The Dragon's Consort

Chapter 10

ZARA

Having Armos nearly mistake her a female was a wake up call. Despite binding her breasts until she was flatter than a board, Zara still looked like a female. With her soft face, full lips, and long hair. Each one of those things could feasibly be masculine, but together? It was an easy mistake to make. She couldn't change anything major, but maybe she could cut her hair? It might be worth something.

She had quickly realized she wasn't around males who barely knew what women looked like anymore. Armos, and even more so Cadmus. If Armos almost mistook her, Cadmus certainly would. She could read between the lines and understand that the eldest brother had even laid with a woman. He would know what one looked like. Obviously.

She would be caught if she didn't smarten up. But how could she smarten up? Just hide her face when Cadmus showed up. Act more feral and boyish? Maybe find a magician who could alter her appearance? No bad idea. They'd have to find out the truth first to do that.

Hide her face it is.

She was panicked. Thoroughly panicked. Maybe it was better to run away. Zurden agreed not to chase her down this time, and just let her go. It would work. But she wanted to spend more time with them, enough to at least have memories to look back on.

Armos had suggested a night of debauchery after all. It was not often dragons decided to go drinking in a city. Not to mention, she had never drank booze. It would be a memorable night indeed.

Maybe it wasn't worth giving up her crests, but she had been looking for some way to get of them for years now. Yet it still felt it was too heartless just to throw them in a river.

She supposed it was a good enough excuse. They only served as a painful reminder of her mother, and her mother before her. But something kept her connected to the gold crest. She wasn't ready to part with it. Not yet anyways. She had prayed that she was careful enough to sneak it out of the hidden compartment without getting caught.

Had she been a fool? So lost in her silly fantasies of making memories that she gave up something everyone thought was so important? And not just a few, all of them. They were probably worth ten thousand Solaires each, easily.

Her uncle would be disappointed, she knew that. But he would be disappointed in many things; would have thought her desperate craving to go tavern hopping was ridiculous. He always threatened how even the most refined men became scandalous cravens after indulging in the drink. But she wasn't a man, and longed to have a night where she could ignore and forget everything that weighed heavy on her mind.

Uncle Sarros would especially disapprove of this newfound desire to impress them. Show off her wealth, her status and her power. Make them revel and awe at her might. Perhaps from having her ego stroked too much these past few days.

The tent around her danced with the wind. A wicked wind storm had blown through last night, and still refused to let up despite it being morning. Kevdron was sound asleep on the other side, snoring away without a care. He was almost louder than the wind.

He was a quiet boy. Clearly still shook up from losing his father. He had barely made eye contact with her in his short time here. Yet he still somehow slept like the dead. Zurden thought that she had poor survival skills. She was just lazy, but this kid on the other hand, had absolutely none. Even for a twelve year old. He was utterly helpless.

She could hear Zurden and the brothers starting to pack up the camp. She decided it was time to wake the boy up.

"Kevdron," she whispered, "it's morning, we have places to be." He jumped awake, panting like a animal.

"Right," he sighed, as if trying to calming himself down from the fright.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"No," he mumbled, "I miss my father."

Zara sat up, and rested a hand on his shoulder, "I do too."

"My father told me he had died. Said he was a good man. Would've been a good ruler if he was born a female."

She gave a half-smile, memories burbled in her mind. "He would've been. But by the suns he would've hated it. Despite his good heart, he was so pigheaded and stubborn. Wouldn't take advise from anyone."

Kevdron laughed, "I heard that as well."

"What was your father like?" she asked.

"He was kind, and gentle. Never even raised his voice, not once," he paused, smile slowly fading, "but I think he was lonely. My mother died a month before I was supposed to be born. He said that they had to cut me from her. He never recovered after that, I don't think."

"He really loved her. Not the fake kind of love, but the storybook kind of love," he continued.

"My father was like that as well," she had to reign in her words, almost tripping up on her lie, "my mother lived, somehow, after having me. But she suffered from a great melancholy after I was born. She decided she wanted a new life, pursue a career. He let her go, was happy for her. Even though it broke him. He kept sending her money until his death, so that she wouldn't have to find unscrupulous work."

"Too bad we couldn't meet each other's fathers, maybe we would've grown up as friends," he said.

"We can still be friends, Kevdron," she smiled.

He had a soft grin, "call me Kev."

"Okay," she replied.

Yawning, he flopped back onto his cot. "It'll be nice to have a friend my age."

For those brief moments, she had forgotten she was pretending to be a teenage boy. Kev was mature, spoke like an adult and made her forget she was supposed to be playing a role. She would not be discovered by a twelve year old boy.

"Indeed," she murmured, trying not to choke on the lie. She stood, letting out a deep sigh, "I believe we're leaving now."

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Limebrook, it's due north, only a few hours away. Armos has suggested we do some tavern hopping," she said.

"I thought dragons don't go into cities. Are you not worried we'll be killed by dragon slayers?" his voice was nervous.

"Dragon slayers aren't very active here anymore, most live in the far south, and the rest in the far north. Limebrook is very central, and is the capital of the duchy. Slayers wouldn't dare intrude on the duke's territory."

"You're sure?" he asked, voice high.

"Yes," she affirmed, "but even if for some gods forsaken reason, we ran into slayers; I have no doubts the brothers would be able to keep you safe. They're six of the strongest males alive."

She smirked, "not to mention, they're obsessive mother hens who'd stop at nothing to keep a youngling safe."

His frown crept into a smile, but only for a moment, "I guess you're right."

She huffed, untying Ralph from her horns, "this is Ralph. I carved him myself. He shall keep you safe just as he's kept me safe."

He smiled for real this time, "thank you."

With that he stood and we packed up the camp, ready to leave for Limebrook.