Princesses, Dragons, and Elves, Oh My!

Princesses, Dragons, And Elves, Oh My! pt3

When he awoke again, Gill sat up, pushing off some furs covering him. His head hurt worse than ever and his shoulder wasn't much better. He noted a bucket and cup nearby and shifted over, immediately drinking several cups, trying to pace himself and not glug it all down.

As he drank he looked around. The torches were low but he made out a lumpy shape on one side of the bed of furs which he knew to be Lana. He didn't see any eyes up above him but heard the heavy breathing in the darkness. Sleeping, too?

Feeling the need to get up, his keen eyes picked up some light in one direction. The cave entrance seemed to be around the corner, he had a little more sense of the cave's vastness just looking. Automatically he headed for the light, but as he hit the corner and saw the entrance there rumbled a voice.

"And what do you think you're doing?" The dragon's mass shifted.

"Oh-!" Gill jumped and turned in surprise, seeing the dragon's outline. His eyes were low, head probably on the ground, "Uh, I... huh..." he looked down in some clouded confusion. What was he doing exactly? "Not sure... I-" he understood that of course Glen wouldn't want him wandering off.

"Forgot my situation for a moment." he admitted after thinking, "I was going to see if I could catch the sunrise. And as a habit, scout my outside surroundings. I wasn't even thinking, just automatically moving."

The dragon snorted. "Likely story!"

Gill shrugged helplessly, "Honest truth. But I understand you're not trusting me."

He glanced back outside briefly before reluctantly returning. Hahhhh, he needed fresh air, to see the sky and sunlight, feel alive!

This might be his life now.

"Perhaps I'll let you out later." Glen seemed to sense the elf's disappointment.

"I would appreciate it," Gill smiled a little, as he came back and sat down, "I'm not an indoor person. I spend around 80% of my time in the open air. I'm maybe mildly claustrophobic."

"I'll light the place up more, and you'll see it's hardly claustrophobic-inducing."

Sitting back at the edge of the furs, Gill absent-mindedly ran a hand over them as the two's conversation momentarily ended.

The dragon shifted, head rising as he sat up. Puffs of fire broke out as other torches set in different places were lit up, like fireflies on the far walls. And they were indeed very far.

"Tell me about yourself Gill. I'd like to get to know you a little more if you're going to be staying here a bit."

"I'd rather tell Lana first." Gill replied tiredly. He glanced in her direction.

"She's gonna be sleeping a while," Glen commented for his information, "Why?"

Gill thought things over, "I'd really rather her not wake up to our conversation."

Glen huffed impatiently, thinking, "Let's step outside."

They did so. It was past dawn as Gill returned to the outcropping, sitting at the edge, looking into the large pool beneath his dangling feet as the dragon stepped delicately along the boulders to keep from getting wet.

There was silence for a time.

"Lana's not a random person to me..." Gill slowly, "I've got history with... a family member."

"Ahhh!" The dragon exclaimed quietly, "Her brother Adam I presume?"

"What?" Gill started and looked up. Glen was on the nose "She's told you about him?"