The Dragon's Speech

Chapter 6: An Invitation

Aeon:

Who was this woman? I thought in awe, completely unaware I had been watching her fluid movements with my mouth hanging partially open. First this fool, Gareth, is what she called him, caught me completely off guard and just when I was about to teach him a real lesson in how to punch, she swoops in and completely flips him over as if he weighed nothing.

I've never seen anyone move like that, I thought simply. While she seemed to have two left feet when it came to tracking, she was obviously skilled when it came to close quarter combat; a trait that I would keep note of.

After addressing Gareth she turned to me expectantly. "Aeon of the Western Woods, I presume?" She questioned, a confident smirk overtaking her features.

"And you are?" I countered.

"My name is Eilea Brehnach, and I am seeking a skilled tutor who can teach me the languages of this and the surrounding regions." She stated, confidently.

"Is that so? We'll I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm no teacher and you certainly don't look the scholarly type." I stated meeting her expecting gaze head on.

Behind her shoulder Gareth finally rose, nursing his wrist while starting the painstaking process of removing many pointed thistles from his ass. "Oy, you! The shortest exit to the forest is that direction." I stated pointing in a direction over his shoulder. He met my eyes, following my outstretched arm, but only grunted in response.

"You, follow me." I said my gaze lowering to meet Eilea's eyes. Without another word, I turned and began walking away, I heard her following closely behind me.

We carefully traveled through the dense underbrush for a few more minutes before finding a clear walking path. I noticed that she would only step where I had previously found my footing in order to prevent her from falling again.

Clever woman, I thought to myself. She was a fast learner, I'll give her that.

"Now this is much better!" she exclaimed, drawing my attention to her, "I have been told that you were raised by a Maester of History, so why do you refuse to teach me?"

"You're shit at tracking," I stated grufly, ignoring her question and continuing to walk on. "I heard your clumsy movements long before I found you stumbling around my woods."

"Your woods?" She retorted. "This forest is much more dense that what I am used to. Even still, I managed to find your tracks. So now whose the clumsy one?" she quipped.

At this I scoffed, "A skilled tracker you are not. You must have your hands full with other tasks more suited for women, like embroidery or flower arranging."

That'll get a rise from her, I thought. Just from her garb, I could tell that she was not the typical female housekeeper that the woman from his region would find assignment in. Still, I couldn't resist teasing her a little.

"You presume to know me?" She spat, I had really hit a nerve. "You know nothing about me, or my motivations, so don't you dare judge me!" She shouted in my direction. I could hear her stop her walking, I sighed letting my shoulders sag.

That's it Aeon, now you've done it, I internally chided myself. Turning to face her, instead of the emotional woman I thought to find, she stood before me her arms crossed, anger radiating across her features.

"It's not even my decision to seek you out and gain the knowledge you hold." She continued.

"Whose is it then?" I questioned. This time she lowered her gaze, inhaling deeply. "I made a promise to learn the culture, customs and language of the people in this region and you are the only one who can help me do this."