Chapter 10.
Names and Places.
When Lynwood woke up, he saw Sofia sitting next to him with a frown.
"FINALLY, you're awake; I've been up for ages and ages waiting for you!"
"What time is it?" he asked groggily.
"How should I know? Come on Lynwood, I'm starving hungry. Feed me!"
Lynwood sighed. "Ever thought of maybe saying 'please'? I've already done so much and all you can do is demand things from me."
"Please feed me." Sofia said and battered her eyelashes. Lynwood laughed the sudden change of character and helped his sister out of the nest and nearer to the fireplace. Soon the children were munching on bread and cheese while considering what they should do next.
"I really have to deliver the letter. It seemed pretty important to father that somehow I get it to the king's nephew."
"Lynwood, you know I can't go anywhere and I will point out that you don't know where the king's nephew lives."
"Father said in the capital of Arrol."
"And where Arrol located?"
"I have no idea."
"Then we can't deliver the letter. Face it, Lynwood, there are just some things that can't be done. We are just children, we are not well educated, we don't know how to fight, so what can we do?"
"We can try," Lynwood spoke firmly, a fire burning in his eyes. "We have to try!"
"Lynwood be realistic!"
"I can't afford to be realistic right now."
The dragon had been sitting silently, listening to Lynwood and Sofia debate. He didn't understand most of what they were saying, but he did understand that they needed help to take something to the capital city, and he could tell from the way Lynwood was behaving that it was pretty desperate.
As stated before, this dragon had never liked humans. Actually he had always hated them, but these children were different. They seemed to be caught up in a great big mess, a mess chidren where not supposed to be caught up in, and in that moment, the wise dragon decided to help them.
He growled a bit to get Lynwood's attention, then motioned towards the gave door. Lynwood immidiately got the point.
"Sofia, what if I were to ride on the dragon? He could take me there; it would be a lot faster and hardly dangerous. I've already ridden him down the mountain, and I think he doesn't mind taking me to the capital"
"And what about me?"
"You? You could stay here. It is safe, no one will come, and you are high and far from danger."
"Oh, and what if some other dragon decides to pay me a visit?"
"I don't think there will be any other dragons. it's not like dragons go around visiting each other. From what I've read they are pretty solitary animals. Don't give me that look. Not everything about them is true, but some stuff might be."
Sofia sat pondering for a moment; then she glanced at the dragon, who was still standing at the cave entrance. "How do you know if he will take you that far?"
"It was his idea in the first place."
"How do you know?"
"I just do. I could tell by the look in his eyes. I know this is crazy, but everything that has happened to us so far has been crazy. Let's just go with it and see where it will lead us. We have no other option."
"Fine!" Sofia sighed. "When are you leaving?"
"Well, considering the position of the light coming in through the cracks, I'd say it was around midday right now. I think it would be safer to travel in the dark, to keep from attracting attention. I can just imagine all the hubbub that will start if people notice the two of us in the sky."
Sofia grumbled under her breath. "You know, Lynwood," she suddenly stated, "we really should give the dragon a name. We cannot go on calling him 'the dragon', it isn't right. We must come up with a proper and decent name."
"I suppose naming him won't do him any harm," Lynwood agreed. "Though I don't expect that he will answer to the name you give him."
"Oh whatever, I don't mind if he doesn't answer to it. What shall we call him? I know, let's call him Protector."
"Protector?" Lynwood burst laughing. "What sort of a name is that?"
"Do you have something against it?" Sofia crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Yes I do. It has got to be the lousiest name for a dragon. A dragon's name has to have strength and spirit to it, giving a ring of life and courage. It has to be able to describe the dragon in one word."
"Well fine, genius, what would you name him?"
Lynwood looked over at the dragon and their gaze met. "Caderyn," Lynwood said at last. "We'll call him Caderyn." He smiled, obviously pleased with the name.
"It's not very easy to pronounce," the ever practical Sofia pointed out.
Lynwood shrugged, his way of saying 'I don't care.' He pulled out one of his books and read aloud to Sofia. It was a boring time for the poor kids, the hours just dragged on and on. They ate and read some more and finally drifted off to sleep.
Lynwood was awakened at one point by something cold touching his hand. He sat up abruptly, groggy and confused. Through the darkness he saw a pair of yellow/green eyes staring at him. He panicked for a split second; then it all came back to him.
"Is it time to leave?" He whispered. The dragon shifted his head, and motioned towards the mouth of the cave.
"Alright." Lynwood silently hopped out of the nest, tucked the blanket around his sleeping sister and scrambled onto the dragon's back.
"Only I have no idea where we are supposed to go."
The dragon nodded his head as if to say, "You don't, but I do."
"How does he know so much?" The boy pondered as he checked his vest pocket to make sure the letter was safely inside.
The dragon walked out of the cave and spreading his wings took off for the starry sky. Lynwood threw his head back and gave a deep contented sigh. Flying at night was the best experience ever. The cold, dark air gave a refreshing feeling and freedom seemed to be everywhere.
A thought suddenly struck the boy. Why was Caderyn helping him? What would he gain out of it? Maybe he was thanking him for the help they given him, but then he had already thanked them had he not? He had given them a safe place to live and had brought them food and firewood. He had even taken him to the town and back, so why the extra work?
"Why are you doing this?" he asked. "Isn't it like dangerous for you to venture this far out? I know it is the night, but there is always a chance of being spotted and that would put you in grave danger. What a stranger creature you are. My sister and I gave you a name, we want to call you Caderyn. Now I realize we never asked you if you wanted the name. You seem to understand our language very well. Do you mind if we call you that?"
The dragon continued to fly forward, eyes staring straight ahead, almost as though he was pondering what the boy had said. At last he turned his head and gave a very definite nod in Lynwood's direction, as though to say, "yes, I accept the name."
Lynwood smiled. "Great, from this day on you shall be Caderyn. My name is Lynwood by the way and my sister's name is Sofia. We humans like to give names; that keeps us from getting confused when we have to call someone." Lynwood laughed at how he was caring a one way conversation with a dragon. "You know the peak of the Great Mountain? Have you ever flown to the top? I bet you have, you must have. Why if I had wings and could fly then I would fly to the peak. I hope to be able to stand on the peak someday and then I will yell out on the whole mountain. Do you know what I would yell? I would yell 'I am the first man to stand on top of the world!' After all, if you stand on the highest peak of the highest mountain in the world, isn't that like standing on top of the world?"
Lynwood continued speaking in this manner the entire journey. He told Caderyn of all the books he read, and of his dreams and wishes. Lynwood never told anyone his secrets, and he wasn't sure why he was telling them now, to a dragon of all creatures. But then maybe that was alright, after all, a dragon wouldn't repeat them to anyone. Lynwood wondered if dragons also kept secrets, and thought it was a great pity dragons couldn't talk, what amazing things could be told. Still, somehow he had found a way to communicate with dragon and the dragon had found a way to communicate with him. How many people could boast of that?
***
There was a streak of light just appearing on the horizon as Caderyn and Lynwood neared Arrol, capital city to the kingdom of Northurst. From on top Lynwood could barely make out the roofs of the houses.
"Alright, we got to the Arrol, now what?" he thought aloud. "I'm guessing we have to get to the palace, and from there I will figure out a way to get in. Come on, Caderyn, let's go to the palace, I'm sure that is where the nephew of the king will be living, or if he doesn't live there I can find directions to where he lives."
We must understand of course that Lynwood was only a village boy, who didn't know or understand that it isn't really possible to simply walk into the palace and ask for the nephew of the king. But Caderyn was no fool and knew how to get Lynwood into the palace despite the boy's ignorance. He flew over to the grand building that he guessed to be the residance of the king and silently descended into an enormously large garden.
"This must be the palace garden," Lynwood guessed as he carefully got off Caderyn's back. He gazed about him in wonder. The plants around him were such as he had never seen before. Endless flower beds with exotic blossoms surrounded him. The different scents all mixing together as they flooded his nostrils. There were an assortment of trees and shrubbery he had never seen before, and a twisted, path cut through garden, being in itself a work of art. Even with the shadows of the night Lynwood was awestruck by the beauty before him. Hearing a noise behind him he looked back and to his horror he saw that Caderyn had flown away.
"Hey," he called, "Caderyn, you can't just leave me like this?"
But Caderyn was gone and Lynwood was left on his own in the garden, with nothing but the damp, pre dawn mist for company.