Her Deal with a Dragon

Chapter 4

I stomped my way home, cursing and saying all the witty, nasty comebacks I could think of now that the moment to say them was past. I kicked a pebble down the path ahead of me, watching it skip and bounce until it rolled out of sight.

The stupid, selfish dragon only cared about himself! Though I supposed that was only natural. Given that he was a dragon and I was only a seventh generation descendant of the people who worshipped him as a god.

"The senile lizard must be around 200 years old," I grumbled, "Maybe he'll die soon."

But I knew better. Dragons lived for millennia, barring unnatural deaths. By dragon standards, he was in his twenties. Probably just older than me, judging by his human form.

My face heated as images of him assaulted my mind. If that face was the standard, t was no wonder humans worshiped dragons.

He was without a doubt, the most strikingly beautiful person I had ever seen in my life.

He wasn't much taller than most of the men I knew, but he had an overwhelming presence. Wickedly curved, shiny black horns twisted elegantly back from his head above the temples. Vibrant red hair cascaded down to his waist and his pale green eyes seemed to glow beneath his low brow and the outlines of scales touched his cheekbones, temples and just below his ears.

His canines were large and wickedly sharp and he had a very attractive mouth that fluently conveyed his mood.

I shook my head vehemently to clear the images. He was a dragon, who had just tossed me out without hearing a word I had to say!

"I hope all his scales tarnish and fall off." I grumbled, then spat on the ground.

I shifted my pack and took a deep breath. At least I had something to show for my efforts. It wasn't much and it might be spoiled, but the offering was a godsend. It was the first time I had been able to get my hands on tea in over a year.

I looked up at the sun and tried to judge the time. It was past noon and a clear, chilly day, but the temperature had risen to the point that all the frost had melted and I was not shivering.

My mind drifted to all the furs and blankets in the dragon's extravagant bed chamber and I wished I had thought to steal at least one. He might not have noticed and even if he had, he was a dragon; what use would he have for a single fur?

As I got further from the shrine, the encounter began to crystalize in my mind and his words to me began to replay in my head.

'Unless you have something to offer, don't bother coming back.'

Slowly, an idea formed as I turned it over and over in my mind. By the time I was home, I had a plan.

I pushed through the door and found Ruelle doing dishes while Mother sat in her chair by the fire, mending clothes. She looked up with a wan smile and set my brother's trousers to the side as she prepared to rise.

"Vani, you missed lunch!" She scolded lightly.

I waved her back down and let the excitement I felt about the tea multiply and spread across my face.

"Don't worry, I ate some bread down at the pub." I lied easily. "But I have something special. Don't get too excited yet, but I was able to get my hands on a few things for dinner, and-" I took out the jar. "-tea leaves!" I announced proudly.

Mother's eye lit up and she smiled brightly. I had rarely seen her smile since my father was taken. At first, she put on a brave face for our sakes, but losing Gene and our land around the same time as giving birth had nearly broken her.

She stopped smiling and would spend days on end lying in bed, alternately crying, sleeping and staring at the wall.

I knew that something was wrong, beyond the stress of our desperate situation, but there was nothing I could do. Seeing her smile genuinely now made my chest seize and my eyes burn.

I set the jar down and turned to find Ruelle giving me a narrow eyed look.

I rolled my eyes as I took out the rest of the food and carried it over to the cupboard where we kept our dry foods when we used to have them.

I checked each item carefully, sniffing and tasting small morsels.

When I finished evaluating each item, I put the food away and turned towards the door, swinging my basket into my back again.

I caught Ruelle's dubious look. She was worried that I would steal something again.

I tilted my head and gave her my most honest blink. She narrowed her eyes and I scratched my forehead, looking away. If I told her what I had in mind, she would never let me go through with it.

I looked back at her and gave her my best 'trust me' face.

Her shoulders dropped and she let out a resigned sigh.

"I'm going to see if I can get my hands on some milk for Kestrel and the tea." I announced.

Mirian, who had just turned 7, leapt up from where she was playing with her shabby doll made of rabbit fur and bounced over to my side. "Can I come with you?" She begged, widening her large brown eyes at me. She had our father's straight blonde hair, but mother's complexion and eyes.

Kestrel, our baby brother looked like none of the rest of us. He had platinum hair, much lighter than Father's, and deep bronze skin like my maternal grandfather. His left eye was bright green while the right was golden. Neither color had ever appeared in our family, but it was inconsequential. I only feared for how he might suffer bullying later in life.

I looked down at Miriam and debated leaving her behind. I was going to try and get milk, that was true, but I had other things to do and I couldn't leave her alone while I was occupied.

In the end, mother made the decision for me.

"You should all go together!" She announced, "I will hold down the fort until you get back. I'm not so feeble that I can't take care of the house for a few hours."

The underlying truth was that she did feel feeble. She was not in good health and I still couldn't figure out what the problem was.

I nodded and looked at Ruelle. She hesitated, but when I insisted, she hesitantly followed. Kestrel babbled to himself as he chewed on a wood toy, and mother came over, shooing us out. "I'll put tea on when you come back. Don't worry."

Ruelle gathered the animal pelts she had been carefully preserving over the past week and we took off towards town.

As soon as we reached the main street, the mood of our trip changed. We had enjoyed the walk until a passing neighbor who had once been cordial spit on the ground as he passed us.

Others outright ignored us and a few gave us pitying glances.

As soon as we arrived in town, Ruelle went to the tailor to sell her pelts. She always got better deals than me. She came out with a handful of coins which she slipped into her pocket. That was how things went. If anyone earned money, Ruelle handled it. She was the one who best knew what necessities were most needed.

We walked along until we reached the shops, then Ruelle took Miriam by the arm and dragged her away, shooting me a knowing look.

As soon as they were out of sight, I made a beeline for the Tipsy Spider tavern. I slipped in the back and stood there, waiting.

My heart hammered as I considered what I would say. How I would make the outrageous request I had in mind.

Brosey, the owner, shot me a grumpy look, but didn't kick me out. He would save leftovers and bits of food for me from time to time, but he was one of the people who blamed my father for everything that happened to the town. As if my father were responsible for people not taking the imperial decree seriously. Right after my father was arrested, I asked to work for Brosey and he told me that he wouldn't hire a traitor's daughter because it would ruin the reputation of his tavern. I had been about 17 at the time. Of course some of the local drunks chimed in, and I ended up breaking one of their noses when he offered me a different kind of employment.

I heard a giggle and looked around the corner into the common room. Harin, the one and only barmaid and my friend, sat in the butcher's lap feeding him cheese. His back was to me, so I waved her over. With a last, coquettish smile and a pat on his chest, she came over and ushered me into the kitchen.

I looked around to make sure no one could hear us, then lowered my voice.

"What do...men...like?"