Dragon Fire (Dragons of Perralt Book 1) (11 page)

The tension became almost painful. Elsbeth leaned forward and gently touched Flint’s arm. “Thank you, Flint. But I couldn’t ask that of you. You need your rest.”

He tore his stare away from his brother to look at her for a moment. She felt herself relax as he nodded his head.

“Very well, Princess. But only because you have said so. Not because my brother has ordered it. A brother, I might add, that isn’t really supposed to be here.”

“That’s enough,” Queen Matilda said from the door. Elsbeth hadn’t seen the woman enter.

Her voice was low and commanding. She stood there like one of the fluted column carved into the cliff face. Impenetrable and completely unable to be argued with.

“Flint, finish your meal and go to bed, you will be needed tonight. If there is to be any activity, it will be then.”

“Yes, mother,” the man said as he returned to eating, but not before Elsbeth caught him winking at her.

It was all in fun. He was letting her know that he enjoyed poking at his older brother. She smiled to herself. It was nice to see someone stand up to the mighty Drake. Someone had to.

“What is everyone talking about,” Thad said as he stepped into the dining room, followed closely by Gwen.

“Are you two still arguing?” Gwen asked.

“They’re not discussing Pythagorean theorem of geometry.”

“Oh shut up, you ass,” Flint said as he threw a roll at him.

Thad ducked and then laughed at his brother for missing.

Queen Matilda sat at the head of the table and shook her head. Her expression a cross between bewilderment and repressed anger.

“Vulgarity is never a substitute for wit,” she said to Flint.

Leaning forward, she said in an aside to Elsbeth, “You will learn one day. There will be times in your life that your greatest regret was that you did not strangle them in their crib.”

Elsbeth gasped with shock until she saw the twinkle in the Queen’s eyes. What must it be like to raise four dragons? Oh how this house must have shook and rumbled over the years.

“Drake, you will show Princess Elsbeth the valley,” the Queen said. “Teach her about our world. If she is to rule Lushcany someday, best that she know the people in the land next to hers and that she has nothing to fear from us.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” the giant man said. Elsbeth shook her head. How was it possible that this man could allow a woman to tell him what to do? Because she is his mother. He respects her. He doesn’t fear her. He doesn’t need her approval. It is simply the fact that he accepts her right to be in charge of this place and this time.

He knows himself. He knows that there is nothing she could do to him physically that could make him comply. It is only his respect for her. She might very well be the only person in the world with the ability to make him do what he doesn’t want to do.

His mother, and any future soul mate.

For the first time, she wondered what kind of man his father had been that he could teach his sons this.

Sighing, she wondered if she would ever be able to teach her sons. Then she realized, it would depend upon their father. Only a father could impart that wisdom to a young boy.

Sighing to herself, she tried to imagine Julian teaching their sons to respect their mother. For some reason, she feared he wouldn’t know where to begin. It would be a task she must try to accomplish herself.

Drake guided Elsbeth down the back corridor to the bottom of the castle. They passed through the kitchens and back behind the stewards’ offices.

The people greeted him with smiles and a kind word. Elsbeth studied him each time he stopped to talk to someone. He didn’t bother to introduce her. She wondered if he was embarrassed by her.

It was obvious they knew who she was. Knowing how quickly news spread in small communities, half the valley had probably known who she was before he’d finished introducing her to his mother the day before.

At last, they came to a large oaken door. He pulled the latch and used his shoulder to push the door open.

“Welcome to the Valley of Perralt,” he said as he held out a hand for her to enter.

Elsbeth held her breath as she stepped through the door. It was like stepping into a magical world of lush happiness. The grass seemed greener, the birds sang better songs, and the butterflies were prettier.

So different than the Forbidden Forest. Nothing would hurt her here, she thought. Especially, not with Drake next to her.

She turned and tried to take it all in. Oh, how it must it have been to grow up here.

Smiling up at him, she said, “It is lovely.”

He shrugged his shoulders.  “Come on, there is someone I want to introduce you to.”

He took her hand and began to lead her towards the village. She glanced down at their hands. Together, as if they belonged that way. Her heart skipped a beat. She was mad at him, she reminded herself. Don’t forget, Elsbeth, the man couldn’t be trusted.

As they entered the village, people smiled at them, dipping their heads in welcome. No one seemed to be afraid or concerned. This was Drake, they seemed to be thinking, he is one of us.

“Here,” Drake said as he guided her towards a barn set back a little from the main road.

The ring of a blacksmith’s hammer could be heard calling from inside the barn. A sound she well remembered from home. The armorers would work well into the night to make enough weapons for her uncle’s men.

Drake stopped in the open doorway and watched the blacksmith work. The man was almost as large as Drake, his strong arms pounding the heavy hammer onto a flat piece of steel. Elsbeth stood next to Drake, trying to discern the significance of this place.

At last, the Smith paused and caught sight of them. His face broke into a broad smile.

“You idiot,” the man said, “I heard you were back.”

The two men looked at each other for a moment, then hugged, slapping the other on the back in that strange way of men. Neither wanting to show their emotion, but both needing to express how much the other meant to them.

Elsbeth shook her head, she would never understand men.

“And, this is the Princess?” the Smith said with a welcoming smile. Then he turned back to his friend, “I should have known, you get sent away against your will and come back with a beautiful princess. Only you, my friend, only you.”

“Regan, this is Princess Elsbeth,” Drake said as he made the introductions.

“Princess, Regan Smith, my best friend. And, the only person to ever defeat me in battle.”

The big Smith chuckled as he took her hand in a warm greeting. “We were six, and I surprised him. It was the last time I ever won.”

Elsbeth smiled, she liked hearing stories about Drake. They made her feel warm inside. Especially, those stories where he wasn’t perfect.

The Smith turned and yelled towards the house sitting behind the barn.

“Janice, Drake is here,” his voice reverberated off the wooden barn walls.

A young woman, about her own age, stepped out of the house, drying her hands on her apron. Suddenly, two tow head boys, about eight and six, pushed passed her and sprinted into the yard.

“Uncle Drake, Uncle Drake,” they yelled as they raced each other. Both of them crashed into the man next to her. Throwing their little arms around his legs.

He laughed and reached to pick them both up in each arm.

“What happened to your other sons?” Drake said to Regan with a twinkle in his eye. “Did you trade them in and get these bigger boys?”

“We’re his sons,” the older one said as he slapped Drake’s shoulder.

“NO,” Drake said. “I remember Teagan and Cade. They were silly little squirts. Always getting in trouble. You two, you’re too big.”

“No, really Uncle Drake,” the little one said. “I’m Cade, really I am.”

Drake gave the boys another hug. “I guess you are,” he said, “because your mother is giving me that look. The one that says I'm silly.”

The boy’s mother smiled at Drake, then threw herself into his arms for a sweet, sisterly hug.

“Welcome home,” she said as she silently wiped a tear from her eye.

“Janice, you look as beautiful as ever,” Drake said. “I swear. I still don’t understand why you picked this big lug over me. I’d have given you a dozen children by now.”

The woman laughed and swatted at him. “You never change,” she said, then her face dropped as she caught a sight of Elsbeth.

“Oh, I am sorry,” Drake said. “Janice Smith, allow me to introduce Princess Elsbeth. Princess, Janice Smith of Perralt.”

The woman’s expression instantly became guarded as she dropped into a curtsy.

A curious look crossed Drake’s eyes. Elsbeth wondered if he was judging her and how she would treat his friends.

Elsbeth stepped forward. “Please call me Elsbeth,” she said. “Silly titles seem so unnecessary in your beautiful valley. I do hope I might call you Janice.”

The woman smiled weakly and nodded. Elsbeth could tell she wasn’t too sure of the situation. She kept looking towards her husband for help.

Instead, Drake’s friend swooped an arm around Elsbeth and pulled her and his wife towards the house.

“I’m hungry let’s eat.”

Elsbeth could hear Drake chuckling behind her.

This was so not what she had expected. She wondered about the people at home. How would they have reacted if she had introduced a new prince?

She didn’t even know a blacksmith. She didn’t really know any of her people. Not really. Not to call them by name. Not well enough to be asked for a meal. A small sense of guilt flowed into her.

She quickly put it aside. A fact that could easily be remedied once she had obtained her Crown.

The house was warm and comfortable. The bedrooms up the stairs. A living room furnished with comfortable chairs opened onto the kitchen. Freshly painted walls, rugs on the wooden floor, and a water pump inside the kitchen.

Janice went to the wood stove to stir a bubbling pot of delicious smelling stew. At least it’s not rabbit, Elsbeth thought. Beef, definitely beef.

The two men stepped into the main room, each of them slapping each other on the back while the little boys badgered Uncle Drake to throw them in the air.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Elsbeth asked.

Janice blanched for a moment. She was either embarrassed with the idea of a princess helping her serve food, or terrified that this strange woman would ruin her well prepared meal.

She smiled and indicated cutlery and bowls. “You could set the table,” she said as she ladled the stew into the bowls.

“Watch this,” Janice said as she gave Elsbeth the last bowl to set out. “To the table, gentlemen,” she said. All four of the men raced towards the table, pushing and shoving. But, Elsbeth noticed that both Drake and Regan held back and let the two little ones win.

Her heart swelled at the sweet domesticity of it all. A pang of regret crashed into her. She would never know such simple happiness as these people experienced every day.

Janice indicated where she should sit.

“So, tell me, Elsbeth,” Regan said, “how did you get mixed up with this one? I thought princesses were supposed to be smarter than that.”

Elsbeth smiled. Oh, how she enjoyed people teasing Drake. She looked over at him, wondering how much she should say. He slightly shook his head, glancing down at her breasts were the medallion hung under clothes.

He doesn’t want them knowing about the medallion. Interesting.

“I’d much rather hear stories about Drake when he was young,” she said.

Regan chuckled. Drake scowled and looked upset.

“For instance,” she continued, “was he this grumpy as a child or is this a recent event?”

Janice laughed and quickly covered her mouth.

“Me?” Drake demanded. “I am never grumpy. I am reserved,” he said with a silly smirk.

“How did you meet?” Elsbeth asked.

“We went to school together,” Janice said. “These two were instant friends. Once they had a couple of fist fights, and wrestling matches out of the way, they were inseparable.”

“Why don’t you tell her about the time you stole our clothes while we were swimming?” Drake said.

“Or, the time she ambushed us with the apples?” Regan added.

Elsbeth caught the smiling twinkle in the men’s eyes. She glanced over at the two little boys. They had both instinctively become quiet. Hoping against hope that the grown-ups would forget they were there and divulge some great secret truth in front of them.

“I had to do those things. You two would have become insufferable if I hadn’t. Big heads,” Janice said to Elsbeth, “both of them thought they were so great and wonderful. Someone had to knock them down a peg or two.”

“A pest,” Drake said to the two little boys. “Your mother was a pest. We finally had to take her along on our adventures just so she’d leave us alone.”

“Don’t listen to them boys,” Janice said. “If it hadn’t been for me, neither of these two idiots would have known how to have fun.”

Regan laughed and gave his wife a knowing glance. Elsbeth’s heart melted a little. To have a man look at her that way, with loving, friendly eyes that were just for her.

She tried to hide the flash of pain inside of her. Julian would never look at her that way. What was more, she didn’t think she would ever look at him the way Janice looked at Regan. As if he had been put on this earth just for her.

The meal continued with friendly banter and wild stories. Elsbeth enjoyed it. The easy comradery. The way one could start a sentence and the other finish it.

This was a different Drake. Not a dragon, not a prince, not even a wild mercenary. No, this was Drake, the friend.

As they finished, Janice got up to start clearing places. Elsbeth jumped up to help.

“Now that you are here, you can help me with something,” Regan said to Drake.

“I don’t have long. I need to show Elsbeth the rest of the valley.”

“It won’t take but a minute, come on. You boys, make sure you stay out of the way.”

Both boys immediately became interested. Something they could not be involved with must surely be exciting, possibly even dangerous.

Elsbeth watched the four of them exit into the yard. She turned to look out the window as they approached a wagon, its wheels gone, resting flat on the ground.

Janice stepped up next to her to watch, as well.

Regan pointed at the wagon, then to some blocks of wood.

“Regan’s been putting this off, he would have needed three men from the village for this, but he hates asking for help.”

Elsbeth’s brow narrowed in confusion as she watched the men. Drake approached the back of the wagon where it lay in the dirt. He bent at the knees and slipped his hands under the edge. Then, with a mighty heave he lifted the entire back end of the wagon off the grown.

Elsbeth gasped. It must weigh hundreds of pounds. She watched as his massive shoulders flexed. As his arms strained to hold the load while Regan slid underneath and placed the blocks of wood to hold it up.

At last, Drake lowered the wagon back down.

“Now the hard part,” Janice said. “He won’t have the same leverage with the back end under the blocks.”

Drake walked around to the front of the wagon. And again, he bent his knees and lifted. Elsbeth could see him gritting his teeth against the massive weight.

Her heart worried. What if he dropped it? What of his injury she thought? Surely, he would open his wound again. If he did, would they have to remain here at his home longer? The thought was not as displeasing as she would have believed.

He continued to strain, every muscle fighting against the force of gravity as Regan scurried under the wagon once again to make sure the blocks were placed correctly. She felt Janice stiffen next to her.

What must she be feeling? she wondered. Watching your husband work under something that could crush him at any moment. Depending solely on Drake’s strength.

At last the men finished. Regan scrambled out from under the wagon and slapped his friend on the back. The way they smiled at each other made Elsbeth realize how much she had missed by never having a close friend. These two trusted each other with their lives. What must it be like to be able to trust someone like that?

As the two prepared to leave a few minutes later, both young boys held onto Drake’s leg, begging to be taken with him.