Dragon Tamer - Book 1

Chapter 3

Junca shambled around the house and relieved himself awkwardly against the side of the house then slumped into a sitting position near the wood pile. He stared at nothing, occasionally drinking heavily from the bottle clenched in his fist. His hair fell over his eyes, dirty and unkempt. Marcie had not been able to convince him to shave recently so his beard was a wiry tangled mess.

Had he been sober he would have no doubt voiced his disapproval that his only daughter hunted in the forest alone. However 'The Cripple' (as the villagers called him) had little choice if he did not wish to live off the charity of his sisters family or, alternatively, starve.

After a few more minutes, Marcie acknowledged her father, she was a lot calmer than before, no longer shaking. Somehow her father's barely lucid company helped root her and she felt the shadows retreat from the forest as the sun rose and her father lingered. Taking a deep breath, she rose from her seat and pulled her father up, dragging his arm or her shoulders and starting back towards the house.

"Come on, lets get you fed" She said moving slowly and carefully

"You back early?" He asked, his voice was hoarse and slightly slurred, he tried to look at her but failed and instead let his head roll to the side.

"Yeah" was all she said. She and her father did not have much to say to each other these days.

"Good hunt" he mumbled, his head sinking onto his chest.

"Yeah" she said again.

Back in the house, she helped her father into a chair and put some old bread in front of him. She only realised now how hungry she was. She tore into the bread and washed it down with some water while her father sat opposite her and took carefully measured bites, his eyes still unfocused.

The silence in the house was only broken by the clucking coming from the chicken coop outside. After he'd finished his bread Junca limped over to his bed and collapsed onto it, his back to her, to sleep off the drink from the night before.

Marcie cleaned up the table and went to the door, her hand was on the handle when her father spoke.

"Marcie, I am glad you came back early this time"

She wondered if she had misheard, then said "I am glad as well"

She crossed the room and kissed her father on the cheek, and left for the village.

Several hours later she emerged from the butchers, having haggled down some old meat scraps that would keep her and her father going for the next week at least. With the little money she had left she bought some bread and a little candle wax.

She would need to earn some money soon. She had been relying on her spoils from this past hunting trip to see her through till winter, now she would have to scramble to gather the supplies on time.

She hurried to the tailors. As well as being a hunter she was also a seamstress. A skill she had developed at the behest of her employer, Miss Maiden. Miss Maiden was a master craftswomen when it came to garment making and reparing said garments. She had been incredibly helpful after Marcie's brother left and had kindly taken her on as an apprentice of sorts to help her with her work load. The pay was poor but more reliable than hunting.

A tiny bell rang as she entered. The shop was small and cosy with lanterns all around the walls that stayed on even in the day. The simple wooden Walls were completely covered in strips of fabric in all variety of colours that you could choose from, most of the space was taken up with a large work bench. It was also covered in different kinds of fabrics as well as old clothes that needed repairing. Miss Maiden was seated behind it, carefully sewing a rip in a shirt sleeve. She was a surprisingly delicate woman, with long thin fingers that looked like they were designed by the Goddess to thread a needle.

Her hair was tied in a bun with golden wisps and strands hanging around her small soft featured face, a tiny smile played at the corner of her heart shaped mouth as she pulled the needle upwards.

One thought that, if the Goddess employed angels, they would look like Miss Maiden.

It was a total mystery why, at her age, she had never married. Nearly all the men of the village would have given their stones to gain her favour, but she refused, it was because of this that the village had begun calling her Miss Maiden, it suited her.

When the bell failed to catch hr attention Marcie cleared her throat, Miss Maiden jumped.

"Marcie!" She cried, leaping to her feet and scrambling around the work bench, she flung her arms around Marcie's neck.

"You are back! So soon! I can nay believe it-are you well? Did you eat enough? Did you sleep well? Are you well? How are the herds? Did you get a lot of kills? How is your father? Are you well?"

Marcie let her ramble, until she started gasping for breath.

"Calm, calm" she said, making calming motions with her hands.

"I am fine, father is fine, still drinking too much but...anyway he is fine...the herds are good but I lost my kills...so I was wondering if there was anything you wished me to do...I could really use the mone" he finished, dropping her head.

Miss maiden smiled kindly "Of course, I have some dresses that need some length added to them, growing girls, and, oh, I know, you could deliver some things to The Barman's wife"

Marcie brightened. "Merrick?"

"Ah, yes" Miss maiden said, smiling, "It will be nice to see your sweetheart again"

"He is not my sweetheart" Marcie mumbled, reddening.

"Really?"

"Really"

"Such a shame, you are both the same age, you are both beautiful..."

Marcie readened further, Miss Maidens eyes twinkled.

"You two should have married each other years ago"

"Why can I not be like you?" Marcie mumbled, "You are too old to marry now, why haven't you gotten yourself a man?"

Miss Maiden simply waved one of her delicate hands through the air, effectively brushing the question away.

"We are not discussing me darling, you and Merrick are perfect together,and he comes from good stock, I see lots of little ones in your future, your own little ones, wouldn't that be lovely?" she said wistfully.

"I suppose" Marcie said, not convinced.

She was interrupted in her musings by Miss Maiden pushing a bundle of clothes at her.

"Don't dawdle darling" she said, "Mustn't keep Merrick waiting"