Dragon Bound - The Saga of Flames and Frost

Chapter 3

Illara stared at the knight as if he'd lost his mind – which clearly he had. "Will you get out of here?" She ventured a quick look at the sky – and her heart nearly thundered through her chest at the location of the stars. "Be gone! There's under an hour until midnight. You'll ruin everything!"

The knight dismounted and strode over to her. He dropped on one knee. "My name is Sir Wytehall. You may leave everything to me. It is my sacred quest to rescue you from the cruel clutches of the brutal dragon."

She kicked at him. "I don't need rescuing!"

He seemed wholly unfazed. "I see the night chill has addled your mind. Rest assured I will save you from this brutish captivity." His eyes caught on hers. "Might I know your name, sweet, innocent maiden?"

She stared at him.

Then she burst out laughing. She knew it was half-panic, but she couldn't stop. Tears rolled down her face, and she fell back against the chains.

His brow creased in confusion. "Chaste child, did I offend you?"

She spoke through her mirth to the hare-brained knight. "Innocent maiden? Chaste child? I wouldn't have been chosen to represent the entire kingdom if I were an under-aged youngster clinging to my mother's skirts. If I were a lack-limb, unable to raise a sword to defend the weak. If I were ignorant of language and science and all other talents of a grown woman."

Her eyes gleamed with pride. "Would I have been chosen as dragon bound if I still wore my hair shorn and close, as a sign of my unripe childhood years?" She shook out her long, luxurious hair which fell nearly to her waist and smiled. "I am a full woman. I am hardly innocent."

His blush rose high on his face, and he averted his eyes. "But I was told – I'd always assumed –"

She held back the fresh wave of bright laughter which threatened to cascade out of her, and she looked him over more closely. Surely the man was a full five-and-twenty years old, with that breadth to his shoulders and strength in his arms. He was no mere stripling to hem and haw at the notion of what to do with his rod of might.

She held herself up, her eyes shining. "Whoever you heard your stories from, you heard wrong. I am not a knee-knocking helpless maiden. I trained daily – for years - to earn my station. I triumphed over hundreds of other talented women who desperately wanted to be where I am now."

He shook his head in disbelief. "You're chained to rocks on a mountain peak! You're about to be handed over to a hideous beast!"

She looked more closely at him. "Where did you come from? Surely you're not from our kingdom. And I can't believe that the Hallorans or the Baronians – as much as we might war at times – would risk bringing the wrath of the dragons down on us all."

His brow creased. "I do not know the groups you speak of. My homeland lies in that direction."

He pointed at the endless mountain range to the east.

She peered into the black ridges. "What, are you saying that your family found some caves to live in?"

A hint of amusement came to his face. "No. My kingdom is beyond the mountain range. In the rolling, green hills against the endless ocean. Where the warm sun rises to renew each day."

Illara blinked in surprise. But the sun rose from the dragons. From the endless world of the dragons, with their lava throats and staggering heat –

The reality of her situation came back to her, and she pulled against her bonds. "Enough of your inanities. Tonight is the night of the Dragon Bound. I have worked my entire life for this moment." Her eyes went dismissively to his polished plate mail. "I'm not about to let some sparkle-suit newcomer destroy all I have worked for."

His jaw tightened. "Sparkle-suit?"

She pointed at him, as best she could with her hand chained. "Our kingdom's warriors wear hardened leather against the flames. They consider the scorch marks as a badge of honor. Proof that their gear is battle-tested."

She scoffed at the pristine edges of his greaves. "Your metal plate looks fresh off the blacksmith's anvil. And one blast of the flame would roast you within as easily as a suckling pig in an oven."

His voice gained an edge. "I had this armor specially made for this quest. It was blessed by the High Priest himself! The symbols placed on it were determined by our astronomers after months of research. The markings ensure my safety while I slay the dragon."

"But I don't want the dragon to be slain," Illara snapped. "I am about to be bound to him! Do you know how many women strive their entire lives for this honor? How many women back across the three kingdoms are wishing at this very moment that they were me? How many are redoubling their efforts so that next year it is their name that is chosen in the votes?"

His arms spread wide. His voice rang out. "But my noble quest is –"

She shook the chains in frustration. "I don't care a whit about your quest! Go find a quest in your own kingdom! This is my kingdom. This is my life." She threw her head back. "I don't know how things run in your world, but here I have the final say. No warrior would dare countermand my order."

He shook his head, his face holding disbelief. "You clearly have been brainwashed by your king and country into believing your actions are worthwhile. That what you do is inevitable or even necessary. But in my kingdom –"

"I don't care what you do in your kingdom! You are here, and you are disturbing one of the most hallowed traditions we have. You need to leave! If you are here when the dragon arrives, it could ruin everything!"

Sir Wytehall spoke with calm assurance, as if he was discussing bringing slop out to the pigs or plucking feathers from a chicken.

"When the dragon arrives, I will slay him."

Illara stared at him in shock. Clearly the man was insane. What, kill a dragon with that toothpick of a lance? Or that needle of a sword?

Then she heard another sound, and her breath caught.

Sir Wytehall's brow creased, and he turned. "What was that?"

Wondrous anticipation filled her. She forced air behind the words she'd wished to speak since the day she could talk.

"The dragon has come for me."