The Dragon's Heir [Beta][Complete]

Chapter Three - Rewritten but Unedited

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Chapter Three

When I came to again, I was completely disorientated. Where was I again? It was painful for me to move my heat at all. I managed to open my eyes and sat upright in the bed, groaning a little at the headache I had.

"Be quiet. They're still looking for you, yer know, ma'am."

I turned my head slowly – it hurt too much to go any faster – to see the short man standing beside the bed. He was about half of my height and dressed in semi-rich looking clothing. He didn't seem like a servant, but I knew for a fact that he couldn't be a noble. Who else would be able to get into the castle?

"Who are you, may I ask?"

The little man seems surprised that he had forgotten to introduce himself and bowed respectfully, "Renaldo's ma name, ma'am. I been working at the castle since I was a boy. Me father sold me as a servant, since I'm a dwarf man. I dunno me last name either. I could be from a rich family, or a peasant family."

Being born a dwarf, he would have been shunned out of any family he was born into. My heart went out to him a little, wondering what his life may have been like if he had been born with the body of a normal man. From what I had seen of him in the last few seconds, he had a heart better than many people I knew, and get his body caused him so much suffering. People are so prejudiced, I thought angrily to myself. There was nothing wrong with this man at all, and yet his father had sold him into slavery when he was only a boy.

"I am La-"

"Lady Arabelle Jasmine Tiona, daughter of Lady Silvia and Lord Tyson Tiona. Your fourteen and betrothed to Prince Christian Dakota. I know yer, ma'am."

I nodded, somewhat surprised he knew so much about me already, and rubbed the ache on my head. I could feel a lump forming under my skin where my fingers gently pressed on my skull. I flinched away a little at a very sensitive spot, "Why did you have to hit me? There are other ways of keeping someone quiet, you know. You could have asked nicely or—"

"It was the easiest way to keep you quiet and hide yer if I needed to. I'm most sorry, ma'am," he looked up at me earnestly and I couldn't help but forgive him. He had saved me, that much was for sure.

I put my legs on the floor and went to stand up, but Renaldo pushed me back down, shaking his head scolding my, "Not yet, ma'am. There's no 'urry. I have a secret way out of the castle that only the real old servants know of. I need to make sure you ok, though."

I moved his hands away and stood up, showing him that I was completely okay, "I am fine. Where is this secret way out?" I had been in the castle many times before and was curious to see these secret ways around.

Renaldo tossed me a pair of old and torn pants, plus a stained white blouse. They must have belonged to another servant once upon a time, "Put these on. It'll make you blend in. Put yer hair into a bun or somethin' too," he then went off into a connected room to let me get dressed in private. The clothes fitted a little loosely, but that just made them more comfortable to get around in. I looked around for somewhere to get rid of my dress and saw a sewn canvas bag in the corner of the room and grabbed it, shoving the dress inside. I would get rid of it at some point along the way. I slung it over my shoulder securely and went into the adjoining room to find Renaldo. He was dangling his feet out of the window, waiting for me. No secret tunnels or passages then, I thought to myself with a bit of disappointment.