Twenty

I woke to the sound of voices and a dry mouth. Groaning, I sit up, only to lie back down before the world began to spin too much. Next thing I know is a hand holding my head and something being pressed to my lips. I tried to squirm away, but the hand was strong and held me still. "Drink."

I took a sip and relaxed. Water wetted my tongue and coated my throat. I tried to pull away, but the hand didn't let me. "No!"

I don't feel the glass anymore, but do feel something else touch my lips. "Eat." I shake my head. "Come on, Thelia. You haven't had anything since I found you. You need something in your stomach."

I shake my head again, the smell turning my stomach over. "No!"

I hear a sigh then I'm wrapped in a pair of arms and brought against a nice warm body. I relax even more, not realizing how cold I am. "Go ahead and sleep some more. I'm not going anywhere."

I did as the voice suggested and slept.

When I woke again, I opened my eyes. The room was dimly lit by the fire blazing in the hearth that kept the place warm. On a table was a tray of food that was covered to keep it warm. And beside me, asleep in bed, was Zargis. His arms were still wrapped around me, keeping me wrapped in heat from his body. Too tired to do anything, I snuggle against him and close my eyes, not wanting this to end.

The next morning, my eyes opened to the scene of an empty room. Zargis had gone. My heart sank but I remembered that he was angry at me, so I got up and dressed, then made my way to my kitchen. To my surprise, a steaming stack of pancakes were waiting for me. I smiled and began to eat. I was half way finished when I saw the note.

More in the oven if you're feeling up to it.

I finished my plate and checked the oven. To my delight, the note was correct. I ate those pancakes too, then lounged on the couch with a full stomach.

When the day went passed noon, I decided to go for a walk. I exited my room and went down a hallway, then down the stairs. I was heading outside when, like before, Otreg stopped me. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

I thought I detected a note of annoyance in his voice and stepped back. "Just outside?" I say nervously.

He shook his head and took my arm. "No way!"

"But Otreg!"

He gave me a scowl. "Do you realize how scared all of us were? We thought you died! You were asleep for three days, Thelia. Zargis went mad yesterday when you didn't wake and I finally told him to go do something because he wouldn't stop pacing! The pour couple who helped you are wondering if you're okay. I nearly had a heart attack when I couldn't find you anywhere!"

I dug in my heels and stared at him. "Wait, Otreg. What do you mean?"

"What do you mean 'what do I mean'?"

"I thought Zargis was mad at me. I thought he is going to chain me up since I didn't return? I thought he would be furious?"

Otreg blinked. "Zargis isn't mad at you, Thelia. Once he sees you're alright, he'll be thrilled. And Zargis would never chain you up! Why are you worried about that? You should be worried about how you're going to avoid getting lost again."

"Aren't you mad?"

"For what?"

"Because I didn't return."

Otreg rolled his eyes then softened his gaze. "No, Thelia, I'm not mad. I am relieved you were found and happy you finally woke up." He put his hands on my shoulders and smiled slightly. "I should have given you a map, so that's what we'll look at now. Then, if you want, we'll go out and walk around."

I smiled and nodded. He led me to a room and began to show me different parts of the kingdom. I realized that certain roads lead straight to the castles and others have dead-ends or turn to another direction. I also found out how to know where I'm at in the kingdom using certain buildings or statues. When Otreg finished detailing the map, he handed it to me and we went on a walk. On occasion, he'd have me figure out where we were. At first, it took a while, but then I got the hang of it and he left me to talk to some men, saying I could keep the map for as long as I needed it.

I walked a bit and found myself at the edge where I had nearly fallen off the last time. I looked out and saw something flying towards me. I squinted and backed away, a scream in my throat.

A mighty dragon flew right up to the edge and hovered, amber eyes watching me curiously. It's skin was black with red wings and tail and belly. It was nearly the size of the castle, and I was afraid it would eat me.

Then, it landed on the ground and tilted it's head a little, looking a bit like a child begging for a treat. I tentatively reached out a hand, but when it moved, I jumped back. "Please don't eat me!" I hiss.

To my shock, it rolled it's eyes like it was the most ridiculous thing it had ever heard. I glared at it. It showed it's teeth in a large grin. I cross my arms and stare at the beast, wondering who the male was behind the beast. Steeling myself, I reached out again. It didn't move and I finally touched it. The skin was hot, but seemed to cool under my touch. It felt like a lizard's skin, yet the scales were beautiful in the sunlight. I glanced at his back and wondered how anyone could ride it.

When the dragon moved, I jumped, but all it did was circle me and lie down, eyes watching me. I sat down, feeling small, and admired it's powerful body and fingered it's beautiful scales. It seemed content to let me do this all day, but another dragon appeared, this one a bright orange, and roared at my dragon who roared back. I clapped my hands over my ears and wondered if I'd go deaf. Then, I saw a huge nose and looked up at the dragon. His amber eyes glowed bright as he nuzzled me gently, then pushed me back a bit before turning and taking off.

That night, I couldn't get the beautiful dragon out of my head, finding myself unable. I didn't know if I'd ever see it again, so I wanted to keep the memory fresh for as long as possible.

When Otreg asked why I was in such a good mood, I shrugged, saying that my walk was interesting. When he left, I went to the library to see if I could find out who my dragon was. All I got were the different types of dragons.

There were Fire dragons, Ice dragons, Wind dragons, and Green dragons. I was confused why three were elemental while the one was just a color, but the books didn't give me an answer. What I did know was that the red dragon I met today was a fire dragon, the most powerful of all dragons.