The Fate of a Dragon Witch

The Muffin Man

~~~ Patton's point of view~~~

Patton hummed as he buzzed around the kitchen. He was making dinner for the people in the palace as usual. He worked with three other chefs and a handful of servants. At the moment the kitchen was full of energy as people jumped from one area to another. He was grateful for the opportunity to be busy. After the meeting with Thomas, Logan and Roman a few days ago, he felt nervous. He couldn't help but worry about the threat of war. He had gone through one already. He let the smile on his face fade as he recalled the day his village had been destroyed.

--

The day had begun fairly normal, Patton was playing in a field nearby their house when a group of men in armor marched into the village. He was a curious child and so he had followed them.

"Give us your food and water." The leader barked. Many of the men stepped forward to protest but stopped. The village governer stepped forward

"We do not have much but we will gladly share." He spoke, giving a glare to the other villagers to keep them compliant. Patton was too young to understand what was happening but he had a bad feeling about the situation. Suddenly he felt an arm wrap around him and he jumped. He looked up to see his mother, she had a concerned look on her face.

"Mama!" He gasped hugging her. Suddenly he heard a thud and glanced back to see the village governer on the ground. He stared in confusion when his mother turned him around.

"Patton, I need you to run. Can you do that for me?" His mother begged as she pushed him towards the woods.

"Why mama?" he asked, tilting his head. She looked back at the village where they could see flames start to grow.

"The men that came are really bad men." She explained.

"Come with me mama." He begged. She frowned then pulled him into a hug.

"I wish I could, love." Then she pulled away and pushed him towards the forest. "Run." She urged. He hesitated then turned and ran.

Patton ran through the forest as fast as he could, the smell of smoke following him. He had no idea how long he had been running but his lungs burned and his feet ached. He rubbed the tears from his eyes and for a second he lost track of where he was going. Suddenly the trees thinned and he burst through the underbrush and onto the road. He fell as he slid on a pile of dirt and found himself on the ground.

"Halt!" A voice cried causing Patton to look up in surprise. A few feet away from him was a man followed by a group of knights. Patton felt his bottom lip begin to tremble as the man stared at him. The man slid off his horse and landed with a thud then walked over. Patton moved away from him in fear.

"What is your name?" A soft, burley voice asked and the boy stopped

"P-Patton." He whispered. The man's face softened then he bent down and scooped Patton into his arms.

"Don't fear." He whispered. Patton let his tears fall as his small fists gripped the man's royal robes. "Onward to the village, we must search for survivors." He commanded. The man carried Patton down the path where the sky was red from the fire. When the path broadened they came to a stop. A murmmer of gasps and hushed whispers ran through the knights as they took in the scene. The village was ablaze. Patton glanced over at it, his eyes landing on where his house used to be. It was nothing but ashes and his mother was no where to be seen. Patton closed his eyes then buried his face into the man's shoulder.

--

Patton frowned at the memory. He missed the man who saved him. Patton had been saved by Thomas's father, the king who had died nearly three years ago. The king was the nearest person he had to a father. He later found out that everyone in the village had been killed by an invading army. The king took him under his wing and had basically adopted him. Patton grew up with Thomas and that was why he was one of the only people that called the king by his name. That made Patton smile and he remembered what he had been doing. Dinner. He skipped over to a pot and began to stir it.