Chapter 4: The Interloper

Aeris paced in front of her door, her mind racing. She stared at the sheet covering the table. Underneath, the lump that was the cake she stole from the kitchens was easily visible.

Today had to go well, it just had to. Ever since her trip into the city, she couldn’t stop thinking about the dragon who saved her. So many questions swirled about in her mind, she could hardly sleep most nights. What was a domesticate? What was a Matriarch? Why did that dragon hate her so much?

That dragon had the answers and Aeris’ only hope was to speak to her again. To do that, she needed Master Aaron’s permission because she had no idea what the dragoness lived. But how could she ask without telling him what she did? He would be furious if he learned she had gone to the city without asking permission.

Maggie agreed to keep her trip to the city a secret and even tied a scarf around her neck to hide the bite marks from the drake who attacked her. Maggie reassured her the marks weren’t deep and shouldn’t leave a scar, but until she healed, they needed to hide it from everyone. She loved wearing clothes, so the scarf didn’t look too out of place.

Her punishment was over, but Maggie still recommended that she keep to herself. It wasn’t hard since the other servants ignored her most of the time but it still reminded her how lonely she was. She had no friends and no one to confide in besides Maggie. She couldn’t even name anyone outside the estate who knew her.

Her melancholy was interrupted by the opening door and Maggie walking inside. The smell of breakfast from the tray in the woman’s arms made Aeris’s stomach growl.

“Good morning, Aeris. You’re up early,” Maggie said. “I usually have to wake you up.” She set the tray on the table and frowned. “Why is there a sheet here?”

Aeris gave her best smile. “I, uh, wanted to try something new.”

“Well, it does look nice, but you should use a tablecloth, not a bedsheet. You’re going to get it dirty.” She pulled the sheet off the table and a smile spread across her face. “Well, I see what Lydia meant about a cake she made this morning mysteriously growing legs. I didn’t think I was that late bringing your breakfast.”

“Please don’t be angry,” Aeris said hurriedly, “I didn’t want to steal it—”

“Aeris—”

“--but when I tried asking Lydia to make one, but she wouldn’t do it. I wanted to try to make it myself—”

“Aeris—”

“--but I don’t know how and I’m not allowed in the kitchens. Then I overheard her saying she didn’t like this one and wanted to throw it out—”

“Aeris!” When she finally fell silent, Maggie continued in a softer tone. “I’m not angry, and I’m not going to tell on you. It’s quite all right, but why do you need a cake so badly?”

She dropped her head and mumbled, “I got it for Master Aaron.”

“That’s awfully kind of you. What brought this on?”

“I, I wanted to ask him something.”

“And you decided to win his favor with cake? Well, it’s not a bad idea, just a very obvious one. But it could just very well work.” She inspected the dessert, her smile growing wider. “But you might have waited for it to be decorated. Do you even know what flavor it is?”

She dropped her head even further. “No. I tried to figure it out myself, but I don’t know much about cakes.” She added quickly. “I know it’s very good, though.”

“Well, I guess that explains the bite mark.”

“Yes! I wanted to make sure it tasted good before I gave it to him.”

Maggie nodded, her smile renewing as she inspected the cake further. “And what about the bite marks on the other side?”

“I wanted a second opinion.”

Maggie burst into laughter. Aeris was practically laying on the floor, her head was so low. To her surprise, she was gently patted on the head. “You silly dragon. You make it impossible to get angry with you. Now, why are you bribing Lord Strauss with a cake? It’s not like you to try something like this.”

“Well, I, I wanted to ask him to let me visit that dragon I told you about.”

“The one who saved your life when you snuck out?” When she nodded, Maggie continued. “Aeris, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“But why not?”

“Because as grateful as I am for that dragon for interfering, I’m also certain she didn’t do it out of the kindness of her heart. She likely wants something from you and now thinks that because she saved you, she can get it.”

“But she might know what I am!”

“Aeris, please! Keep your voice down!”

She fell silent, cursing herself for getting carried away. If anyone overheard them and Master Aaron got wind of it, she would never be allowed outside again.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t help you, truly I am, but you can’t just go around approaching strangers. It’s dangerous. I thought you would have learned that lesson after…” she pointed to the scarf around Aeris’ neck.

“I know that. But this dragon is different. She saved me and she even offered to help me. She didn’t have to do that.”

Maggie kneeled in front of her and undid the scarf. “No, she didn’t which is exactly what worries me. Dragons aren’t known for doing things out of the kindness of their hearts.” She removed the bandage and examined Aeris’ neck. “This is healing very nicely. I don’t think it will leave a scar which is good. I’d hate to have to explain to Lord Strauss how you got it.”

The door opened again. They whirled to the portal to witness Charles entering. Aeris immediately straightened up, her tail wrapping around her body.

He stared down his nose at them. “Explain what to Lord Strauss, Margret?” His gaze shifted to something behind them and her stomach sank, knowing he had seen the cake. “Abandoning the feeding schedule are we?”

Aeris whimpered.

“Not that it’s any of your business but Aeris had an accident this morning,” Maggie replied curtly. “I cleaned her up and snuck her the cake to cheer her up. Lydia was going to throw it out anyway, and as for her feeding schedule, I doubt Lord Strauss will make a big deal about one treat.”

Charles slowly approached, looking down the end of his beak-like nose. Maggie stood, straight and proud. The two stared daggers at the other.

The silence made her uncomfortable, but she was too afraid to break it.

Eventually, Charles spoke. “How stupid do you believe I am? You think I don’t know what you’ve been doing?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Maggie said.

“The only reason Lord Strauss hasn’t fired you yet is because it would be too much trouble to hire and train someone else to look after the dragon. But your defiance does not make you invincible.”

“Yes, yes, you’ve made that same threat over a hundred times already. Now please get to the real reason why you’re here. It’s too early to start her lessons.”

Charles’ lips pressed into a thin line. “Lord Strauss is expecting a guest around lunchtime. He wants the dragon to be presentable by then.” He spun and headed back to the door. Before leaving he added, “You need to stop prying into things best left buried, dragon. The Strauss family has shielded you from much and given you a good life. Are you truly prepared to tear it all down?”

Aeris turned to Maggie. “What did he mean by that?”

“He meant nothing. He’s just trying to scare you, nothing more. Now finish your breakfast. He said you must be ready by lunch, but knowing that old badger he gave me the wrong time on purpose so I’ll look like a fool.”

Aeris grumbled under her breath as she turned to her food. That meant she would be confined to her room until the guest arrived or risk getting scolded.

But more than that, Charles’ warning nagged at her. She only wanted to help but what if her searching was doing more harm than good?

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Hey, um, Maggie? Do you think I’m a good dragon?”

Maggie turned away from the window to look at her, a brow raised. “A good dragon? What do you mean by that?”

Aeris focused her gaze on Maggie's feet. “I…I just wonder what Master Aaron thinks of me after what happened. And I keep sneaking out when I know I’m not supposed to. And I’m trying to trick him into doing things for me. Charles is right, my life is good and Master Aaron does so much for me but I’m disobeying him. And…and…” she tensed, claws digging furrows in the dirt floor as she thought back to the times her master touched her. How she hated it and the things she wished she had said or done.

Maggie gently lifted Aeris’s head. “Aeris, I want you to listen to me. You are the most kind, caring, and generous person I’ve ever met, human or dragon. I promise you are not terrible.”

“But Charles said—”

“Stop,” Maggie said, firmly gripping Aeris’s face. The once gentle look in her eyes had suddenly turned cold. “Stop. Charles does not know you like I do. That old coot thinks of one thing and one thing only, serving the family. He doesn’t care if you’re happy or not, and he’ll say anything to make you obedient. I promise you are not a bad dragon.”

Aeris nodded, but she didn’t believe it.

Maggie kneeled and reapplied the bandages then tied the scarf over it. After making some adjustments, she placed a hand on Aeris’s back and steered her outside. “Now, come. You’ve been cooped up in this stuffy room for far too long and it’s getting to you. We can wait for the guest outside.”

The sun beaming on her scales brought no warmth, the wind seemed to flow around her, and the grass didn’t tickle her paws as it usually did. She kept her head down, following Maggie’s lead on pure instinct.

They walked in silence to the gardens. Though Aeris was scolded something fierce if she ruined any of the plants, she loved spending time there. The flowers smelled lovely, and the various colors of the different types of flowers were fascinating. On nice days, Maggie would read to her there. Aeris wasn’t sure what Maggie was thinking, but she had nothing to say.

After several trips around the gardens, Maggie’s sudden voice startled her. “Aeris, I was hired after you were hatched so I don’t know what happened, but how did you come here again?”

“Master Aaron’s parents rescued me from dragon poachers.”

Maggie’s expression was an enigma.

“Maggie?”

“Oh, excuse me. I was just thinking about what that fool said. There’s something in your past he doesn’t want you or anyone else knowing about. And now I wonder what that something is. But you are not a breathe a word of this to anyone, understand?”

She nodded, knowing perfectly well what could happen if she said something. She wondered what Maggie was thinking. Other than she could breathe ice instead of fire like other dragons, there was nothing she had to keep secret.

Maggie patted her side steered her out of the gardens. “It’s getting close to noon. We should see if Lord Strauss’s guest has arrived yet.”

They headed to the front of the mansion. Master Aaron was already there, standing by a horse-drawn carriage wearing one of his business vests and clean pair of slacks.

A young woman, looking very close to Master Aaron’s age stood next to him. She had all the airs of a noblewoman from her straight-back posture, to the stark confidence in her dark green eyes, to the crisp cleanliness of the casual dress she wore. Aeris stared at the woman mesmerized. Her glossy pale skin, long dark hair, and strong jaw made her look more like a life-sized doll rather than a human being.

A breeze blew, and Aeris caught a whiff of the woman’s perfume, making her frown. Master Aaron jogged over to them. It was then Aeris realized she had stopped moving.

“Aeris, I want to introduce you to someone.” He gently pushed Aeris closer to the woman. “Aeris, this is Lilith Chamron. Lilith, I would like you to meet Aeris.”

Lilith smiled warmly and said in a confident tone, “Hello, Aeris. It is a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Aeris was still mesmerized by the woman’s features, but she bowed, her body moving automatically thanks to years of lessons in etiquette. “The pleasure is mine, Lady Chamron, and thank you for your kind words,” she said mechanically.

“Aeris, please, just ‘Lilith’ is fine. We’ll be spending a great deal of time together after all.”

Aeris snatched her head up and turned to Master Aaron, her heart leaping up into her throat and Charles’s warnings of Maggie being fired coming to mind. Master Aaron’s expression was neutral making it impossible to read his thoughts.

As if sensing her unease, Lilith added, “Aaron and I are dating, so I expect I will see you quite often.” She then smiled at her.

Aeris only nodded in return, her tail wrapping around her legs. Something about the smile felt…wrong. As if the smile was done out of politeness instead of genuine kindness. She had read about characters like this in her books; these characters always had hidden agendas and they were seldom pleasant. She also saw enough fake smiles at the various events she attended. But she didn’t dare make her grievances known. Master Aaron would never forgive her should she do something foolish.

Lilith approached Aeris and patted her head. The woman’s touch was gentle but stiff which only confirmed Aeris’s suspicions. The gesture was done likely for Master Aaron’s sake. Before Aeris could stop herself, she backed out of reach.

Aeris was horrified. Her first reaction upon realization of what she had done was turn to Master Aaron. His face was calm, but the disappointment was visible in his eyes as he looked at her. She turned away from her master’s stare.

Maggie quickly appeared by Aeris’ side. “Please forgive her, Lady Lilith. Aeris is normally very polite, but she doesn’t like to be touched by anyone she doesn’t know.”

“It’s not a problem. I shouldn’t have been so forward. I know how proud dragons are; they do not prefer to be petted like some common house cat,” she bowed deeply and added. “Please forgive my rudeness, Aeris.”

“No, no, I’m not offended,” Aeris said quickly. No human had ever acted that way to her before and it felt strange. She stole another glance at her master. The disappointment was still in his eyes, but now it had moved to the background like the distant rumbling of an approaching storm.

Maggie bowed politely. “Speaking of rudeness. I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Margret Hayes. It is an honor to meet you, Lady—”

“No, no, no. I won’t have any of that ‘Lady’ business,” Lilith said quickly. “You don’t need to be so formal. I expect we’ll become very close, you and I.”

Maggie turned to Master Aaron. “Oh. Forgive me, Lord Strauss, I had no idea.”

Master Aaron chuckled. “That was kind of the point. Lilith likes her privacy.” He clapped his hands together, a joyful smile appearing on his face. “You know what? Lilith and I were just about to eat lunch in the garden. Aeris, you should join us.”

“I think that is a wonderful idea,” Lilith said. “It’ll be a great opportunity for the dragon and me to get to know each other.”

Aeris fought the urge to frown at the bitterness in Lilith’s voice when she said “the dragon” and bowed deeply. “I would be honored, master.”

“Margaret, Aeris prepared and bring her to the garden. Nothing too fancy, but at least a light polish. Then when you’ve finished, assist Lydia.”

“As you wish, Lord Strauss,” Maggie replied, bowing. “Aeris, wait for me in your room.”

Aeris nodded and did as she was told, eager to get as far away from Lilith as possible.

It didn’t take long for Maggie to return. She polished Aeris’s scales in silence and picked out a nice emerald vest for her to wear. The frustration in her face and touch was unmistakable though Aeris didn’t dare ask why.

They went back out and headed to the gardens. Lilith and Master Aaron were already there, awaiting her arrival at a large table in the garden’s center.

Lilith was the first to notice their approach. “Aeris, Aaron was just telling me about your terrible ordeal at that party the other night,” Lilith said.

“Oh, you were?” Aeris said while wishing she could dig a hole in the dirt and stuff her head in it.

“Personally, I never liked the Everfields. That woman has the most horrendous taste in fashion I’ve ever seen.”

“Still, I would have rather not have my dragon screaming at people in the middle of banquet halls.”

Aeris fought to keep her tail from wrapping around her legs and wished they would change the subject.

She eventually got her wish after several minutes of torture when Maggie and Lydia appeared; Maggie carried a tray of sandwiches, while Lydia’s tray held a tea kettle, an ewer, and two cups. The ewer was for Aeris. Because of her muzzle, she couldn’t drink out of cups as humans could and the ewer made that easier.

As they passed out the food and drink, Lydia avoided getting too close to Aeris who also avoided looking at the woman or Maggie.

Aeris lapped eagerly at her tea the moment the ewer was placed in front of her. It was rude, but her mouth felt dry, and she wanted an excuse to avoid answering more questions.

“By the way, Lord Strauss, these letters arrived for you,” Maggie said, sliding the paper envelopes across the table.

Master Aaron picked up the papers, a large smile on his face. “It seems Zachary has finally decided to reply. I’m so sorry to cut this short, but I have been waiting for this letter for a long time. If you’ll excuse me.” He followed Lydia back toward the house.

“Is everything to your liking, Lilith?” Maggie asked.

Lilith smiled and said, “Everything is excellent. Thank you so much, Margret.”

“Lydia is the one who prepared the food, but I’ll be sure to pass your compliments along.”

“Thank you so much.”

Maggie bowed and left the two of them alone. Aeris watched her leave, silently begging the woman to take her along. She felt Lilith’s gaze on the back of her head.

The etiquette training took over and forced her to turn back to her guest.

Lilith broke the silence first. “I hear you and Aaron are very close. You’ve been with him since he was a child, yes?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So the two of you are close?”

“Yes, I would say so.”

“And yet you didn’t hesitate to embarrass him at the first opportunity.”

Aeris looked away and whispered, “I wish I hadn’t reacted the way I did, but they were very rude to me and I had a very trying day.”

“Well, I suppose next time you’ll think of a way to diffuse the situation as quickly as you can come up with excuses, won’t you?” the disappointed and berating tone was unmistakable. “I know this is hard for a dragon to understand, but there are better ways to deal with unpleasant people than having shouting matches like a pair of unruly children.”

Aeris’s claws scraped the ground but she said nothing.

“It’s rude not to respond when someone speaks to you,” Lilith said curtly.

Aeris quickly nodded.

“Speak up.”

“Yes, I will,” Aeris said, tensing further.

The rest of their lunch was eaten in silence. Aeris avoided meeting Lilith’s eyes though she felt the woman staring at her, reading her, judging her. It was worse than when Charles looked at her.

Aeris had no idea how much time had passed, but she could barely contain her joy when Maggie returned.

“Lilith, Lord Strauss wishes to see you,” Maggie said.

Lilith nodded and turned to Aeris. “It was nice meeting you, Aeris. We should do this again sometime.”

Aeris smiled and nodded more out of reflex than politeness. She waited until Lilith disappeared from view before saying to Maggie, “I don’t like her.”

“That’s a shame. I thought she was quite lovely,” Maggie said sarcastically. “Unfortunately, you’ll have to like her, or at least tolerate her. I overheard Charles saying she’s moving in with us today.”

Aeris spun to Maggie, wishing she misheard the statement. “Did you say she’s living with us?”

Maggie nodded. “She’s moving in today. But don’t you worry about that. Come. Lord Strauss just received an invitation to another party in two days and he’s asked me to go over your etiquette lessons.”

Aeris groaned.