walk into the fire. Then there was a shame but not of the urge to walk into the fire, no, for allowing Cin¨¢ed to feel the urge. Cin¨¢ed looked to his friend and spoke in his mind,


    ¡°I can handle it, you don¡¯t have to hide from me.¡±


    They were words for Wisely but also ones Cin¨¢ed needed to say. Cin¨¢ed could feel the dragon¡¯s agreement and relief. Words were no longer necessary as the two allowed the thoughts to flow between them. Although Cin¨¢ed did not understand all that Wisely was going through, he understood enough.


    ¡°We will face temptation together, we can face all the smoke in the world, We-"


    As the brave thoughts returned he voiced them in his mind. Cin¨¢ed tried to sound confident, even overconfident; not for Wisely but for himself. First, he spoke of the temptation that they would face as Wisely¡¯s nature and past resurfaced. Then he spoke of his own denial, the smoke he had replaced with his anger and grief. Finally he thought of their loss and even in his mind he could not force the words. But Wisely could and he finished his thought for him,


    ¡°We will always remember who raised us they will never die in our hearts.¡±


    Cin¨¢ed stood there letting his minds wander to wonder how much longer the flames would burn. Finally, Wisely organized his words and spoke again,


    ¡°When you have a life a long as mine you cannot remember every moment of it. Some moments are lost for a time, and then, something reminds me of them. It is the memories that I wish to forget that will never be forgotten. They chase me wherever I go, but it is because of you Baldwins that, along with such memories, there are also ones of joy and happiness. I have only been the dragon Wisely for a short time, in the way dragons see time, but the dragon Wisely was born here and raised here on this farm. Even as moments and memories are forgotten and the worst of my days will never leave me, the best will stay as well. These years I will remember, the years Wisely Baldwin was raised, the years where a wise old dragon was finally given the love of parents.¡±


    Cin¨¢ed¡¯s voice cracked as he spoke out loud,


    ¡°They were great weren''t they?¡±


    ¡°That they were.¡±

 Chapter 5 - Adding Some Brains to the Brawn

    Wildemere had confronted the boy at first, even he had lost a tear from his eye. Luckily no one was around to notice. Then the strangest thing had happened, the smoke had been pushed back leaving them to breath fresh air. It had been as if they stood in a dome of smoke and his hand, the one that had touched the boy, felt as if it was ablaze. It had been hard to tell so close to the fire, but something was clearly strange about this situation. Smoke did not magically create domes around people without reason. Of course, that was followed by the arrival of the dragon beast, Windemere just managed not to attack the beast as it landed. The two, young man and dragon, sat there all night staring at the fire.


    All Wildemere wanted to do was leave, go home and report his findings. He couldn¡¯t, he knew that he had to return with this Cin¨¢ed and his dragon. He had almost started throwing buckets of water on the fire when the sun rose. How long could they just stare at a burning barn¡¯s embers? That was when Cin¨¢ed had spoken in a raspy voice words that Wildemere couldn¡¯t make out. Wildemere had decided that the young man need the water more than the fire and sat the bucket he had filled next to him on the side the dragon wasn''t. He definitely didn¡¯t run away once he had done so, a fast walk was sufficient to get away from the beast.


    After Cin¨¢ed had finally noticed the water and drank, Wildemere was able to convince him that it would be best if they both headed to the nearest village. One that wasn¡¯t still on fire that is. Wildemere had been concerned that the two he needed to bring back with him would just fly off but they both looked like they just wanted to walk. Wildemere definitely wasn''t going to walk, but he did set a slow pace so the young boy could keep up. It was slow going but Wildemere held his tongue, this was not the time to antagonize the clearly distraught boy and his powerful beast. So, he rode on in silence until sounds further down the road broke it.


    The first indication that something would worsen Wildemere¡¯s day were the loud voices. As he turned the corner he could see a caravan. Wildemere had dealt with caravans before in his travels, most of them wanted him to travel with them and provide protection. He obviously denied such requests. Well most of them, a few had rather nice carriages they offered him. The ones with nice carriages were also the ones that didn''t really need his protection and so he agreed to join them. This was not a caravan with a nice carriage.


    On second thought, it might have had a nice carriage once, but it was hard to tell now that it was covered in blood. What made that even clearer was the fact that it was being robbed. The fight had gone poorly for the caravan and a few bodies could be seen circling it, the rest were encircled by what could only be bandits who were yelling, searching, removing objects and otherwise robbing the caravan blind. Wildemere didn¡¯t need this, he turned to tell Cin¨¢ed they would be going around through the forest when the young man turned the corner and saw what was happening. Cin¨¢ed clearly was not hearing Wildemere as he stood still like a statue with his mouth open. The dragon was the next to turn the corner and he too paused. Wildemere didn¡¯t think the beast had stopped because it was his first time seeing a caravan but merely because Cin¨¢ed and he were in the beast¡¯s way.


    ¡°As I was saying, we will just go around through the forest. Yes, it will slow us some but staying on the road will clearly slow us down more.¡±


    Wildemere continued waiting for Cin¨¢ed to follow as he led his horse into the brush. Cin¨¢ed didn''t follow. No, he was clearly deaf, and he was running down the road. Would the dragon still follow him if the idiot died? He doubted it, Wildemere turned down the road drawing his sword. The boy needed a good spanking for this idiocy. He idly wondered if it was as stupid as charging a dragon alone, maybe they both needed a spanking but who would do it, the dragon? Wildemere then wondered why his mind sometimes randomly wandered, to completely sane though he reassured himself, at the oddest times - like right now.


    This is why Wildemere was distracted and slightly surprised as he felt his sword take the first bandit in the shoulder, an intuitive strike as he passed the bandit. Coming around, his blade struck out again ending the man''s life. Looking around Wildemere found himself alone, realizing why he smiled. This wasn''t so bad, he hadn''t thought about the reaction the bandits would have to a dragon, maybe the boy¡¯s misguided ideals wouldn¡¯t be his end. In fact, they would even be able to resupply from the caravan.


    .......


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Cin¨¢ed had heard the knight speak and it grated at him. The way he acted as if there was nothing that could save these people, that the dead and dying were inconvenient. He couldn''t help it, he thought of his parent dying with no one there to help. If he had been home could he have made a difference? Cin¨¢ed didn¡¯t know, but what he did know was that his feet were already moving. Wildemere passed him on his right far faster on horseback than mere running. Cin¨¢ed wasn¡¯t even sure what to do, sure he had hunted but that was with a bow or really long spear from the dragon¡¯s back. Two things he did not have.


    He made a fist, he would punch them in the face and just go from there. That was when he realized all the bandits were running away. One was cut down by Wildemere, but all the rest were running as fast as they could. Actually, the surviving caravan workers were running also. Cin¨¢ed looked over to Wildemere who surged and said,


    ¡°Looks like we now have a horse for you to ride.¡±


    Wildmere gestured to the caravan¡¯s horses. Cin¨¢ed could not believe that was where the knight''s thoughts had gone. Even if the caravan had been so grateful to have given him a horse, he wouldn¡¯t need one. He had a dragon. But they hadn''t, they had run away. He might not have left his farm much, but he knew that leaving something behind was not the same as giving it away. After all, you should have the right to retrieve what you left behind.


    Wisely reached them; the clear reason everyone had run. His look at Wildemere told Cin¨¢ed he had heard the comment. Cin¨¢ed really wasn¡¯t sure what to do, there was no one around to leave the caravan with, he almost felt a responsibility for it. Wildemere wanted to keep going, he instinctively knew that. Trying to buy time, Cin¨¢ed started walking around to inspect everything and looking important. After looking too long at a wheel he realized it probably didn''t look like he knew anything at all. When he saw the figure lying on the ground knocked out yet still breathing, he was relieved. Finally, someone who could take the responsibility.


    .......


    Being a dragon, judging the age of humans was sometimes hard. Yet Wisely was almost certain that the person Cin¨¢ed had found was near Cin¨¢ed own age. And was female, he was mostly certain about that. Wisely, after an appropriate amount of time contemplating, had suggested the he move himself into the woods and out of sight. It was his experience, his wisdom, that told him all the people had run from him. Cin¨¢ed clearly did not want this new person to run and so Wisely reasoned he should not be around when she woke up.


    Dragon hearing is excellent, as is their sight. Although his wasn''t all that great these days, he could still watch the caravan from a distance as the sleeper woke. Her eyes looked up at Cin¨¢ed then to Wildemere and finally all around before she lay back down.


    ¡°Are they gone?¡± she asked


    ¡°Clearly,¡± came the terse reply from the knight.


    ¡°Yes, they all ran off¡­ the others from the caravan ran off too, I think most of them looked alright."


    Cin¨¢ed was clearly better at this then Wildemere, Wisely reasoned. It must be because of the wise old dragons¡¯ wise teachings.


    ¡°They ran off?¡± this time there was anger in her voice and Wisely took a second to ponder why she would be angry. He missed the next part of the conversation as he slowly came to the conclusion that she had either wanted the bandits or the other members of her caravan to not run off and the fact they did had made her angry.


    ¡°No no no, you aren''t leaving me here with this caravan in the middle of the woods. We were going to Aradon, so you can escort me the rest of the way.¡±


    ¡°I am a knight on important duties for the king and must return to his court. I apologize but there is no time for us to escort you." Wildmere replied.


    Aradon, what a word, it must be a name of some sort like that of a location. Yes, that would make the most sense. Wisely praised himself for his wise reasoning especially since Cin¨¢ed recently said that Wisely often misunderstood people, as if such a wise mind as his would misunderstand people. An absurd notion. Cin¨¢ed had never really talked about an Aradon, did he know about this place? Wisely was being distracted again best if he tried to listen to the conversation.


    ¡°Yes, if we used your horse and took it slow¡­ we could pull two wagons with most of what¡¯s left in them,¡± the girl said thoughtfully, ¡°We would need to stop often and let them rest as we really don¡¯t have enough horses anymore, but it could be done.¡±


    ¡°That sound good,¡± Cin¨¢ed replied, ¡°I''ve never driven a wagon before. Is it difficult?¡±


    "MY HORSE, you want to use my WAR HORSE to pull a wagon? That is the most ridiculous, peasant thought up¡­¡± Wildmere protested vehemently.


    Not enough horses what did they mean? Wisely looked over the wagons and realized that most of the horses were missing. The argument seemed to be getting louder. The few arguments that had happened at the farm found Cin¨¢ed and himself hiding out in the barn and Wisely, using his better hearing, had let Cin¨¢ed know when it was safe to return to the house. The Baldwin¡¯s rarely argued but, when they did, neither of them liked it much. Wisely new Cin¨¢ed would be uncomfortable at this point so he thought about the problem. He realized there was a solution.


    Wisely moved out of the woods and around to one of the wagons without a team of horses to pull it. He grabbed the harnesses the bandits had cut and pulled the wagon up to the arguing humans. It worked; the arguing stopped.


    ¡°At least she didn''t run off,¡± Wildemere noted sarcastically glancing at the frozen girl.


    ¡°That¡¯s solved," Cin¨¢ed said, ¡°we can take two wagons and Wildemere can ride his horse.¡±

 Chapter 6 - The More The Merrier

    Chapter 6


    There was a sound, it was rhythmic and slow. What was that sound? Cin¨¢ed could barely hear it. It was following him, no, he was making it. Cin¨¢ed 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, Cin¨¢ed 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. Cin¨¢ed 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, Cin¨¢ed 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 Cin¨¢ed 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 Cin¨¢ed 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 Cin¨¢ed¡¯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 Cin¨¢ed 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.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°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 Cin¨¢ed 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 Cin¨¢ed 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.

 Chapter 7 - I Can Cook

    Chapter 7


    ¡°You will take me with you, obviously.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to move at the speed of a wagon!¡±


    ¡°They''re not my wagons, I¡¯ll just go return them.¡±


    ¡°They''re not your wagons? Then why in the world have we been dragging them along?¡±


    Cin¨¢ed glanced over from the fire he was building for dinner to the argument Mary and Wildemere were having. He didn¡¯t understand why it was such an issue if Mary came with them to the capital, then again, he understood Wildemere somewhat. He had also thought the wagons were Mary¡¯s. It made him curious to know why she was with the caravan in the first place, was she looking for a reward for returning the wagons? It didn¡¯t truly matter to Cin¨¢ed, and he went back to working on the fire.


    ¡°Leave that Cin¨¢ed, if she is staying with us Mary can finish that, you come over here.¡±


    Cin¨¢ed looked up to Wildemere and noted him moving off away from the camp. Standing up he followed the grumpy knight until they were standing just in sight of the camp but still a good distance away.


    ¡°It¡¯s time you became useful.¡± Wildemere threw him a sharpened stick he must¡¯ve made during their travel. ¡°Stab me with it.¡± He said without changing his frowning expression.


    Cin¨¢ed couldn¡¯t believe what he heard, Wildemere wanted him to do what?


    .....


    Mary was panicking. How was she supposed to finish making the fire and start cooking? She had never done anything like that before. She wondered what Wildemere was doing with Cin¨¢ed. Were they talking about her? She looked over in their direction and saw them¡­ Wait were they arguing over a stick? Really who argued over a sick. Mary was just trying to distract herself from the fact that not only would there be no food started when they got back, but no fire.


    Mary looked back at her nemesis ready to glare it into flame. She stared at it and the crackling sound of fire slowly built in her mind until suddenly the wood burst into flame. Did she do that? How did she do that? That was amazing, she was incredible! They would forget all about the fact there¡¯s no food she showed them this. That was when Mary looked up and saw the smug look of the Dragon who had just lit the fire. Hope filled her eyes ¨C a wise dragon must know how to cook!


    .....


    Wisely looked down at the fire happy he could be of help. But more importantly, he now had a warm spot to nap next to. Cin¨¢ed was busy failing to hit Wildemere with a stick and getting hit with Wildemere¡¯s stick in return. Wisely could hear the snaps and cries of pain as he slowly drifted off to peaceful sleep.


    The smell of burnt flesh woke Wisely sometime later. He had hoped these memories wouldn¡¯t return, that happy times would override them. Yet, with the smell in his nose he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the moments he wasn¡¯t proud of; times he wished to forget. Burnt away in flame like those he now mourned. His groggy mind could see the flames once again, the only difference was the sound. Loud cursing was so different than the screams he was used to. Elegant and full of stuttering, certainly not a practiced tongue. Wisely opened one eye ¨C his suspicions were confirmed, the young Mary was burning everyone¡¯s food.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Back at the farm whenever something was burnt Cin¨¢ed would bring it out to the barn for him to eat. Wisely preferred the delicious meals delicately made and prepared. But he was a big dragon and food was food after all. Reaching forward wisely scooped up the burnt food and ate it down.


    .....


    Mary was both happy to have an excuse and mortified that all her hard work was gone. Sure, it hadn¡¯t looked that appetizing, but she had made it all by herself. Now it was gone. Looking up she saw an exhausted Cin¨¢ed and the smug-looking Wildemere coming back towards the fire.


    ¡°He ate all the food,¡± Mary pointed towards the big napping Dragon. Mortified at what she was doing her hand quickly dropped back to earth. Cin¨¢ed looked at the Dragon and one of Wisely¡¯s eyes opened. They appeared to have a conversation before Cin¨¢ed burst out in laughter.


    ¡°He thought it was for him because it was all burnt¡­ not that I believe him. I don¡¯t think you burnt all the food.¡± Cin¨¢ed amended quickly slightly worried about how Mary would take it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not very good at cooking I¡¯m afraid¡± admitted Mary.


    ¡°That¡¯s all right I like to cook anyway, do you want to help?¡± Cin¨¢ed moved towards the fire to get some water boiling. Mary just smiled and moved over next to him mumbling a thank you.


    Mary tried to follow Cin¨¢ed¡¯s instructions as fast as she could but after almost cutting off her finger, she realized she needed to go much slower. All she was doing was cutting vegetables, Cin¨¢ed had decided to make a simple stew and was heating the pot with the liquid in it. Mary hadn¡¯t seen him add that, so she was unsure if it was just water. Then Cin¨¢ed started adding some of their dried meat that had been meant for the caravan. The only positive thing to come from the abandonment of everyone that had been with the caravan was that they had a lot of dried meat.


    Mary noticed that Cin¨¢ed appeared to be patiently waiting for her cut vegetables and a slight blush reddened her face. Mary tried to speed up but after nearly dropping the knife she was using she stopped. She took a quick glance at Cin¨¢ed and noticed his look of worry. Mary silently cursed herself for trying to speed up. What was she thinking? Cin¨¢ed didn¡¯t look impatient, he was clearly fine waiting until she finished.


    ¡°Some of us are hungry, what have you been doing all this time?¡±


    ¡°There is no rush, we want to let the meat soak a bit anyway.¡±


    Even though Wildemere addressed her, Mary didn¡¯t even look his way after Cin¨¢ed replied. She just focused on finishing what she was doing. She was so close to being finished and even though she had never really held a knife like this before it was starting to feel comfortable.


    ¡°We will have to stop earlier in the day if meal prep is going to take so long.¡±


    ¡°Then you cook next time!¡±


    Mary could not help herself and snapped back at Wildemere. Cin¨¢ed just silently took the cut vegetables and added them to his stew before going through a bag of spices and adding something else. He had a slight smile on his face even as Mary and Wildemere snapped at each other, and Mary wished she could just ignore Wildemere and ask him about what he was adding to the stew.


    ¡°Cook, why would I cook, I am Wildemere a knight of the realm!¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should be Wildemere the forever hungry knight of the realm because you won¡¯t cook!¡±


    ¡°I am Wildemere the hungry knight of the realm because you CAN¡¯T cook!¡±


    ¡°I cooked just fine; the DRAGON just ate it!¡±


    ¡°Sure, then what did I smell burning earlier?¡±


    ¡°Naaaa, the wood was obviously on fire burning.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t referring to the burning wood but the burning food!¡±


    Mary got so caught up in her back and forth with Wildemere she barely noticed when Cin¨¢ed came up sometime later to put a bowl of stew in her hands. Wildemere must not have consciously noticed either because the only difference in their back and forth was how they mumbled with their mouths full. Mary realized that if her father saw her now, he would be mortified, no lady should inanely argue with a knight with her mouth full. Mary did not mind though Wisely was sleeping, she and Wildemere were talking, and Cin¨¢ed was smiling. It was a good way to end the day.