A surprising reveal

The creature panicked when Fiona shouted loudly for help it pushed her so suddenly that she lost her balance.

His brute force flung her backwards knocking her head against the sharp rim of the seat before she crumpled to the ground of the latrine.

After it pushed Fiona the creature ran to the back of the outhouse to hide in the corner with its knife dripping blood to continue to hide in the darkness.

Gritzl was the first to reach but Tiamat pushed him aside and told him, "Secure the perimeter in case the culprit had already left."

"On it," Gritzl's voice rang out as he gave orders for others to search for whatever or whomever attacked Fiona by the pit latrine.

"If anyone or anything else is inside the outhouse beside Fiona better come out now because I won't hesitate to kill you," Tiamat said.

Silence greeted him in answer and he slowly opened the door still maintaining his vigilance in case an opponent rushed him.

Tiamat wasn't taking any chances and he entered with his sword withdrawn. It was so dark inside he couldn't see properly if there was an immediate threat.

It was his worry for Fiona that spurned him inside and he noticed her lifeless body lying on the nasty ground.

Before he could approach Fiona's body he caught a slight movement in the darkness from the corner of his eye, they were not alone in the outhouse.

He took a step forward and something small came flying at him with so much speed while holding a knife.

It was so quick, and would seem like a blur to human eyes but Tiamat's dragon eyes could follow its movements with ease.

As soon as it got within distance of his hands Tiamat grabbed it and slammed it face first into the wall.

When it crumpled to the wall and lost all consciousness Tiamat could not believe his eyes, the mangy creature was human.

A little boy that could be no older than five, six the most had dared to attack the dragon lord Tiamat.

He had brown eyes and matted jet black straight hair that reached his waist.

The boy smelled worse than the latrine and his skin was streaked and caked with what looked like mud.

He used the hair to shield his face and it was so dirty and caked up with dirt, leaves and grime and who knows what else.

The child had obviously used the outhouse as its hiding place but what was it afraid of?

Tiamat wanted to laugh but he squashed the thought as his concern returned to Fiona, he would deal with the child later.

Fiona had been knocked unconscious from her head injury while blood gushed from the knife gash and pooled on the ground beside her inert body.

Tiamat cut a piece of the yellow floral sundress to wrap around the wound and temporarily stop the bleeding before he scooped her up in his arms to leave.

"Anything I can do to help master," asked Sloan worriedly.

"Find whatever passes for a doctor in the village and have them brought to Fiona's room immediately," replied Tiamat.

"Clear the way," said another of Tiamat's elite guards.

As the men worked hard to disperse the crowd that had gathered out of curiosity to peep at the spectacle in the outhouse.

"Nothing to see here," cried another.

The soldiers worked hard to keep the curious onlookers out of Tiamat's way as he headed inside the main house to take Fiona to the privacy of her bedchambers.

There was a knock on the door and Sloan entered with a middle aged woman carrying a huge leather bag.

"This is Glenda my lord, she is a healer and well trained in the herbal arts, everyone in the village swears by her," advised Sloan.

When Glenda spotted Fiona unconscious on the bed skin showing, to unmarried men she ordered, "Leave us now."

Tiamat was about to argue but the look in Glenda's eyes reminded him of his mother's and he nodded.

Before taking his leave he ushered Sloan out of the room first and took one last worried look at Fiona before slowly closing the door behind them.

That Glenda woman had an air of competence around her and beneath her fingernails were clean, she smelled like his mother who also had a fondness for herbs before she passed and Tiamat felt like he was leaving Fiona in good hands.

Since there was nothing he could do about Fiona he turned his attention to the boy. He would want answers from him but not before he had a bath.

He told Gritzl to take the boy down to the bathhouse and make sure that he properly washed, trimmed his hair and was given proper clothes.

After that Gritzl was to feed him and lock him in one of the empty bedrooms until Tiamat had a chance to speak with the boy.

The boy would have to wait because Tiamat had far more pressing matters at hand like what to do with the remaining survivors that had attacked him.

Gritzl heard that boy had been feral like a wild animal, so he knew that getting the boy to be civilized before he was allowed to grace Tiamat's presence again would be no easy task.

Of course, Gritzl was none too pleased with his new orders but he obeyed his cousin but he also gave him an earful about it before he left.

Only when Tiamat and his guards had the keep secure did he allow the men that surrendered to step foot inside the castle.

In order to do so they had to pledge their fealty to the dragon lord Tiamat of Thornwyck. Now that these men gave their oath to the new master to dishonor their agreement would be a fate worse than death.

Tiamat watched as the survivors ran to greet their wives and children. They picked up their shrieking children while hugging and kissing their wives.

He felt a twinge of envy that there was no wife or children to greet him.

Some of the mothers and wives newly turned widows wailed, sad mournful lamenting that filled the air with despair because their loved one had not returned with the others.

It brought an old feeling of denial about his mortality, he did not know which day would be his last.

Tiamat was tired, his chest still throbbed from the recent wound and he wanted to sleep until his aches were gone and he felt fully restored in mind, body and spirit.

He needed a heir that would look after his people when he was gone and the only woman's face that came to mind was Fiona, no other woman would feel right.

*Special thank you to Carey_Shantz your support is encouraging & awesome!