Fire Dragon

Chapter 2

2

Declan manoeuvered his black pick-up truck along the wide pebbled drive.  It was the first thing he had permitted himself to buy since everything had changed.  A glance through the opened window filled him with the same sense of wonder as it had that first day he’d arrived.  As though in a little while he would wake up and find out that the past year had been a dream.  Castle O’Brien was situated deep in the quiet countryside and boasted a few thousand acres of land.  Since being in his family for well over a hundred and twenty years, most of it had fallen to ruin until someone with a heart had reconstructed over one half into a beautiful home.  The rest remained a falling down mass of rubble that complimented the natural surroundings.

Mrs. O’Malley, his housekeeper greeted him with a huge smile at the door.  She was a kindly old woman, who after he’d arrived, had taken it upon herself to fill him in on bits and pieces of his history.  She had been born here, like her family before her.  Of her five children, the four girls were married already.  

Her youngest and only son Sean, had been taking care of the O’Brien businesses since William took ill.  Engaged to be married now, he had started off as an errand boy for William while still fresh out of college.  By the time he had climbed to the top rung of the ladder to success, he had managed to earn the Old man’s trust; so much so that he was made temporary CEO of their network of businesses until the heir was found.  When Declan first arrived, Sean had immediately handed over authority with no hard feelings, even helping him adjust to his new position in and out of work, and Declan, having no prior knowledge in business or the running of the estate had offered him an alternative to stepping down.  He named him second in command of all business affairs, allowing him free reign, while he oversaw everything and made all the final decisions.   In Sean’s eyes, the offer had been more than fair.  He wasn’t there to take what wasn’t his, just thankful to have been given a chance in the first place.  Their arrangement worked, and it made them fast friends and earned him a permanent place in the old woman’s heart.  Even with all that Sean had achieved, she had remained at her position at the castle, more out of loyalty than of need. 

He took the stairs two at a time, loosening his tie as he went.  Striding through his bedroom and into the large balcony, he let his eyes roam around his flourishing assets.  He’d come a long way since then.  It had been an awkward transition, having being thrust into a world so unlike that which he was accustomed to, but he’d come to love this place, the climate, the culture, the people.  Stability…

The soft glow of the setting sun warmed him.  Watching the sunset gave him a moment of triumph, reminding him that he’d made it through another day.  It was a sight to behold from anywhere on his land, but from out here, the dusky peach and lavender sky only added to the fairy tale.  Inhaling deeply, he took in the bouquet of life, of rolling green hills and giant oaks.  Amidst the grandeur sat a placid lake that fed a clear stream.  The reflection of the evening sky glittered across the surface making his eyes narrow until he caught movement.  He followed the silhouettes of a few stray animals along the water’s edge, and then turned to his right.  Lush greenery covered the ground like a carpet, until the land steeped downwards to level off, and then drop sharply towards a smooth aquamarine sea.  Scattered around the castle were numerous free standing structures that housed equipment, feed, animals and vehicles, along with eight modest cottages, where most of the staff resided, where some of them were headed even as he watched.  Ralph, one of the farm workers, raised one hand in greeting; the other was wrapped around a little boy who clung playfully onto his pants.  Declan smiled and waved back.

Folks didn’t take too easily to new faces around these parts, let alone new faces that held their livelihood in their hands, but their silent acceptance of him had made him all the more determined not to let them down.  His grandfather may have been deficient in his life, but he had been here for his people, and even knowing that he had big shoes to fill, the challenge of doing something normal for once, had been too hard to resist.  These days they came to him with just about any problem, their trust in him reinforced with every fulfilled request.