The Dragon’s Throne 1

“So, your body can’t heal everything?”

“No.  But the important thing is that we’re just as vulnerable in human form as you are.  We can still heal faster, but it’s not as quick as healing from dragon form.  While we’re in human form and down, that’s the best time to deal the death blow.”

“I’m not going to kill you.”

“I know you’re not.  But next time, at least poke me with the staff while I’m down so I know that you can follow through.  It does you no good to fight a dragon if you’re going to back off when the timing is perfect for a kill.”

“Do I have to kill them?”

He turned her so that she was looking at him, his eyes gentle, his hands on her shoulders.

“If a dragon has gone bad, there is no reasoning with it.  An evil dragon must be killed or it will just get worse.”

“So, there’s no redemption for evil?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head.  “You can’t trust anyone, dragon or human, who has gone the way of evil.  Greed and hatred have an effect on people that isn’t easily shaken.”

“But people can change.”

“They can change,” he agreed.  “But they rarely do.”

She reached out and touched an angry red mark on his face, her fingers gentle against his skin.

“Did it hurt?” she asked as she stroked his jaw and the mark disappeared a little more with each passing second until it was gone.

“It did, but it was a good hurt.”

She laughed softly.

“A good hurt?”

“Yes.  It was a good hurt because you almost knocked me out.”

“I still don’t understand why that’s good, but I’ll take it,” she said.

“If you’re hitting me that hard and you’re trying to be careful because we’re not actually fighting to the death, then in a real situation, I know you can handle yourself; especially after just six weeks of training.  If you’re this good now, then by the end of winter, you’re going to be unstoppable.”

“Who says I’m being careful?” she asked, laughing as she broke free and took off running toward the house. 

She heard him laugh, too.  She looked over her shoulder to see if he was coming after her as she raced across the yard toward the house.  He wasn’t far behind, but she pushed herself as fast as she could go anyway.  Every day, she was getting stronger and faster, and now, she reveled in the feel of her muscles working as she pushed herself to new limits and learned new skills.  When Eleanor saw her next time, she knew her friend wouldn’t recognize her, and-

She stopped mid stride, the thought of her friend extinguishing her good mood in an instant.  Eli caught up with her in a few strides, stopping to see why she had stopped several hundred feet from the door.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his expression concerned.

“I miss Eleanor.  I don’t know if she’s alright and I’m worried about her.”

“I can answer that for you,” he said.  “I had my brother, Daniel, go to the village and check on her a few days after I brought you here.  He said she’s doing well and when he saw her, her ankle didn’t appear broken, just sprained.”

“When did you have a chance to do that?”

“Daniel came to visit one night, but I didn’t want to wake you.  I asked him to check on her because I knew that it would only be a matter of time before you got homesick and worried about your friend.”  He cupped her cheek, his eyes soft and his smile so gentle that it made Anna’s heartache.  “I know you love your friend and I promise you, you will see her again.”

“When?” she asked, her voice thick with unshed tears.

“I don’t know, but it will be soon.  Right now, the village is too dangerous, but I swear to you, you will see your friend again.”

She nodded, turning her cheek into his hand and closing her eyes against the tears that threatened.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Don’t thank me yet, I haven’t done anything.  Now, how about we make use of that hot tub.  If I’m still this sore, I can’t imagine how you feel.”

“I feel fine,” she teased.  “Actually, the hot tub sounds great right now.  I am really sore.”

“We’ll take a break from training tomorrow.  Maybe you can try your hand at that sewing machine Mother bought you again.  She’s been hinting that she would like another dress, but I don’t think that she wants to come out and just ask.”

“I’ll make her one,” she said.  “Maybe I’ll do one like my butterfly dress,” she said, her hand unconsciously going to her throat, where her necklace was hidden beneath her shirt. 

“She likes dragonflies,” he said, and Anna burst out laughing.  “What?”

“Why in the world didn’t I ever consider that a dragon might like dragonflies?”

He shook his head, her laughter contagious as he stepped into the water of the hot tub and turned on the jets.  He groaned in pleasure as the water went to work on his sore muscles, then looked to see where she was.

“Why are you still standing there?  Get in.”

“I don’t have a suit.”

“That never stopped you before.”

“I know that, but you weren’t in the hot tub with me, and you left me here alone so I could have some privacy.  I’ll just wait until you’re done.”

“I’m not going to bite you,” he said, winking at her. 

Her body trembled in response, but she stood her ground. 

“It’s not being bitten that I’m worried about.”

“Then, what are you scared of?”

You, me, us? Anna thought.  She took a deep breath, looking at him sitting there in the hot tub and wondering what she was holding onto.  They’d been sharing a bed for more than a month and he’d been nothing but respectful; snuggling her close so that he knew she was safe while he slept, but otherwise being a perfect gentleman.  She knew rationally that she had nothing to fear, but she’d been fighting a losing battle with her body for far too long, and she didn’t know if her self-control could withstand this.