The Rise of The Dragon Queen

Chapter 10

Not long after Vixia and I got settled into our room, there was a knock at the door. One of the ladies from earlier had brought towels and some soap, explaining that there was a large bath that we could use to clean up. Still covered in dirt, we sprung on the opportunity.

As it turns out, the bath that was mentioned was specifically for relaxing, but we were able to clean ourselves off beforehand. We took Puff with us and he immediately curled up on one of the rocks by the water, which was steaming already. Out of the two of us, I was the first to get in. My knees stung when they met the water and it was the first time I noticed that I had scraped my knees getting to Vixia at the cavern. I sat down in the bath and the water rose to my collarbones as I heaved a sigh. Vixia stepped into the bath beside me, pausing every once in a while to let her body adjust to the heat. She clenched her teeth as the water engulfed her wounds but kept lowering herself into the bath. When she finally slipped into it, she left her towel folded on the rocks. She leaned her head back on it like it were a pillow and then looked over at me.

"So, what was up with you earlier?" I shifted a little, looking away from her.

"It's a long story," I replied after a moment.

"Did your family live there?" I shook my head. "Then why did you . . ." Her voice trailed off as she tried to come up with her own answer. That was when I finally explained it all to her. When I was young, I was imprisoned, but I still didn't know why. I escaped because of a dragon attack that destroyed the village and eventually found myself in Zaledrid. After that, I was sent to the orphanage, where I met Vixia. Somewhere through the conservation, Vixia had pulled me into a hug and I was resting my head on her shoulder, trying not to get overwhelmed again. She started stroking my hair when I was done, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

"You're not a monster," she finally stated. "That will never happen to you again." Puff then scuttled over to us, trilling. He nudged the side of my face with his forehead, making me smile.

"Thank you. It was a long time ago, but I've never really talked about it before."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well . . ." I thought about it for a moment. "What if I told you and you left me?" Vixia smiled as she shook her head, pulling me into another hug.

"It'd take a lot more than that to get rid of me. You were a kid. There's no way you could have done anything to deserve that." That last sentence hit me in a way that I never expected. Something inside my head just clicked, and I was left crying all over again. Vixia jolted upright, panicked, and looked down at me. "Are you okay?"

"Thank you," I whispered back, sniffling. She stroked my hair again and then let go, standing up. She reached her hand out to me with a smile.

"Come on, I think we've soaked enough. Let's get to bed." I nodded and took her hand. She helped me get to my feet and we climbed out of the bath, Puff following behind us.

The night passed quickly after Vixia and I crawled into bed. After the whole ordeal, we were exhausted. The next morning, Vixia and I returned our key and we headed out of the inn. The receptionists gave Puff another treat and he was still chewing on it when we stepped back onto the road, in the same situation as we were in the night before.

"What do we do now?" Vixia asked.

"Well, I think the first thing we are going to need is money," I answered. That was when my stomach growled loudly. Vixia's ears twitched at the sound and Puff even looked down from my shoulder. Honestly, the jerky he was chewing smelled great. "I didn't even realize that I was hungry."