DRAGONHEART: Dawn of A New Beginning

Chapter 14

Bowen grinned as he petted the neck of his horse as he saw Geoff running to him. "You're late," The knight said with little amusement as he watched the young teen run down the hillside, almost tripping repeatedly over the jagged rocks hidden in the tall grass.

"Sorry," Geoff apologized as he doubled over and flopped down beside the knight, laying on his back and closing his eyes. "Had to clean the stables. Brother Gilbert wouldn't let me go till I was done."

Bowen chuckled. "And such is the life of a stable boy," he mused, earning himself a playful shove from Geoff. "If cleaning stables tires you so, I can't imagine what makes you think you'll make it as a knight."

"I'll make it as a knight just fine!" Geoff said in his own defense, opening his eyes and propping himself up on one elbow to look at Bowen. "I'd rather swing a sword around all day than haul hay around."

"Just because you'd rather swing a sword around," Bowen air-quoted Geoff, "doesn't mean it's going to be easier than hauling hay around with a pitchfork. Keep that in mind, boy." A knight's life was a dangerous one. Bowen personally thought Geoff would be better off tending to the stables until he was old and gray, living a life so sheltered it could make Brother Gilbert jealous.

"Yeah, yeah," Geoff huffed, wrinkling his nose. "So, what did I miss?" He asked, now leaning back on both elbows and looking up at the sky.

"Not a damned thing," Bowen replied, stifling a yawn. "This is going nowhere fast."

"Really?" Geoff asked and suddenly snapped his attention westward, watching the two dragon sitting on top of a cliff near the village. The stable boy could hear Draco's voice rise even from down where he was standing, guessing that Drake was testing his father's patience.

Draco tried to teach Drake to fly earlier that afternoon, but wasn't very successful and fell. Drake landed with several crackling branches and a sharp yell, even Draco winced at the groaning trees. Since the accident, Drake just wouldn't collaborate.

"Really," Bowen groaned as he stood to lean on his horse.

After getting scolded by his father, Drake finally agreed to try and was able to glide, albeit very unsteadily as Draco tried to catch him a bit too lat as the young dragon plummeted to the ground in a freefall, landing wasn't a thought at the present.

Bowen laughed as he left his horse and jogged casually over to the young, fallen dragon. Geoff chuckled softly as he reluctantly hoisted himself up to follow after the knight, ignoring the ache in his legs from his previous sprint.

"I'm alright," Drake mumbled before either human could open their mouths to get the inevitable question out. He stood slowly on uneasy legs to shake himself free of uprooted grass and fallen leaves.

Geoff smirked and brushed a stubborn leaf from the young dragon's shoulder. "Yeah? And what about your pride?"

Drake smiled half-heartedly at his human friend. "It's not my pride I'm worried about," he said quietly and shrunk back a little when his father landed behind him, brow furrowed and jaw clenched in aggravation.

"Oh..." Geoff mumbled and slowly stepped away from Drake, walking around him to stand at Bowen's side. As much as he liked Drake, he definitely didn't want to be caught between him and his father's wrath.

"Go easy on him, Draco," Bowen said and didn't bother hiding the fact that he was obviously amused by the situation. Draco had been trying to get Drake airborne since the break of dawn and now, at noon, the young one was still grounded.

"I have been going easy on him, Bowen," the older dragon said with a deep sigh. Drake winced at the tone in his father's voice and bowed his head, eyes focused on the ground beneath his clenched fore talons. "I fear he's the one giving me a hard time," Draco continued and, despite his agitation, reached out to tap his son's chin, causing Drake to meet his gaze.