Crown of Dahlias

Petals Painted Gold

Dragons had insanely good eyesight. Not surprising since they had inhuman strength, speed, and hearing. He watched the guard rotations on the walls from afar on his days off, until he realized that every guard on that wall was a dragon. Kieren couldn't tell if they had horns or not from so far, but if they didn't they were considered beta dragons. They were just under Drakes in the dragon hierarchy, Kieren had learned, and the most common kind of dragon amongst the dragon populace. 

Counting and timing wasn't too difficult after a week, leaving his hiding place just after sunset so he could disappear in the evening crowd. To further prove his point that it was dragons guarding the walls and not humans, he saw every guard turn their head at the same time one day, Kieren spotting a small caravan of wagons on the other side of the City of Yew (clearly headed for the citadel). The guards had not returned to their normal positions until the caravan was approved entry at the one entrance on the east side of the citadel; the side the palace was on. Not to mention it probably made more sense for dragons to guard the home of other dragons.

However, at the same time on the last day of the week for the next week, the same caravan had come. If they were consistent, that would be his way in.

Just in time, right after sunset, the caravan was moving along the dirt road, leaving the edges of the city behind. There were five large wagons made of solid wood with white cloth over top with silver trim decorating it. Human guards were easier to get past than dragons, Kieren determined. Not to mention, who in their right mind would try to sneak into a dragon's home? Dragons were cautious, protective and very, very dangerous when angered. Kieren knew he was playing with fire, but he had decided over the last three weeks that he didn't mind getting burned. The ache in his chest was getting worse. 

There were two guards that walked next to the wagon up at the front, a guard who walked next to the second wagon in line, and two guards that followed up the last wagon at the back. The first and second wagon were connected together by a chain as well as the third and forth wagon. The fifth wagon was the more heavily guarded of the five, Kieren curiously wondering what was in there. Kieren had watched them switch their rotation the past two weeks, each guard assigned to a singular wagon as they traveled, before joining into pairs once they met the road that lead up to the citadel (except for the one odd man out).

The middle wagon would be his best bet and each wagon had to pass by the closed-down shop before getting onto the path that lead up to the east side of the citadel. Kieren's hands began to sweat, silently chanting for the second wagon to hurry past already. When the third wagon was just about to pass the shop, Kieren darted between the the third and forth wagon. Sweat clung to the back of his neck, keeping up the pace of the driver of the third wagon. No shouts or the unsheathing of swords could be heard, Kieren feeling his lips curl in a smile. 

The cloth at the back of the third wagon was soft to the touch, Kieren moving it to the side as he timed it just right to slip inside. There were a few chests within, but mostly just dried foods like grains, potatoes and dried meats. It smelled a bit heavenly in there, Kieren having to shake himself from stealing food. Kieren made room for himself, hiding his small form behind a large barrel, a giant sack of potatoes in front of him. Then, he waited. 

Kieren's ears tuned in sharply when after a moment, he could hear the lurch of heavy gates opening. 

"What's in these?" A guard of the citadel asked, sounding bored.

"Dried goods!" The man driving the third  wagon said cheerily. Every muscle in Kieren's body froze when he heard the flap of the cloth open to his wagon, holding his breath.

"Clear back here!" Someone called after a long minute, the flap closing; Kieren melting like butter from relief. The wagon rocked slightly as the bumpy dirt road changed to something much smoother. Far too curious for his own good, and not wanting to be caught later once the caravan stopped, Kieren peeked underneath the white cloth. He was on a stone path with large trees that arched over to cool down the path on sunny days or to hide the path from moonlight. This would be his chance to escape. Kieren slipped out of the wagon, slightly bumping into the forth wagon behind him, keeping pace as the wagons nearly brushed the trees next to the path they were on. Taking fast breaths, Kieren darted behind the next tree, taking in shallow, quiet breaths as he waited long moments after the fifth wagon had passed.