FicWad

Italics are her thoughts.



The gardens are lovely and restful. They ease Raseleane's fears and for a while she can forget the turmoil surrounding her. Right now she's in a secluded glade. Trees and bushes shelter her and she feels as though she's cut off from the world, protected by these walls of green. Beyond are the true glories of the garden and the pride of the gardeners. Vivid vibrant colours vie with the exotic foliage of the flowers and plants that sweep through the grounds. Carefully sculptured ponds and landscaped rock gardens wait for her pleasure, but the seclusion of the clearing suits her now. The trees have cut the sound emanating from the Castle and she can imagine that she's truly in a forest, many miles away from everyone, alone and at peace.
Raseleane lies back on the grass, the aching sweetness of birdsong washing over her. I doubt I'll be able to lie like this when I'm Mrs. Dragonlord. We're probably not allowed to waste time frivolously. Not that I've ever had that freedom. She stares at the clouds overhead, passing by unhindered, changing form at will. I wonder what it's like to be a cloud. They must see the entire world. Still, it's the wind that blows them. It chooses where they go. I wonder if it's lonely to be the wind.
A strange noise passes through the clearing. I wonder what that was! It sounded like some kind of animal. The sound is repeated, then followed by the harsh mumble of raised voices. Raseleane waits for the voices to stop, so that she can resume her tranquillity, but the conversation continues. The illusion spoiled, Raseleane sits up on the grass and scowls for the first time in her young life. That's so annoying! I can hear them, but the trees are masking the sound so I can't hear clearly. She tries to ignore it, but one of the voices shouts suddenly and she recognises the owner. It's that Alfeegi, the rude man I met earlier. I suppose I'd better stop thinking of him that way. After all, he's an important person here. She stands up though, curious. I wonder what he's saying, and who he's angry at.
She makes her way to the edge of the clearing and peers through the bushes. A large building is just beyond the copse. I didn't realise the stables were so close. No wonder I could hear the conversation. Raseleane gently and silently slinks through the trees until she can see the commotion more clearly. A group of men, some in uniform are surrounding a large animal which looks like a mini-dinosaur. Raseleane cocks her head. That's a dragon? It looks a little like one, but I thought that dragons would be more impressive than that. I can't imagine any yokai being scared by it. It's more cute than terrifying and it looks a little dopey.
The conversation is now distinct, and Alfeegi is in full flow.
"...I can't believe you would be so inconsiderate. You were supposed to be here to meet her, she arrived yesterday and I've already made a bad impression!"
"Calling her "that woman" to her face may not have been the best introduction, but I'm sure you'll be able to patch things up."
Raseleane can now see Ruwalk among the crowd. Unlike Alfeegi, who's got an exclusion zone around him and appears to be in danger of exploding, he has a resigned smile on his face. She still cannot, however, make out the person they're talking to. His back is to her and all she can see is the white of his cloak and his short blonde hair.
"The only thing in my favour is that you may have come off worse than me. She's the future queen of Draqueen and your future wife, yet she arrived to an empty castle, was found wandering the main hall, has been here an entire day and has yet to meet her future husband, the one she travelled so far to see. You've never met before, don't you think that you should have put in the effort?"
Raseleane doesn't know if the question was rhetorical or not, her heart stops as the blonde speaks. His voice is soft, yet reaches strongly to where she is hidden.
"But everything's okay now. Ruwalk met her, she's settled in, one day isn't going to make that much of a difference. Besides, there were reports of a monster in the village of Dunai, I had to go see it."
"THAT is why we have a trained army of Dragon Fighters! THEY investigate reports of monsters and take the appropriate action! YOU are supposed to stay in the castle and not get yourself killed doing something stupid!"
Alfeegi finally takes a breath and seems to calm down a little. He approaches the one he's shouting at, and when he next speaks, his voice is much softer.
"My lord, you have a duty to everyone on Dusis. If anything happened to you, the world would be in peril. Every time you leave the castle, we wonder if you'll be able to come back. You have to stop! No-one can fulfil your duties if you die."
"Ruwalk.."
"Ruwalk can fulfil the administrative burden of rule, but he cannot and can never maintain the shield around the Castle. Your mood affects the weather, your will keeps Dusis safe from yokai. Without you, we'd all die. There is no other."
"Well, that's why I'm getting married isn't it? So that I can provide you with your heir and then I won't get any more of these lectures. I am the Dragonlord!"
"My lord, until there is an heir, you will listen to each and every one of these lectures until you begin to act sensibly."
The group fall silent and Raseleane can see the white shoulders of the supposed Dragonlord shake. Ruwalk steps forward and places his arm on the lord's shoulder.
"Come on my lord. You need to freshen up. Your bride is waiting to meet you."
Raseleane watches the group leave and then emerges from the trees.
So that's it then? I hold the key to his freedom. She laughs. My freedom for his. I guess it's a fair trade. She looks at the direction the group disappeared in. So that's him. That's the one I'm going to marry. I don't feel any different. There's supposed to be a flash, a spark or something! Aren't I supposed to know that we're meant to be together? Maybe it'll happen when I see his face. Why didn't I go to him? Why don't I run up there now and turn him to face me? I heard his voice, why don't I want more? /She sighs. I should make my way back to the castle and get ready. But. He made me wait and I want to see the dragons. They can't be dragons, can they?/
Curious now, she approaches the stables and discards all thoughts of the Dragonlord. Every stall is oversized and instead of horses they hold more of those little dinosaurs. Raseleane reaches out to pet one and finds it friendly and placid.
"They're called darnas."
She swirls around. A tall man, dressed all in black is leaning against the wall. He looks slightly different to the others, it's hard to put your finger on, but the same sense of power emanates from him. He's more reserved and his clothes resemble the dragon fighters' uniform. At a guess, I'd say he's security, or else a total bondage freak.
"We also call them riding dragons, though I'm not sure if they're actually related. Real dragons are far more impressive."
He walks over to Raseleane and reaches out to pet the Darna she's standing beside. Although he doesn't smile, he radiates a warm solidity and Raseleane feels instantly comfortable.
I wonder how many more strange men are going to come out of the woodwork. Still, if they're as nice as Ruwalk and this guy, hmm, must ask for his name.
"I was wondering. These dragons don't look scary enough to frighten yokai. They're adorable though."
The stranger looks inquisitively at her.
"They're placid, but they don't spook easily. They're also strong and can be dangerous in the hands of a trained rider. That's why we don't have horses here. Darnas are far more suitable for fighting."
"I know lots of knights with trained warhorses. They seem to do just fine."
The dark-haired man almost smiles.
"Okay then. Maybe the dragon connection is more important than I let on."
I like this guy.
"My name is Raseleane."
As she says this, she offers her hand to the stranger. He's startled and takes it in his own before bowing and pressing his lips to it.
"Oh, my name is Tetheus. I'm one of the Dragon Officers and in charge of security. Bingo! We're probably supposed to be introduced under more formal arrangements. I hope I've not been improper." He looks around. "Is no-one accompanying you? You should not be unescorted."
"I thought that the Dragon Castle was one of the safest places in Dusis?"
"It is, but you should still be prudent. The lord's shield keeps out yokai, but it doesn't work against evil humans or other dark creatures."
I hadn't thought of that. "Then I'm lucky that I met you."
Tetheus bows again and Raseleane smiles.
"Now I'm curious though. I've never ridden a darna before. Do you think you could show me how?"
"My lady? I'm not sure if..."
Deploy eyelashes and girly voice number 3.
"Please?"
Two darnas are saddled and ready within minutes. Tetheus is really nervous, he doesn't want to be the one to break the Dragonqueen in her first week, but Raseleane knows how to ride and the darnas are really placid. She soon gets bored of the stable yard and convinces Tetheus to take her beyond the Castle boundaries.

"My lady, I don't think that it's a good idea to go beyond the castle walls. The Dragonlord..."
"Tetheus, I'm sure that the darnas can outrun anything that you can't fight off."
Deploy encouraging smile number 2.
"I feel completely safe with you and we're not going out far. Come on. Please?"
Tetheus closes his mouth, but his eyes keep talking. Regardless, he leads her riding dragon along the path and out of the Castle.