Dragon Blood

Eleven: Magnificent

Skylar's eyes blinked open to find that it was still dark out. She glanced over at the blanket-covered form of Percy, whose breathing was still slow and steady. Still asleep then. She lifted her head to peer over her hip at Orion, who laid on his back with his hands folded neatly on his chest. His broad chest also rose and fell at a steady rate. The horses were also calm and dozing in a close huddle. What had woken her up?

As she sat up to ponder this, the reason quickly became known to her. Her full bladder balked at being folded into a sitting position and she gasped at the sensation. Well, that explained her sudden awakeness, although she would much rather be sleeping. Where was she supposed to go to the bathroom, she wondered. Not in the woods certainly. Princesses did not relieve themselves in the woods.

Her bladder was far too insistent for her to argue much longer, and there would be no holding it until they could stop somewhere that had a civilized toilet.

"Well, fine then," she hissed, shoving to her feet and picking her way into the surrounding trees to find a somewhat hidden spot.

"I can't believe I'm being forced to pee in the woods like some animal," she growled softly as she held her bodice against her chest. It was still untied and therefore threatening to fall away from her, leaving her in nothing but her shift. She continued a little further into the forest until she encountered a somewhat sheltered spot, though it was still far too out in the open for her liking. But, nature calls and there would be no ignoring it any longer.

Skylar very unceremoniously gathered her lovely, if ruined, skirts around her waist as she squatted and relieved the pressure in her bladder. She'd never felt more filthy in her life. As she rose, she vowed never to speak of that experience again. She needed to wash, just needed to wash. She'd feel better if she could at least wipe her face of dirt and dried tears.

Her ears quickly caught the sound of a stream not far away and without a second thought, she continued her march away from the small camp where her captors slept peacefully. They'd never know she was gone. Her dragon was very aware of the activity and was ready to retaliate if Skylar even thought about running. She didn't plan on it, but the dragon didn't trust her wishy-washy human side. Skylar could change her mind at any time and try to take them away from the dragons. All Skylar really wanted was to wash her face, and she knew that Orion and Percy would track her down if she ran. She wasn't particularly keen to encounter Orion when he was really angry. He was frightening enough when he was simply irritated.

The little stream ran toward the woods towards what was likely a lake. It was only about two yards wide and perhaps a yard deep, but it would serve Skylar just fine. She knelt beside it and dunked her filthy hands into the cold water, scrubbing them raw. Oh, her poor, beautiful hands. Her wrists were rubbed raw from her bindings and her palms were scratched and filthy from when Draco's men had tackled her and she threw them in front of her to catch her fall. The cool water stung the small cuts, but was soothing nonetheless.

Skylar lifted a handful of water and splashed it to her face, rubbing gently to remove the dirt and grime that had accumulated. Even her dragon was calmer after the simple preening ritual. Dragons were somewhat vain creatures, and Skylar's dragon liked her human to look as presentable as possible. Skylar snorted at her dragon and bent down to peer at her reflection. The flowing water distorted it, but she could see herself well enough. And she truly was a mess. Her hair was wild from sleep and general activity of the night. Sky pulled the fancy pin from her hair and let it fall around her shoulders in a cloud of red curls. She fluffed the mass of locks flirtatiously at her reflection before pinning some of it back with the bejeweled pin. She then perched on a flat rock that lined the shore and lifted the silk hem of her skirt.