Chapter 3: What you don't know can hurt you

* * *

Rachel Delmar was in a truly foul mood. She was pacing back and forth near the bonfire in the center of the camp and throwing murderous glares at anyone who got too close. Not that many did though because it was the middle of the night and they were all on lookout duty.

Her plan wasn't working. Why wasn't it working?

She was even more disturbed that she'd enacted the plan in the first place. Kidnapping wasn't exactly her life's ambition and she found the idea abhorrent. Yet here she was masterminding a kidnapping. Although given who her father was, she wasn't too surprised at the plan she'd come up with. You learned a few things being the daughter of a brilliant but malevolent asshole.

But why had she acted on the idea?

Rachel absentmindedly played with her ring. Why was she being such a horrible person?

"My lady." One of the lookouts interrupted her thoughts.

"What!" Rachel whipped around to stare at him. Behind her, the fire flicked ominously.

The lookout took a step backwards. "I'm sorry my lady, but Wurven is growing impatient. He said the mercenaries are..." The lookout trailed off at her glare.

"Wurven can go fuck himself." Rachel retorted. In the back of her mind, she wondered when she had become so mean. She had never been like this before.

"That sad little man isn't in charge here, I am!" Rachel snapped. "Did he arrange for the children to be kidnapped? Did he smuggle them out of town? Does he even have the brainpower to come up with a plan like this?"

"He's... He's our leader and... and..." The lookout stammered trying to respond but Rachel cut him off.

"I don't give a flying fuck what Wurven wants." Rachel said. "All he needs to do is stay out of the way until the dragon and the elf show up, then do some killing. Now get back to your post before I decide I need to practice fighting them now."

Rachel pulled some heat from the fire and formed a small fireball in her hand. The lookout ran away as fast as he could while trying to pretend he wasn't actually on the verge of soiling his breeches. Rachel let the fireball dissipate and resumed her pacing. She really hated that dragon and elf...

She stopped.

Something was definitely wrong. She had never hated anyone without meeting them before. She didn't even know what they had done to deserve her father's ire. She shook her head. This wasn't right. There was something that wasn't right. She shook her head trying to clear it.

The skin under her ring was itching again.

She had just decided to give up the whole hunt when she reconsidered. It was almost like another person was in her head telling her how great it would be if her father was pleased with her. It spoke of a warm welcome and him calling her his little girl again.

Rachel kept up this mental battle with herself for almost an hour. On the one hand, she wanted to leave and scrap the whole plan. On the other, she felt like she had to finish it.

"Could I please have some water?" A female voice called out from the captive's tent. Rachel looked around; she was alone. Everyone else was either sleeping or on lookout duty. She huffed, grabbed a skin of water, and walked into the tent.

The captives were still tied to the center pole with their hands behind their backs. The boy was asleep, but the girl was awake and alert. She couldn't be much older than eighteen and had long, golden-blonde hair that reached almost to her waist. Her face was small and round with a touch of natural red in her cheeks. Her blue eyes were alert and attentive, but young and full of questions with no trace of fear.

"Thank you." The girl said as Rachel tipped the skin up to her mouth.

As Rachel looked at them, she wanted to release them right now. She should release them. What had they done to deserve this? Rachel had half decided to untie them when the other voice almost commanded her to leave them alone. They were part of the plan, and she couldn't hurt the plan because Lord Delmar wouldn't like it.

Rachel hovered with indecision for a few moments. The skin under her ring itched again and she twisted it on her finger.

"That's a beautiful ring." The captive girl said. "Where'd you get it?"

"What's it to you?" Rachel snapped back.

"I'm just making conversation. I heard you threaten the bandits not to... um... 'have their way with me' earlier and I wanted to say thank you."

"You're welcome." Rachel said, and again she wondered why in the world she was holding this girl captive. She had just decided to release her when the other voice made a powerful argument to keep her here. Rachel was hovering on indecision when the blonde girl interrupted her thoughts.

"Your ring just glowed a little." The girl said. "Is it enchanted? It looks enchanted."

"Of course not." Rachel said. "My father said it wasn't enchanted so it's not."

In the back of her mind, Rachel heard her own words and knew they sounded false, even forced. She wondered where this absolute conviction in her father's word came from. She had seen him lie often enough to know he was a master at it.

"Who's your father?"

"Lord Delmar, and you ask a lot of questions."

The blonde girl smiled. "I always do. My father eventually taught me to read so I could find the answers for myself instead of always asking him."

"He sounds nice." Rachel's mind went back to the fight with her own father in the great hall. Without another word, Rachel left the tent. One of the lookouts was standing nearby, trying not to look as if he was eavesdropping. A glare from Rachel sent him scurrying away.

It didn't make her feel better.

* * *

Ethan woke up to a warm weight half-draped across his chest. His dragon eyes could see just well enough to know it was Alana. It was strange; he hadn't known her for very long, but her snuggling up to him like this felt perfectly natural for some reason. Through their bond, he could sense that she was feeling happy and content.

He wasn't sure how he felt.

Alana had saved his life, plus she was kind, sweet, and beautiful. Everything in him wanted to nurture and pursue his budding attraction to her. However, every time he thought about taking things in that direction, his mind drifted back to his ex.

He didn't want to go through that again.

Lying there with her there made him reconsider, but he just couldn't do anything about it. The wounds were still too fresh. Eventually, he decided it would be best to gently roll her off of him before waking her so she wouldn't know she'd been snuggling with him.

It was a great idea in theory, but he was having a little trouble with it in practice because he liked having her there so much. He lay there with Alana sleeping pressed against him for another ten minutes before he worked up the willpower to wake her.

"What?" Alana said sleepily after Ethan gave her a gentle shake.

"It's time to wake up I think." He said, pushing the trapdoor open and sitting up. The full moon was past halfway through the sky. He guessed it was about four in the morning.

She stretched and let out a loud yawn. In the moonlight, with her hair a complete mess and she was absolutely gorgeous. Ethan caught himself staring and quickly looked away.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

He looked back at her. "No, why?"

"Oh, I just felt... Through our bond I mean, I thought you were... Never mind."

Ethan grabbed the spear and stood up. "Shall we."

"If we must." Alana said through another yawn. "How's your mana?"

"It's... Wow, it's partially refilled since yesterday." Before they had left the inn, he had checked and his mana was almost empty. However, there was definitely more now than before.

"Hmm. We haven't been near any gold." She noted.

"I know, and there isn't any gold nearby." He replied, using his dragon senses to scan for any in the vicinity.

"That's odd." She said, and then glanced up at the moon. "I'd love to talk more about it, but we should get going. We want to be there before the sun starts coming up."

"Lead on."

He fell into step behind her. From there, he couldn't help but admire her hair. It was still untidy from the wind during their flight, but the way it cascaded down her shoulders was just so attractive...

He started on all fours, but his head was at about the level of her butt, and he found himself staring at it a little too often -- although in his defense she did have a perfect bubble butt. Thereafter, he reverted to walking on two legs.

Alana set a fast pace, but he was able to keep up with her without difficulty. After an hour, she slowed. Through the trees just ahead, he could see a bonfire burning. It looked like it was set on the peak of a small rise in the ground. The area around it had been cleared of trees and several tents had been set up.

Ethan and Alana crept closer.

A woman wearing a long cloak and what looked like black pants was pacing beside the fire. Her hair was dark red at the top, but slowly faded down to almost blond at the tips. The overall effect made her hair resemble fire and was quite striking; even beautiful.

He couldn't see her face, but could see a ring on her finger with a large gemstone. Either the ring was occasionally glowing or it kept catching the firelight at very odd angles.

Someone exited one of the tents and walked over to her. Ethan didn't catch his question, but the volume of her response made it hard to miss, especially to his dragon ears.

"If any of you even think of touching that woman I'll burn your balls off. Slowly." The flame-haired woman pulled some flames from the bonfire, wrapped them around her fist into a fireball, and then pointed at the man's groin to emphasize the point.

"Now get back to your watch." She spat. The man scampered away.

"I guess we know who's in charge." Ethan whispered.

Alana nodded. "The trouble is, how do we get past her?"

"Could we sneak them out? I'll bet they're being held in one of the tents."

"We could try." She whispered. "There will be lookouts in the forest though."

"It's better than trying to fight a woman who can control fire."

"True."

They both crept forward as quietly as they could. They were about fifty yards away from the clearing when Alana touched Ethan. She pointed up into a tree where a man was perched on the fork of a branch, clearly supposed to be on watch. He was also clearly asleep.

Ethan glanced at the sky. It was definitely growing lighter.

They crept closer, careful to make as little noise as possible. She nocked an arrow to her bowstring but didn't raise it. Ethan held his spear a little tighter. Several tense minutes later, they were within thirty feet of the clearing.

He motioned to Alana to stay where she was and then crept forward to the nearest tent. It looked medieval, which meant that there would in all likelihood be no floor to the tent, which was simply tacked to the ground at regular intervals. Using the tent for cover and walking on three legs while using the fourth to hold the spear, he made it to the tent.

Using one claw, Ethan quietly lifted the edge to see inside. It looked like a storage tent. There were food supplies stacked up in several places along with blankets and a few barrels.

He crept back.

Alana lifted her palms in question.

He shook his head and then pointed to the next tent. They made their way through the trees until they were masked by the second tent, and he advanced again. As before, he was able to creep up to the tent without anyone noticing.

The sky was definitely getting brighter.

When he lifted the tent, he was delighted to see two people tied to a stake driven into the earth. The sandy-haired boy looked to be on the verge of puberty, while the girl looked to be in her late teens.

Both of them were sleeping.

Ethan crept under the tent, crouching low. Through the open tent flap, he could see the bonfire and the flame-haired woman crossing back and forth. He moved closer and used the tip of his spear to cut the ropes binding their hands.

Outside, the sky was growing ever brighter.

He could feel Alana's growing nervousness through their bond. He was nervous too, but at least he had found what they had been looking for. Still staying low, he gently shook the woman. She rolled over, saw him and her eyes went wide.

That's when Ethan remembered he was a dragon, and therefore looked like a dragon. He put his finger to his lips, and the woman strangled a cry in her throat.

'I'm here to rescue you." He whispered as quietly as he could.

The blond woman nodded and then looked at the boy.

"Can you wake him up?" Ethan again whispered as quietly as he could.

The blond woman understood his meaning and nodded again. She reached over and gently shook the boy. He awoke and the woman started to tug him toward the back of the tent. Ethan was just about to cut the ropes binding their feet when the boy turned and saw Ethan.

"Aaah!" The boy screamed the moment he saw Ethan's draconic form.

Throwing caution to the wind, Ethan stood up and readied his spear. The flame-haired witch appeared at the tent's entrance a moment later. For a moment she looked happy, her expression blissful, then her ring glowed and her face twisted into a mask of rage. The bonfire behind her dimmed slightly, and a fireball appeared in each of her hands.

Ethan did the only thing he could think of. He jumped straight at her and lunged with his spear. She leapt out of the way. Ethan's jump carried him much further than he thought it would. He landed outside the tent and rolled into a crouch.

He had just enough time to get his bearings before he had to jump again to dodge a fireball from the mage. He dodged the first one, but evidently she'd been waiting for that. The moment he jumped, she launched a second fireball and Ethan frantically twisted in mid-air, only just avoiding it, the heat of it sweeping over him.

Ethan landed and took cover behind a tent

A cloth tent.

He realized his mistake a moment later when the whole thing went up in flames. He leapt away from it just in time to see the flame-haired woman lurch forward.

She whipped around, turning her back to him and Ethan saw one of Alana's arrows dangling from her cloak, demonstrating that she must be wearing armor. Rachel launched a fireball at Alana and the wood elf jumped to avoid it. Some of the brush around her caught fire and she found herself having to run hard to avoid the flames, a drifting ember landing on her arm.

She cried out in pain.

A rage welled up inside Ethan -- a deep, primal rage surging through his bones. Ethan opened his mouth and roared, the terrifying sound filling the whole clearing. Even the witch seemed to cower at its intensity.

Ethan charged straight at the flame-haired woman. His claws were out, his teeth were bared, and his spear aimed true as ran forward and leapt at her.

Rachel made a sweeping gesture with her arms and dove backwards. A thin layer of ice formed above her and Ethan's claws dug into it, while the spear skittered off. The ice wasn't very thick, so his claws ripped through it, but it prevented him from getting to the woman for a split second. He sailed right over her prone body and landed several yards beyond her.

Alana ran up behind Ethan as the witch stood up.

Half a dozen men ran out from the forest and formed a semi-circle behind her. Oddly, they all carried full buckets of water. The captives were off to the side and their feet were still bound despite the blond woman's attempts to untie their bonds. They were trapped between the newcomers and their captor.

Alana and Ethan squared off against their foes -- two against seven.

"Surrender, and I'll make your deaths quick." The witch said.

Ethan considered. Surrendering wasn't going to happen, and with the sun just about up, escaping into the forest wasn't viable. A quick glance at the captives made that option obsolete anyway.

The largest and most heavily armored of the newcomers stepped forward. He was clad in chainmail from head to foot and wore a steel helmet with the visor open.

"Douse it boys." He commanded. A second later, the men dumped their buckets on the large bonfire. The fire died instantly and the men then kicked the larger logs out of the fire pit.

The flame-haired girl whipped around to face the armored man. "What in Illuminar's name are you doing, Wurven?"

"The Lady Rachel Delmar." The big man -- Wulven -- sneered. "Think you're so smart, don't you? Well, you shouldn't have let it slip that Lord Delmar is your father. I imagine he'd pay a pretty coper to get his daughter and only heir back."

"How dare you speak to me like that." She said, though it would've sounded a lot more impressive if her voice hadn't wavered as she took a step back from him.

He laughed. "Without that fire you're just a piddling lightweight. I just have to skin me a dragon and take care of that juicy little wood elf and collect the bounty on them too. It'll be a good day for us -- not so much for you. What do you say?"

He took a single step toward Rachel.

She took several steps backwards. She was now within a few feet of Alana and Ethan.

Ethan glanced at Alana.

Through their bond, Ethan could feel her concern and he didn't think it was just for them and the captives. An unspoken conversation passed between them. Ethan wasn't sure if it was their bond or perhaps they just read each other's body language well. But in an instant, they agreed on the best course of action.

Ethan took a few steps forward until he was standing beside Rachel before speaking. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Rachel jumped, looked his way, and then nodded. Alana stepped up on Rachel's other side and nocked an arrow on her bow.

Wurven laughed. "You think the three of you can beat us? The odds are two to one. And if you go down, then your father will just have to be disappointed and we'll make do with handing in the brats. He's a banker and--"

Alana moved so fast, Ethan almost didn't see her start. She had the polished look of someone who had done this a thousand times. She raised her bow and loosed an arrow at Wurven's face. He turned his head just in time and the arrow skittered off the armor.

"Kill them!" He shouted as he dropped his visor. His men charged, swords raised.

Chaos ensued.

Alana backpedaled and managed to fire an arrow into the chest of one of the oncoming men before jumping backwards to avoid his sword.

Ethan leapt forward to meet their charge and buried his spear into the chest of an unfortunate man who wasn't quick enough to dodge or parry the thrust. However, that left Ethan defenseless as his spear lodged between the man's ribs. Two of the bandits raised their swords to attack and Ethan knew he wasn't fast enough to dodge.

From his right, twin fireballs blasted both of the attacking men. They staggered back -- burned but still very much alive and kicking. Ethan gave an almighty pull and the spear came out of the man's chest with a nasty sucking noise. The dragon raised it to defend himself and kept jabbing it at the men to keep them at arm's length.

Whenever one of them got past his spear point, Rachel would launch a fireball. There was a tense standoff and Ethan chanced a glance backwards. Alana had apparently jumped backwards, tripped, and landed on her back because all the arrows in her quiver were broken or bent at odd angles. She had one good arrow left and held it nocked into the bow, but not drawn.

Wurven's remaining men were cautiously testing Ethan's defenses while their leader stood back and watched. He had drawn his longsword and was holding a wooden shield on his other arm. He had a war hammer hanging at his side via a leather strap; it looked like a two-foot-long framing hammer with a slightly larger head.

"I've got an idea, but it'll take time and completely drain me." Rachel said softly to Ethan.

"Do it." Ethan said jabbing forward with his spear again.

Over the next ten seconds, Ethan noticed a slight change in the atmosphere that reminded him of how it had felt when Drousin had magically unshackled Alana. It made him shiver and his scales stand on end.

Then Ethan felt the air change.

Something went past him in the direction of the four leading bandits. In moments, frost appeared on their clothes and weapons. As one, they turned to run, but they weren't anywhere near fast enough. Ice covered their entire bodies and they fell.

Ethan looked behind him to see the massive amount of heat Rachel had pulled from their bodies concentrated into a single large fireball. Rachel launched this directly at Wurven, who raised his shield to try and block it. The shield burst into flames and moments later he cast it aside, flames still flickering from it as it burned. The moment the shield dropped, Alana sent her last arrow flying. It hit the chainmail squarely...

...But the broad, hunting arrowhead didn't penetrate the steel rings.

Ethan didn't think they could count on any more spells for a while as Rachel slumped to the ground behind him, panting for breath.

Wurven knocked the dangling arrow from his chest.

"You've spent all your efforts and none of you can get through my armor. Surrender now and I'll give you a quick death." He pointed at Ethan. "The other two we'll take more time over."

None of them moved, and the armored man charged forward. For a person wearing so much chainmail, he moved very quickly. Ethan, Alana, and Rachel scattered. Ethan managed to land a thrust with his spear as he jumped aside. The spear point stuck into the chainmail, but the wide tip didn't force the riveted steel rings apart. The dragon landed and immediately leapt forward again, throwing all of his might behind a single thrust.

It wasn't enough.

Again his broad spear tip caught -- but didn't break -- the riveted steel rings of Wurven's chainmail.

"Stupid beast." He said. "What kind of idiot would attack chainmail with a short spear?"

Ethan surveyed the situation. Wurven was right. There was no way his spear was going to pierce that armor. Alana was out of arrows, although she was looking for more. Rachel, winded from her efforts, was panting for breath. Fortunately, the bandit was ignoring them and focusing on him.

The armored man attacked again with his longsword, handling the blade with practiced ease. Ethan jumped backwards and thrust out with his spear. Wurven parried the attack easily and then counter-attacked. Ethan tried dodging again but wasn't fast enough and the sword opened a long, shallow cut on the dragon's arm.

"I might have me some dragon for dinner." Wurven taunted.

Behind him, Ethan could see the captive blond woman trying to get Alana's attention. She mouthed something that Ethan didn't catch and pointed to Wurven's side. Ethan followed her finger and saw it -- the warhammer. They were designed to fight men in armor, doing damage by crushing not cutting. Chainmail especially offered no defense against it.

It could do the trick if only he could get to it.

Wurven and Ethan sparred for a few minutes and it quickly became clear that the man was toying with him. He had several chances to kill Ethan but was enjoying the sport of the kill. The dragon attacked time after time, but his spear just couldn't get through the chainmail to reach flesh. Ethan briefly considered running, but he couldn't leave the others behind, especially Alana.

After a few minutes, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Alana had pulled the arrow from the body of the first man she had shot.

"Hey shit-for-brains." Ethan said to Wurven. "You know what they say about men with big swords?"

He held his hand up and flexed his smallest finger.

Wurven stopped moving and flourished the sword in his hand. Ethan could see that the man had decided to finish toying with him. That was all the opening Alana needed. She drew her bow back, took careful aim, and loosed the arrow. It struck true and sliced right through the leather strap holding the warhammer. Fortunately, he didn't notice the weapon fall to the ground.

Wurven did feel the arrow hit his side, however and laughed scornfully. "Stupid fucking elves. You've already tried that -- for the last time."

He charged at Alana. Ethan dropped his spear and darted forward on all fours. As he ran, he picked up the fallen warhammer and leapt forward.

He reached Wurven just as the man reached Alana, winding up a horizontal slice that Alana would have no chance to dodge. Ethan raised the hammer and brought it down with all his might on the armored helmet. The helmet was strong, but woefully inadequate to stop a direct hit from a warhammer swung by a very angry dragon.

The helmet -- and the skull underneath it -- caved in. The bandit fell forward and Alana barely avoided being pinned under him.

Ethan stood up, panting. "We... we did it."

Alana ran forward and wrapped Ethan in a hug.

"An elven bitch in heat; disgusting." Rachel muttered, clearly still out of breath. Alana jumped away from Ethan as if he had given her an electric shock.

"Thank you." Ethan said to Rachel, despite her comment. He knew she had really made the victory possible.

"You're welco--" Rachel started to say with a smile, then her ring glowed and she stopped mid-sentence. She seemed to struggle with herself for several seconds before standing up. Something was different about her expression -- an odd combination of vacant and determined.

"I'm exhausted, so I'll let you go this time." She said to Ethan. "The next time we meet, your hide is mine." Without another word, she turned and left the clearing.

"And the award for most delightful person of the year goes to..." Ethan said.

Alana laughed, and sheer relief made Ethan and the blond woman join in. He took a sword from the ground and walked over to cut the ropes still hobbling the captives' feet.

"What's your name?" He asked the blond woman as he carefully sliced through the ropes.

"Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Beth." She replied, rubbing her ankles. There was rope burn on her wrists and hands, but she seemed unharmed otherwise. "Thank you for rescuing us."

"No problem. Thanks for pointing out the warhammer. You probably saved our skins."

She smiled. "Well, then that makes us almost even."

Ethan moved to cut the ropes on the boy's feet, but the boy shrank away. The dragon crouched down to his level and looked him in the eye. "If I was going to hurt you, I wouldn't have fought those men."

The boy hesitated for a moment, then look at his sister.

"He's a friend Charles, we can trust him." Beth said. The boy still seemed scared, but let Ethan cut his bonds.

"Are your horses nearby?" The blonde asked.

"Um, not really." Ethan said.

"Hidden deep in the forest then?"

"We flew." Alana cut in as she joined them. "Or rather he flew. I rode."

Beth's jaw dropped. "You rode a dragon!"

"We didn't really think about getting back." Ethan said. "And before you get any bright ideas, there's no way I can carry more than one person."

"Multiple trips it is then." Alana sighed, a twinkle in her eye.

"Now wait just a minute." Ethan said. "I assume these men had horses we could take."

"Not anymore." Alana pointed out. Rachel had taken off riding one horse and she was holding the reins of a half dozen others.

"So, I guess we're all flying back then." Alana said, trying to stifle a smile.

"You mean I get to ride a dragon?" The boy said, going from nervous fear to joyful wonder in an instant.

"How could you disappoint that face?" Alana asked.

"He's stubborn too." Beth added. "Won't take no for an answer."

"Yes but--" Ethan started.

"We do need to get back, and that's the fastest way." The wood elf pointed out.

"I've read that dragons can fly as far in an hour as a man can ride in a day." Beth exclaimed. "Is it true?"

Alana nodded. "It makes a mess of your hair though."

"You're forgetting the one with the wings needs to agree to this." Ethan said with a frown.

"Details." Alana said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Through their bond, he could tell she was really enjoying teasing him.

Well, two could play at that game.

"Of course, we can't leave the boy alone." Ethan said. "I'd have to take Beth first, and then she can wait while I drop off Charles. Then we can head for the bank."

"Aren't you forgetting one important detail?" Alana asked.

Ethan pursed his lips for a few moments in a mock-thoughtful expression and then shook his head. "Not that I can think of."

He turned to Beth. "Can you think of any part I'm missing?"

"Maybe." She said with a smile. "I've heard there are elves in these woods."

"Elves?" The boy exclaimed, grabbing his sister's dress. "I want to see an elf, Bethy. Can I see an elf -- please?"

"You already have." Alana sighed, pulling back her hair to show the boy her ears.

"Ooh." The boy said. "Are all elves that tall?"

"Alana is a giant elf." Ethan said with a straight face. "She's almost freakishly large."

Alana gave Ethan a little slap on the arm but smiled. "Stop teasing the boy."

"On a more serious note." Ethan said. "That just leaves one detail. Are we going to wait until dark or risk flying during the day?"

"Why would flying during the day be a problem?" Beth asked

"I think we should wait until nightfall." Alana said, and then turned to Beth. "The city guards probably wouldn't take kindly to seeing a dragon suddenly flying towards The Bank. It might make them nervous. Come on, let's get our stuff together, eat something, and we'll explain."

The girls looted the camp supplies for breakfast while Ethan checked the corpses, finding only a few gold coins between them. He took them and decided to keep the warhammer as well, just in case they ran into another armored foe.

Beth started asking questions the moment they sat down to eat, which resulted in Ethan explaining how he had come to this world and his problems with Lord Delmar. That in turn led to recounting everything that had happened so far. Beth asked so many questions, that finally Ethan had to call a halt to her interrogation so he could finish eating. Once they were on the road to Alana's clearing, Beth continued her questioning.

She was easily the most curious person he had ever met.

Several times, Ethan caught a flicker of annoyance from Alana through their bond. He gave her a questioning look, but she gave no indication of what was annoying her. Ethan had a pretty good idea that it was Beth's continual questions, but he didn't find them annoying. On the contrary, the girl seemed to hang on his every word.

Plus, the blonde was quite pretty, which didn't hurt.

By the time they reached Alana's clearing, Ethan could feel that the annoyance from Alana had turned into frustration. She seemed to feel excluded, alone, and a little jealous.

"Okay." Ethan said to Beth when they arrived at the ashes of her home. "Enough questions for now. My throat is starting to hurt."

"I'm sorry." Beth said. "Father always says I ask too many questions. It's just, you're a dragon! How many other chances will I get to question a dragon? But I'll rein them in."

She turned to Alana. "So, you grow trees for enchanting staffs? How does one make a tree better for enchanting?"

For the next hour, it was Ethan's turn to feel left out.

Beth peppered Alana with questions on every topic imaginable. She was especially interested in enchanting and Elven culture and it was obvious that Beth had read a lot on both subjects, but didn't have any experience with either. She was a good listener, and her questions were intelligent and to the point, assimilating and digesting the answers with ease.

It took a while before Alana tired of the never-ending questions. At which point Beth fell silent and spent the next hour pacing, deep in thought. Her brother had long since fallen asleep out of sheer boredom.

"I'm sorry I was annoyed." Alana murmured to Ethan while Beth wandered the clearing. "She's a nice girl and I like her a lot."

"Why were you so annoyed?" he asked. "Was it just so many questions?"

"It was, uh." Alana hesitated, her cheeks gaining a pink tinge. "Oh, it's not important. Don't worry about it."

"Okay." He said slowly, not sure what was going on in her head, despite their bond. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes until Beth came back with more questions.

The rest of the day passed slowly broken only by a meal at midday. Having looted and carried off enough food from the kidnapper's camp, they were able to put together a decent lunch.

"I'm going to take a nap." Alana said midway through the afternoon, after they had cleared away the remnants of their meal. "Please don't let me sleep too long."

"Sure thing." Ethan replied. He watched Alana walk off into the forest and lay down on a patch of moss. She flopped down and her hair cascaded over her face, framing it exquisitely.

She was breathtakingly beautiful.

* * *

Alana was lying in her bed, snuggled under a thick blanket while a fire flickered in the fireplace. The fire was odd because she didn't remember her wooden house ever having a fireplace. She felt drowsy, cozy, and comfortable.

Ethan walked in from the outside, closed the door, and then slid into bed behind her. She snuggled back against him and drew his arm around her. They lay there snuggling for what seemed like an eternity of bliss. Ethan leaned over and kissed her cheek very tenderly. Alana sighed happily and snuggled even closer to him.

Everything was right with the world and she felt safe, content, and loved.

"Alana." Ethan said, but his voice sounded strange -- as if it was coming from a great distance.

"You're so comfortable." Alana mumbled.

"Alana, wake up." Ethan repeated, and then the whole house started to gently shake. She ignored the shaking for as long as she could, but then remembered that Hermair had burned her house down, so this couldn't be her house.

"Alana, it's time to wake." Ethan's voice said again.

Alana jerked awake and instinctively reached for her bow... and hit Ethan's face instead.

"Ow!" they both said at the same time.

"Sorry." She said, making a mental note that punching dragon scales was a bad idea.

"I'm fine, how's your hand?" Ethan replied.

"It'll stop hurting or fall off; either way I'm good."

"Okay, I'm about to fly Beth to that field near Gralden." Ethan said. It was getting near evening and would probably be dark within the hour. "I just need you to watch the boy while I'm gone."

"Of course." Alana said, handing her weight-reduction necklace to Ethan, then turning to the blonde. "Beth, you'll want to braid your hair or it'll be a rat's nest when you arrive."

The young blonde quickly braided her hair, tied it with a thin leather strap, and put on the necklace Ethan handed her. He dropped to all fours and she climbed up awkwardly onto his back.

"I'll be back soon." Ethan said, then leapt into the air, flapped his wings, and was gone.

Alana spent the next two hours watching over Charles. He didn't get up to too much trouble, which gave her a lot of time to think. Her dream kept coming to mind. She was shocked by how much she had reveled in it. She had only known Ethan a few days, but it felt like much longer.

Was it their bond?

Alana examined his emotions. He was feeling blissful -- she wasn't sure why -- but thought it might be because he was flying. She briefly considered that Beth was the cause, but dismissed it. She didn't like the idea that his contentment was caused by the blonde. She liked Beth -- she was curious, intelligent, and fun to talk to -- but what if Ethan liked Beth more than her?

Alana shook her head, refusing to believe she was jealous of the blonde girl. Of course, Alana had no actual claim on Ethan except through their bond, which in elven culture meant they were married. And her mother had once told her that the bond made it nearly impossible to avoid falling deeper in love with a good man.

Ethan was definitely a good man.

But did she love him?

She honestly didn't know, and the practical side of her brain pointed out that it didn't matter. Dragons live longer than elves and it would never work out. One day she would be old and he would still be middle-aged. Plus, he was a dragon and thus a totally different species than elves. But her emotional side countered that different races like humans, elves, and even occasionally some of the more civilized orcs intermarry all the time.

"But they never have children and I want some." Her logical side argued.

Her emotional side countered that there are no female dragons. They use women of other races to carry their young so she could bear his children.

At that point, Alana halted the argument. She was thinking about having children with a man -- a dragon -- whom she had known for less than a fortnight. Bond or no bond, that was too fast. Besides, she wasn't even sure he felt the same way.

She determinedly tried to put it out of her mind.

Eventually, Ethan returned to pick up the boy. He gave Alana a curious look when he landed, but Charles was so excited at being about to fly a dragon, he didn't say anything. At least, that's what she hoped as she helped to secure the boy and watched Ethan take off again.

She lay spread-eagled on her back and looked up at the stars above. She caught herself trying to find a dragon in the constellations, and then closed her eyes and waited for Ethan to come back to her.

* * *

Alana was spread on the biggest and softest bed in the most beautiful room she had ever seen, draped in gossamer scarves that barely concealed her breasts and hips, and left nothing to the imagination elsewhere. She tried to move but found soft silken cords binding her arms and legs to the corners of the bed.

She was completely helpless

The door opened and Ethan walked in -- no, he prowled in -- with a look in his eye Alana had never seen before, a primal, hungry look that made her shudder. It was frightening... but also exciting. He stalked over to the bed and walked around it like a vulture circling its prey.

Between his legs, the scales parted and his cock slipped forward and rose into view. It was at least eight inches long and still growing in length and girth, the sight transfixing the petite elf... She had never seen one before and didn't know they could be this big. Then he climbed onto the bed between her legs and his intentions could not have been clearer.

Alana shivered, but couldn't tell if it was fear or anticipation that made her skin quiver.

"I'm going to breed you, my mate." The dragon stated. It wasn't a request, a command, or even a threat; it was a simple statement of fact.

"Please..." Alana trailed off. She wasn't sure how she wanted the sentence to end.

"Please what?" he asked as he used one of his claws to slit the sheer fabric covering her breasts and cast the scrap of cloth aside. He blew on her nipples and they responded by growing erect and almost painfully hard. His breath was warm and it flowed over her breasts, sending the most exquisite sensations rushing to her extremities.

"Please... I want..." She knew exactly what she wanted, but she didn't dare say it. She was barely able to think it. He leaned forward and breathed on her neck, so close to her but still not... quite... touching.

"Tell me what you want, Alana." He repeated patiently. The heat of his breath was causing shivers to run up and down her body and making her tremble. She wanted him to touch her. Why wasn't he touching her?

"I want to..." Alana couldn't bring herself to say it.

"You want to feel me inside of you." Ethan whispered into her ear. "You want to be wrapped around me while I penetrate you to the core. Is that what you want?"

Alana nodded. Illuminar forgive her, but that's exactly what she wanted.

"Yes." She found herself whimpering,

"You are mine." He said, almost casually. She felt a tug at her core -- their bond. She could feel it at the back of her mind -- a gentle pressure to obey him, to follow and serve him.

"I am yours." Alana repeated. She liked how that sounded.

His long tongue emerged to gently lick her neck. She moaned and tried to embrace him, to pull him down on top of her, but her hands and feet were still tied. Her mind said he should stop -- that this was a bad idea -- but every inch of her body wanted him to keep going. She fought with herself for a whole minute before her willpower won.

"Stop."

The dragon above her growled.

"I can't, we can't." She breathed. "We still have to get back to Gralden and... and..."

That's when she realized she was dreaming. This wasn't real, it was only a dream. This wasn't the real Ethan, not her Ethan. It was all a dream, a figment of her imagination. It was just an imagining of what might have been -- and maybe even what could be... In this dream, she was free to act on her desires and impulses; she could do whatever she wanted.

"Make love to me."

Ethan leaned over her. There was love in his eyes and she could feel his body above hers. It was only a dream. She knew it was a dream, but it was a good dream. The best dream. She stared into his cat-like eyes. He had risked his life for her several times and protected her when she had tried to make him run. Plus, the way that he looked at her...

"Kiss me, Ethan." Alana asked softly. She could never ask in real life and would probably never dream of him like this again. She wanted to take this chance while she had it.

He leaned in for a kiss on the lips, then he started gently shaking her shoulder instead.

"Alana, wake up. You fell asleep again."

Alana groaned as she was ripped from her dream world and back into reality. She opened her eyes to see Ethan's face not far above hers. It wore an odd expression so Alana checked their bond. He was feeling amusement, concern, even shock and... something else.

"Are you okay? You seemed upset and were talking in your sleep."

"How much did you hear?" She sat up against the tree and felt her stomach start tying itself in knots again, this time not from pleasure.

Ethan sat down on his haunches, like a cat or dog, before replying with a toothy grin. "Enough."

She went beet red. "I'm sorry, it was a dream and... and you know it was... I was..."

"I'm flattered."

Alana looked up. "Why?"

"You're a wonderful woman." He said. "Your attraction to me is flattering."

"I never said I was attracted." Alana shot back.

"So, you want to kiss me but aren't attracted to me?"

Her face went even brighter red, and she was glad of the darkness partially concealing her face. She couldn't think of a good response, so she tried to get a little information from him instead. She examined their bond and then asked. "How do you feel about me?"

Instantly, over their bond she felt all the warm fuzzy feelings typical associated with love.

"I guess that answers that question." Alana said.

"I know, but I can't. With my ex I..." It was Ethan's turn to avoid her eye. She could feel pain and hurt flooding through him.

"What happened with her?"

Ethan took a deep breath. "They fixed it so my partner needed to have an important meeting while we'd be away on our honeymoon. She convinced me to give him temporary power of attorney so he could attend it with my authority and..."

His hands curled into fists.

"I knew it was a bad idea. Somehow, I just knew it. She said I should do it a few days before the wedding so I could concentrate on the wedding. He used the power of attorney to wipe my name from a few key documents."

"I'm sorry they hurt you."

"That's not the worst of it." Ethan nearly growled. "He called me into his office a couple days before the wedding once the deed was done. I walked in on them mid-orgasm, and I think they planned it that way. That's when they told me I was out."

"What a bitch!"

"Yeah, it's just so raw and I... I'm not ready for another relationship right now. I want to be, but I'm just not.

"I understand." Alana nodded. "In fact, despite our feelings it would be a bad idea to pursue them."

"Why?"

"You're a dragon. Everyone knows dragons love only one thing. You haven't been a dragon long, but I've seen the way you look at gold. Besides, dragons live a lot longer than elves. I'd rather not make you suffer through my old age when you're barely in your middle years."

Ethan nodded. "I see your point. Plus, I don't know about you, I'd like to have kids and that wouldn't work." Alana remained quiet about that, but either her facial expression or their bond gave her away.

"What?" Ethan queried. "What are you thinking?"

"You don't know...? There are no female dragons. All dragons are male."

Ethan blinked. "Then how do they...?"

"They typically use a human or elf maiden." She replied.

"Well, that explains all the fairy tales about them capturing women. But how does that... You know... Work? Physically speaking?"

"The same way it happens with humans or elves." Alana replied. "Dragons are magical creatures. Somehow, they can impregnate a woman. A few months later the woman lays a dragon egg."

"Women laying eggs?" His jaw had dropped in astonishment.

"It's why so many people hate dragons." She explained. "For a long time, they'd kidnap womenand rape them. And just so we're clear." She added. "Even if we were to start a relationship, there's no way I'm laying any eggs for you or any other dragon. Don't even think about it."

"If I ask you not to think about me kissing you, what's the first thing you think of?" Ethan asked. Immediately, the image of Ethan kissing her sprang fully formed into her mind.

"Point taken." She said, blushing again. "Let's just drop it."

Ethan's face was unreadable and their bond was full of so many emotions that Alana couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Perhaps we should just get going?" He said finally.

"Good idea."

A few minutes later, Alana was lying along Ethan's back as they flew toward Gralden.

* * *

Ethan loved flying. He loved the wind in his face, the freedom of flight, and the view of the entire countryside. Somehow though, he liked that Alana was riding on his back more. It was stupid. He knew it was stupid. He'd known her barely more than a week and -- their bond notwithstanding -- he consequently barely knew a thing about her.

He wanted to change that, but even a thousand feet above the ground, he felt anchored by the disaster that was his ex-fiancée. He wasn't ready. To Alana's credit, she hadn't pushed him for more details about it, although -- like any woman -- she probably really wanted to know. He could feel her emotions over the bond, mostly concern for him. It took him a second to realize the enormity of what that meant.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Alana. I just realized I can tell what you're feeling."

"What?" Alana yelled.

Ethan sighed with frustration and then shouted back to her. "Hang on." Ethan felt her grip tighten.

Then he dived.

From a thousand feet up, they hurtled toward the ground. Alana screamed for almost five seconds until Ethan spread his wings and leveled off. They raced along only twenty feet from the ground for a while, before Ethan flared his wings to bring them to a stop.

"You brat!" Alana slapped his shoulder, but couldn't stop smiling. "That was... Wow!"

"I know. I love flying." He replied.

Alana slid off his back. "We can't be halfway there yet. Why'd you stop?"

"I didn't think you'd want Beth or Charles hearing this. But have you noticed our bond is getting stronger?"

"I did notice. Before, your emotions were only vague and nebulous. Now they're sharp and defined. I can sometimes even get an idea why you're feeling the way you do."

"Same here." Ethan said. "A few seconds ago, I could feel concern over our bond, and I could tell you were concerned for me."

"Oh." Alana mused. "That's... Hmm."

"Is 'Hmm' good or bad?" Ethan sat back on his haunches. He would never have believed before that it could be comfortable, but now he understood why dogs and cats liked it so much.

"My mother had been married for a couple of decades before she could do that with my father." Alana replied.

"Decades?"

"Yes. Elves say when you can do that, you're getting to the best part of the marriage." Alana blinked a few times then looked away. He could have sworn her eyes were moist before she looked away.

"I think the next step is hearing each other's thoughts." She continued after a moment.

"You mean, telepathy?" Ethan's jaw dropped. "Is that even... you can do that?"

She nodded and turned back to him. "Yes, I've heard that some elven couples who've been married for a long time can send thoughts to each other over great distances, even in different countries."

"Wow." Ethan said. "This bond thing is really serious."

"That's why it's the foundation of elven marriage."

"So, what do we do?"

"I think we're stuck with each other. I could feel your emotions during the whole time you were away, so distance doesn't seem to be a limitation."

"I can think of worse people to be stuck with." Ethan said with a smile.

Alana smiled back. "I agree."

There was a moment of silence, although it didn't feel awkward. They stood in the light of the full moon and he glanced up at the stars. It had been ages since he just looked at them

"They're so beautiful." Ethan mused, slowly running his gaze across the incredible vista of this world's starscape. "I've been so busy for so long that I haven't taken the time to just look at the night sky in ages."

He looked directly at Alana. "Sometimes you can't quite see what's right in front of you, because other stuff is in the way. But with time, I think you can see what's there. If you're patient... You know?"

"Oh?" Alana asked.

"I think so, yeah." Ethan finished. "Clouds have a way of clearing eventually. If you wait for them to clear, then the result can be pretty great."

"I think it could be too." Alana replied. She looked happy, which he confirmed through their bond.

He just looked at her for a moment. He loved her rich hazel eyes and her chocolate brown hair. He loved their height difference and how she always looked perfect even when her hair was a complete mess. But more than that, he loved her heart. She was the kindest, most tender person he had ever met. He didn't know if it was because of their bond, but he was falling hard and fast for this incredible woman.

"Yeah, please give me some time to get over my ex." Ethan said. "Then I think I'd like to... spend some more time with the stars."

Alana blushed and then smiled. "I'd like that."

They stood looking up at the sky in companionable silence for a while. Then Ethan sighed.

"Oh, I've been meaning to tell you. I've been keeping an eye on my mana and it's definitely been refilling. I'm way more full now than when we left yesterday morning."

"But dragons can't..." Alana trailed off.

"Here's the thing." He continued. "I noticed it wasn't refilling while I was in the air with Beth and Charles. But it did start to refill again when I picked you up. I think it's being near you that does it."

"But that's... that's unheard of, Ethan. For a dragon to regenerate mana when he's not around gold is... Well it's just never happened before. At least I don't think it has."

"I think it's our bond. Garthildur said there could be side effects of bonding with a dragon. Maybe this is one of them?"

"That's the only thing that seems to make sense." Alana agreed. "But think of the implications if you don't need to be near gold to get mana. I was worried that if you were working at The Bank, it would get around that you were in Gralden and Lord Delmar's men would come looking for you. But if you don't need to stay near gold..."

"I hadn't thought of that." His mind went immediately to all the gold in its vaults at the mention of The Bank. "But I think it's still worth taking a job there, as I'll get mana much faster. That fight earlier made it clear I can't protect you right now. Wurven could've killed me easily, he was just toying with me."

"True." Alana replied with grimace.

"We'll have to get some weapons and armor once we return the youngsters." Ethan said. "Speaking of which, we have a little way to go yet."

Half an hour later, they landed at the drop-off point. It was far enough away from the city that no one would see a dragon land, even with the full moon.

Beth was awake and gave Ethan a hug when they landed. They woke Charles, Ethan activated his disguise gem and they walked towards town. When they reached Gralden, Ethan banged on the gate to wake up the gatekeepers.

"No admittance after dark!" came the sleepy reply.

"Not even for Lord Borden's daughter?" Beth called back in a loud voice. There was a pause, and then a scramble at the top of the wall, and several guards craned their necks over the battlements to get a good look.

"It's her!" one of the guards shouted. A few moments later, there was the sound of heavy bolts being drawn back and a small door was opened in the massive gate.

"Enter, my lady." The gatekeeper said and then shouted into the darkness. "Send a runner to Lord Borden, and bring four horses."

They walked through the gate and moments later, a sleepy-eyed stable boy led in four horses which were docile around everyone but Ethan. They resisted getting close to him despite the guard's best efforts.

"I'm good walking, thanks." Ethan said, figuring the horses could sense he was a dragon, not a man.

The guards led the procession down the main street. Although after midnight, the city was still surprisingly noisy. Several of the inns and taverns were lively with the sounds of carousing, laughter, argument, and drunken singing.

People kept poking their heads out to see what the fuss was, and then shouting about Beth being back. She took it all in her stride and waved back with the dignified and well-practiced air of a local celebrity. In contrast, Alana seemed uncomfortable with all the attention.

He certainly was.

The guards led them to a grand house in the wealthiest part of the town. A moment after the three had dismounted, the large, ornate door slammed open and a woman sprinted out of the house barefoot to wrap the blonde girl up in a huge hug. The woman looked like a twenty-year-older version of Beth. She was dressed in a full-length nightgown and -- judging from her long hair loose around her shoulders and puffy eyes -- had been sleeping until just minutes before.

"Mother, I'm okay." Beth said hugging the woman back. The woman caught sight of the boy and swept him into her arms as well. After what seemed like several hours, Beth extricated herself from her mother and turned to Ethan and Alana.

"This is Ethan and Alana." Beth said. "They rescued us."

Beth's mother descended upon Ethan and Alana and wrapped them in a hug. Considering her small stature, she was quite strong. The whole time she was thanking them for bringing her children back alive.

After Beth's mother ended the hug, Ethan noticed someone that could only be her father standing behind her. He was tall, over six feet, and possessed an imposing presence. He wasn't exactly scary, but he gave Ethan the impression of great intelligence and cunning. Despite his more reserved manners, there was definite relief on his face looking at his daughter and son.

Unlike his wife, he was dressed, though hastily so. Ethan didn't need to be a fashion expert to know he had expensive taste. The pants and shirt looked to be made of silk and inlaid with gold and silver.

"I am Lord Augustus Kyselius Borden, and this is my wife, Adrienne." The man bowed to Ethan and Alana. "You have my deepest thanks. Gold can be replaced, but my children are priceless. Who might I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"My name is Ethan Ejder."

"Alana Tarihowen; known as staff-maker." The way she said it and bowed slightly as she spoke gave Ethan the impression she had just given a formal elven introduction.

"You must be tired from your journey." Lord Borden said. "With my deepest gratitude, I implore you to rest in my humble home for the evening. It would be my honor to grant you a room for the evening."

"Um, separate rooms if possible." Ethan said.

"Of course; my mistake." Lord Borden said, though a slight shadow crossed his face. "If you will excuse me, I wish to celebrate with my family. If you follow my steward, he will show you to your rooms."

An elderly man appeared seemingly out of thin air the moment Lord Borden said "steward". He guided Ethan and Alana through the large, impressive, and richly furnished house to separate, but adjoining, rooms.

After making sure they were comfortable and didn't need anything else, the steward bade them good night. Ethan dragged himself over to the bed and flopped down on it. He didn't realize just how tiring all that flying was, and was asleep in moments.

* * *

When Ethan woke the next morning, the morning light was already streaming in through the window. He looked around the room to discover it wasn't particularly large but was richly furnished. A small fire burned in the fireplace and beside him on a table was a large breakfast, fragrant steam rising from it and showing that it was still hot. Ethan dug in but found he didn't really enjoy the bread, and so focused on the chicken instead.

Once his stomach was no longer growling, his next thought was for Alana. He checked their bond to discover she was also sleepy and content. Strangely, he almost felt like he had a sense of where she was. When he thought about her, he could feel a tiny portion of his mind tugging in a particular direction.

This bond thing was weird.

Ethan had just finished eating when -- almost on cue -- the door opened and the steward entered.

"Excuse me sir, but Lord Borden has requested the honor of your presence." He said. "If you are finished breaking your fast, would you please accompany me to see him?"

Ethan followed the steward through a series of halls, finally stopping before a large wooden door. The door was carved with several ornate designs and inlaid with gold. Alana was standing outside the door as if waiting. The Steward knocked once, then opened the door, stepped aside for them to enter, and then closed the door behind them.

They were standing in what looked like a large office. Lord Borden was sitting in a large chair behind an ornate wooden desk. Along the walls of the office were several large and expensive-looking paintings. Gold candlesticks lined the room, although they weren't currently lit. Through the many windows, Ethan had an excellent panoramic view of the town.

The banker's fingertips were steepled together and he looked deep in thought. His eyes tracked their entry, but otherwise he gave no sign of noticing their presence. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. The atmosphere of the room felt like a library and Ethan didn't feel comfortable breaking the silence.

"I understand why a dragon would risk his life for a job at my bank." Lord Borden said after nearly a minute of deafening silence. "But I don't understand why he would wish to marry my daughter."

"Marry your daughter?" Alana said.

"You know I'm a dragon?" Ethan's eyes widened.

Lord Borden raised an eyebrow. "A disguise gem is an effective way to remain inconspicuous, but they are hardly foolproof. I run the largest bank in the ten kingdoms; security is paramount."

"Wait, back up to the part about Ethan marrying your daughter." Alana insisted.

"I offered a contract bounty for my children's safe return, and the reward for rescuing Beth is her hand in marriage." The man said as if that explained everything.

"But I don't have to marry her right? I mean, I don't have to accept the reward... do I?"

"A contract bounty is a legal contract." Lord Borden explained. "By fulfilling the terms of the bounty, you implicitly sign the contract. Meaning you agree to collect the reward offered. You cannot ask for more, and the person who posted the bounty cannot give less. Both parties agree to the terms of the contract."

"So, I have to..."

"Yes." Lord Borden replied.

"To Beth?" Alana whispered.

He nodded.

"Oh wow." Ethan said. "I just wanted to save her; I didn't know I was signing up to have and to hold."

"You'd promise your daughter in marriage to just anyone?" Alana seemed upset at the thought.

"It wasn't supposed to be this way." Lord Borden replied. "The captain of my guard -- Heinrich -- has been smitten with Beth for some time. He has long wished to marry her, but I couldn't grant that wish because of his low birth. However, offering a contract bounty of marriage for whoever rescued her was a loophole. Heinrich has never failed me and I assumed he would bring Beth home and they could be married. Alas, things did not happen that way."

"What does Beth think of Heinrich?" Ethan asked.

"She regards him as a trusted friend, though it stops short of attraction." Lord Borden replied. "Considering the deplorable quality of men vying for her hand, I thought Heinrich would be the best man to make her happy."

"So basically, we ruined everything when we rescued her." Ethan said.

"In so many words, yes." Lord Borden said. "Lord Delmar will stop at nothing to find you. When he discovers you are married -- or even engaged -- to Beth, she will become a primary target."

"Why?" Ethan asked.

"Lord Delmar often attacks the heart to weaken the body." Lord Borden replied. "It's despicable, but effective. By killing your betrothed or wife, he would hope to make you easier to kill. Either through rage or despair, it matters not to him."

"That's..." Ethan began to say.

"Horrible." Alana finished.

"It's also the position you have put my daughter in." Lord Borden didn't exactly look angry, but he sounded far from pleased.

"And you want Ethan to marry Beth, even though it would put her in such danger?" Alana asked.

A scowl played at the edges of Lord Borden's mouth, but he restrained it. "If you don't marry Beth, people would think me a liar who broke a contract and everyone would withdraw their money from The Bank. My family would be left penniless and my enemies would descend on us like a plague. We would all be dead within the week."

"Damned if you do, damned if you don't." Ethan said glumly.

He nodded. "Given the choice between certain death for all and danger for one, I should think my enforced choice would be obvious."

"Well, Ethan and I are kind of married." Alana said. "I mean, not really, but we're bonded, so technically according to elven law we're married. What of that?"

"You know as well as I do that polygyny -- although uncommon -- is perfectly legal throughout the Ten Kingdoms." Lord Borden said. "Even if it wasn't -- and it shouldn't be -- you requested separate bedrooms and clearly don't consider yourselves married. Do you deny it?"

Neither of them did.

Lord Borden leaned forward and locked eyes with Ethan. "To be clear, I'll not have my daughter sharing a husband with another woman. Should you try it, the consequences would be..." He paused long enough to be uncomfortable. "...severe."

Ethan nodded, and then a thought occurred to him. "Couldn't I just fake my death or something? That would get us both off the hook."

"You clearly don't know Lord Delmar." The banker leaned back in his chair. "Such a secret would not last long with him pursuing you, and the truth would come out soon enough. Then we would be worse off than we are now, having added mass deception to our sins. The only thing that will do is your marriage to my daughter."

"Shouldn't Beth be a part of this conversation?" Ethan asked.

"I can send a servant to find her." Lord Borden said. "However, when I told her that her hand in marriage was part of the reward, she was pleased. I believe she's quite taken with you."

Ethan noticed Alana was sitting back in her chair with shoulders slumped and eyes on the floor. She glanced at him and he saw something in her eyes that he'd never seen in her before: hopelessness. She looked so... defeated. He wouldn't have thought she was capable of a look like that before they'd entered the office.

"Could I talk with Alana privately for a few minutes?" Ethan asked.

Lord Borden hesitated -- glancing toward the gold candlesticks in the room -- before responding. "You may use my office."

He bowed and then left the room.

The door boomed shut behind him with an ominous finality to it.

"That starry sky is looking pretty cloudy right now." Ethan said to her. She nodded but didn't reply. He stood up to offer a hug, which she rose and accepted. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Some of her worry drained away and they embraced for a minute.

"You should marry her." Alana said as she broke their hug. Her cheeks were moist and she wiped them with the back of her hand.

"I don't want to,"

"I know. But she's nice, smart, funny, and gorgeous; you'll be happy with her I think."

"But--" Ethan started to say, but Alana cut him off.

"Any man would give his arm to marry her. Why wouldn't you?" She said sharply, and then she looked abashed and averted her eyes.

"First, I'm still recovering from my ex, second I barely know her, and third and most importantly..." Ethan waited until Alana met his eye before he finished. "You."

"Me?"

"Absolutely." Ethan nodded. "I'm not going to pretend I'm all doe-eyed in love, but you're a wonderful woman. Maybe it's because of our bond, but I think there's something between us that's worth exploring."

"You should marry her anyway. I'll be fine, really." She said, although she looked just the opposite. "Besides, I'll outlive her by a century or more. Maybe in a few decades when she dies..."

"That's optimistic." Ethan replied without humor.

Alana stared into his eyes for several seconds. She moved her hand up to touch his face, but then stopped, took a deep breath, and let it fall back to her side. She looked down at the floor and shook her head slightly. "With the lives of Beth and her family on the line, I don't see another choice. Do you?"

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

As much as he hated it, he had signed up for this. He'd technically signed a contract and if he didn't make good Beth, and her father, mother, and brother might die. He couldn't be the cause of that; he just couldn't.

Finally, he shook his head. "I wish I did."

"Me too."

"What about our bond?" He asked. "I don't like the idea of being married to one woman and bonded to another."

"Maybe it'll break if you bond with her?" She suggested, but didn't sound convinced.

"You really think it will?"

"It has to, I can't..." She blinked and a single tear began to trace a path down her cheek, though she wiped it away before it had gone far.

He reached up and gently wiped it from her face. She leaned into his hand and the softest, quietest sigh escaped her beautiful lips.

"Will you be okay if it does break?" Ethan asked. "To put it bluntly, I'd rather marry you than her."

"I'll be fine." She said, though she clearly wasn't. "But I think it's best if we stay away from each other; at least until our bond is broken."

"That's assuming it breaks."

"It has to." She almost pleaded. "So... you're going to marry her then?"

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to ignore the lump in his throat. Dear God in heaven, what a colossal mess; a total FUBAR cluster fuck. He thought life on earth was painful but this... this was something else. Now thinking about Alana leaving...

A deep primal rage welled up within him. He wanted to punch something or grab it rip it apart with his bare hands. No, screw that; he wanted to get his hands on Lord Delmar and tear that bastard limb from--

Alana touched his chest and his rage mellowed.

He marveled at the effect a simple touch from her had on him. But despite her comforting presence, he couldn't deny the situation. Every one of his instincts screamed that this wasn't right, but as much as he wanted Alana, he couldn't sentence Beth and her entire family to death because he did.

"I think I have to."

"Congratulations." Alana said. She tried to sound cheerful, but didn't quite manage it. She did manage a pained smile. She had such a beautiful smile; how could something be so beautiful and yet so heartbreaking at the same time?

"I should go." She whispered. "Maybe Lord Borden has a job opening for a good enchanter. Also, please try to stay out of my emotions and our bond. I know it's hard, but please try, okay?"

Ethan could think of anything to say, so he nodded. "Okay."

"Goodbye Ethan." Alana said. "I'm glad I met you."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek, turned, and walked toward the door. Ethan opened his mouth to try to convince her not to leave, but couldn't think of anything to say. She stopped with her hand on the doorknob and turned to look at him.

"You're a good man-- er, dragon, Ethan." Alana said. "It's ironic that you agreeing to marry someone else makes me think I would've liked that privilege myself."

Before he could answer, she slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her. Ethan resisted the temptation to look at their bond and see how she was feeling. She'd just walked out of his life and no long wanted him in her head.

Some part of him -- his dragon side perhaps -- refused to accept that she was gone and refused to believe that the wonderful wood elf wouldn't eventually be his.

It simply refused.

Oddly, that was comforting. His dragon side had a powerful certainty that things would work out with Alana eventually. He couldn't see how that was possible, but still couldn't shake the feeling. He hoped it was right, because if he wasn't...

He didn't want to think about it.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Remember: the course of true love never did run smooth. Note: This chapter began on day 9 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms and ended on day 10.

STORY TAGS: dragon, fantasy, elf, teen, romantic, virgin, brunette