A Fool's Tale

Chapter 6 - Dragons are Real

After my first major act of disobedience, our relationship changed. Uncle Martin no longer treated me as an animal to be taken care of and disciplined. I was more like a creature beyond redemption; one that could no longer be taught, but had to be regularly punished with a heavy hand. And although I still feared my uncle, I began to nurse a kernel of hatred, and while my fear remained unaltered, my hatred increased with every passing day.

Every day I woke wishing for some terrible thing to befall him, and while working, I often glared hatefully at him when his back was turned. I was careful to hide the wicked looks cast in his direction, but I'm sure he sensed them, for such extreme loathing is difficult to conceal, and I'm not well schooled in the art of deception.

One benefit of the deterioration of our relationship was that my uncle drank more than ever, and I didn't need to dispose of as much alcohol as I'd originally anticipated. Every night after my uncle collapsed asleep, I crept to his stock of alcohol and calculated how much he had drunk. Then I counted out the days before my planned meeting with Talia and dumped enough liquor to ensure he was on pace to run out the day before. I learned more about the practical application of fractions during those nights then most children my age, and I often went to sleep with two thoughts running through my mind; the memory of Talia's smiling face, and the exact amount of liquor remaining in my uncle's cupboard.

The days dragged. I never thought two weeks could take so long to pass. In some ways, life was easier when I had nothing to look forward to.

But two weeks did pass, likely in exactly the same amount of time as every other two weeks. I was so excited the night before that I barely slept, and found myself rubbing my eyes tiredly as I watched my uncle's wagon trundle through the trees toward the village. But the instant the sound of crackling underbrush faded in the distance, my weariness fell away, and I took off at full speed into the woods. While running, all I could think about was the memory of sitting beside Talia and looking at Kaveh and the Dragon with her. She'd been so generous and thoughtful, and after experiencing such kindness I hungered for more.

The glade appeared in front of me and I excitedly burst into it. Talia wasn't there. My stomach dropped. It felt like something heavy had been pressed against my chest and my breathing became labored. Had Talia decided not to meet me? Was her friendliness just an act? No, she wasn't like that. I tried to shake away the nasty thoughts.

What if something had happened to her while she waited? I examined the clearing. Everywhere I looked the grass was tall and unbent. No, Talia hadn't been here recently. I shaded my eyes and peered toward the castle. She lived somewhere in that direction. What if she'd been hurt or attacked coming here? I set my jaw, preparing myself to rescue Talia.

Twigs snapped. I jerked my head toward the sound of approaching footsteps. Not in fear. My hopes soared and I stared anxiously toward the noise. Moments later, I saw a familiar form flitting through the trees and Talia emerged into the glade. She wore a green tunic and dark blue leggings. It looked like something a person who lived in the forest would wear and bore a faint resemblance to my own clothing. Quite different from the dresses she'd worn previously. She was carrying Kaveh and the Dragon.

"Hi, sorry I'm late. One of my tutors was teaching me how to track animals. I slipped away the first chance I got." Talia grinned. "I guess we'll find out soon whether she actually knows what she's doing."

She moved to the center of the clearing and plopped down, patting the ground beside her. "Come on. We may not have long, and I went to a lot of trouble fetching this book after sneaking off."

I smiled happily and hurriedly settled down. Talia began reading. She spoke slowly and pointed out the letters and sounds as she progressed. Some of the words looked familiar and images of my mother reading to me flitted through my head. It felt like I'd received similar lessons a long time ago.