The Lizard King

Part 9: "I'll have what she's having."

"A bale of straw please." Kayla said, setting the five gold pieces on the table. The man behind it gestured to a young boy who went and brought a large bale over to Kayla. She threw it over her shoulder, thanked them, and moved on.

Kayla never really had much money to spend but she was happy to finally shop without worrying too much about running her pockets completely dry. She had already bought two wool blankets, a wooden mallet, and a set of about fifteen iron nails. In total, she spent about 25 gold pieces, not even half of what she was given.

Realizing it was still early in the day, and that she could afford it this time, Kayla made her way over to the pub for a drink. She set her bale outside and brought her bag in with her. She stepped up to the bar and had a seat. As per usual, Marlana was next to her and causing problems.

"Brenner! Get yer hairy arse over her! I need my drink!"

"Coming Marlana," Brenner said almost miserably. He set out a pint and then a whole pitcher for her alone.

"I'll have what she's having." Kayla said. Brenner fetched another pint for her.

"Thanks!"

"Yeah you just be careful," he said, "I don't need two old drunk crazy bats in my pub."

"Who ya calling old Father Time?" Marlana spat. As Brenner walked away, Marlana turned toward Kayla. "And you, don't tell me you slept in the woods last night cuz you had nowhere else to go."

"Actually I didn't," Kayla said, "someone offered me a little kindness."

Marlana's eyebrows furrowed and she got so close to Kayla she could smell her morning pint. "What do ya mean girlie?"

Kayla told her about how she left and found a completely new 'house' where her ruined one once stood. She told Marlana all about the build, the structure, the design. She also told her about the food and the gold (she spoke very quietly at this part so as not to attract any unwanted attention) and who delivered it. At the end of it all, Marlana sat back a bit and chuckled.

"What's funny?" Kayla asked.

"Well girlie, if I didn't know any better I'd say he has a soft spot for you."

"What? No way!"

"Believe it! Some gals are just so attractive they can't help but attract something a little different. Take a good look at me for example."

Brenner laughed as he passed by. "Ha! In your dreams Marlana."

"Less talking, more pouring tall stuff." She turned back to Kayla. "All I'm saying is it might be good for him to be around you. I bet if you bat your eyelashes right he can make you a nice wagon to cart your stuff home."

Kayla couldn't help but laugh a little at the thought. She never really thought of herself as flirtatious or even attractive before. The more she thought about it though, the more it made sense. Like she thought before, it couldn't just be pity that creature felt. It had to have been more for him to do what he did.

"Oh and one more thing," Marlana motioned for Kayla to come closer. She began talking in a bit of a hushed voice. "That structure he made you, it sounds just like something any lizardling would make when they stop to sleep. You're sure he has no memory of what he is?"

"That's exactly what he told me," said Kayla. "Do you think he was lying?"

"Everyone lies, but that's beside the point. I think that seeing you might have triggered something in his head."

Kayla turned her head and looked at Marlana in disbelief. "What? Really?"

"Yeah really." Marlana took a big swig of ale. "It's like this: ya ever smell something and all of a sudden it just reminds you of something in your past, something deep-seated in your memory? Well, maybe your presence unlocked some deep-seated memory for him. If he really didn't remember what he was, he shouldn't have been able to make that thing so perfectly."

Marlana backed up a bit and took her pint in her hand. "But then again, if it's love it just works in weird ways." She downed her pint and, as a result, the whole pitcher.

As Marlana started shouting at Brenner for another pitcher, Kayla sat still there. His past? How could she remind him of his past? Something she said? Unlikely, she really only sat there and asked simple questions. Something she did? She didn't really do much. Whatever the case, it was an interesting theory nonetheless.

"So what do you think I should do?" Kayla asked.

Marlana took two giant swigs of ale and looked right at Kayla. "Ain't it obvious? Ya gotta see him again."

"What? No no I can't do that. I'm not even sure if I'd remember the way back to his hideout."

"Well yer gonna have to try girlie." Marlana sipped her drink again and looked Kayla right in the eye. "Listen, right now you're probably the only human being he trusts. And if he's remembering his past because of you, it's what he deserves. He's the last of his kind, he has to carry on his legacy."

Kayla turned away from Marlana for a moment. She looked at the drop of golden ale on the bar top and her mind was flooded with the memory of those bright amber eyes. Who knows what could be behind them? There could be a whole treasure trove of history and culture behind them and all she had to do to access it would be to go and see him every so often.

As she looked up again, however, at an extra candle that Brenner had lit to light up his workstation, she was reminded of the death and destruction caused by the war. Of how the lizardlings were brutally murdered every day for 100 years. Was bringing all that knowledge back really worth cementing the idea that he was the very last into his mind? He'd be so depressed he wouldn't want to see her or, even worse, angry to the point of trying to kill her.

"Um, Marlana?" A voice timidly asked.

"What?!" She said.

A short, brown-haired woman shyly stepped back. "Sorry, but Timmy broke his arm, he needs a healer."

"Gah, how many bones do I need to reset before he learns?!" Marlana said, downing her pint right afterwards. "Alright let's go."

Marlana grabbed her cane and got off her stool. She turned to Kayla one last time. "And you, think about what we talked about." Marlana stepped out and Kayla was there alone with her thoughts. That's when she noticed her mother sitting at the bar in her usual spot, her head hanging over a pint.

Kayla didn't know exactly why she did what she did, but she needed advice. "Hey Mom."

Kayla's mother looked up slowly. "Oh hi dear. Fancy seeing you here. Drink?"

"No I'm good." Kayla said, straining herself to even look her in the eye. "I wanna know, if you had the chance to bring something back to someone, even if it caused them pain, would you give it back to them?"

Her mother's face changed slightly, as if she was trying to process what Kayla was saying. She was always worst in the morning, being so hungover from the day before. "Well I might be a drunk, but I'd want to keep my stuff in check."

Kayla instantly felt confused. "But what about your memories of Dad?"

"What about em?"

"Don't you drink so you can forget Dad?"

Kayla's mother took a big sip of ale before replying. "No. I drink to numb the pain. I never wanna forget your father. He was the world to me. Nothing mattered more. If I forgot him then...well what would I be?"

Kayla never thought about it that way. It never occurred to her that memories, good or bad, could be valuable. It was at that moment she knew exactly what to do. She picked up her bag, paid her tab, and made for the door. She didn't know what prompted her to stop for a moment and look back to her mother at the bar. All she knew is that, for the first time after her father's death, her mother actually made herself useful.