fandomania | The Adventure continues...

Emergency baby, one day to live:

Our eggs:

Our hatchlings:

The story:

Two of the guards dragged me from the bed. I was unable to resist. All I could say was, “Noooo!” I sent a telepathic message to Orlando for help, while they dragged me into the sitting room. There I saw Donal fighting four guards with swords and holding them at bay. I screamed, “Donal!!!!” as they dragged me through the door. There we were met by a large orange dragon, Orlando. He spoke a few words in Old Tongue and the soldiers all froze like statues.

Nora started to scream, “Well I never! In all my born days, I would have never thought you people were murderers and adulterers! I am not going to stay here one minute longer. Me and my children are leaving this den of iniquity! Mur…” and she too froze like a statue because of a few spoken words of Orlando’s.

Donal ran over to me, untangled me from the immobile guards and carried me to a nearby chair.

Orlando morphed into his human shape and came into the house.

“What just happened here?” Donal asked puzzled. “Why would they want to arrest Patra and accuse her of murder? Didn’t you say, when you took Jaizel’s body into town, that they had accepted your word that he died of a heart attack?”

“THAT IS WHAT I THOUGHT, BUT, OBVIOUSLY, THEY CHANGED THEIR MINDS. I AM GOING INTO TOWN AND NOSE AROUND. SOMETHING HAS CHANGED. I’LL BE BACK AS SOON AS I CAN. THE GUARDS AND NORA WILL REMAIN IN SUSPENDED ANIMATION UNTIL I COME BACK. WE WILL TALK MORE THEN.”

Orlando went outside, morphed back into his natural form and flew off towards town.

Donal continued to hold me, reassuring me, and probably himself too, that everything would be okay. It was eerie to see people so still and seemingly lifeless.

Orlando returned an hour later. He came into the house, and turned to Donal, saying, “I KNEW I SHOULDN’T HAVE LISTENED TO YOU, YESTERDAY! I KNEW THAT I SHOULD HAVE JUST DISPOSED OF THE BODY AS I PLANNED TO AND NOT LISTEN TO YOU, DONAL! JAIZEL CAME HERE WITH GUARDS! THEY WAITED IN TOWN FOR HIM WHILE HE CAME HERE. WHEN HE DIDN’T RETURN, THEY STARTED ASKING AROUND TOWN ABOUT HIM. THE MAGISTRATE WITH WHOM I SPOKE YESTERDAY TALKED WITH THEM. THEY MUST HAVE LIED AND ACCUSED YOU OF KILLING HIM, EVEN THOUGH THERE WASN’T A MARK ON HIS BODY. @#$%@!!

WHEN I DISPOSE OF BODIES, THEY WILL NEVER BE FOUND. JAIZEL’S GUARDS COULD MAKE ACCUSATIONS, BUT THE MAGISTRATE WOULD HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING UNTIL AND UNLESS A BODY WAS FOUND. BUT, NOOOOO, DONAL IS SO EAGER TO GET MARRIED, HE OVERLOOKED THE UNINTENTIONAL CONSEQUENCES AND GOT PATRA ACCUSED OF MURDER.” Orlando sighed. “AND I AM JUST AS GUILTY FOR LETTING YOU TALK ME INTO IT. NOW POOR PATRA IS IN TROUBLE.”

“I am sorry, Orlando” Donal apologized. “What can we do about it now?”

“FLEE.”

“But Patra is in no shape to travel anywhere!”

“I KNOW, BUT WE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE QUICKLY, OR PATRA WILL DIE ANYWAY.

“ON THE WAY BACK HERE, I DEVISED A PLAN. IT ISN’T ONE I LIKE DOING, BUT THAT CANNOT BE HELPED. I HAVE SUMMONED FIORENZIA BACK HERE AND I HAVE ASKED MY FRIEND, WARD, A GUARDIAN DRAGON, TO COME HERE. HERE IS MY PLAN:

“WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO SPLIT UP, WHICH IS THE PART I DON’T LIKE. FIORENZIA AND I WILL FLY PATRA OVER THE MOUNTAINS. THERE IS A MONESTARY ON THE OTHER SIDE THAT WE CAN GO TO AND PATRA CAN CLAIM SANCTUARY WITH THEM. SHE CAN REST THERE, WHILE YOU, DONAL, AND THE CHILDREN TRAVEL IN THE WAGON OVER THE PASS. I WILL PUT AN INVISIBILITY SPELL ON YOU AND THE WAGON, ALONG WITH A VOIDANCE SPELL, SO THAT YOU ALL CAN TRAVEL UNDETECTED AND WON’T GET HELD HOSTAGE BY THE LOCALS. WARD WILL TAKE THE HATCHLINGS THROUGH SOME SECRET CAVES IN THE MOUNTAINS UNTIL THEY ARRIVE AT THE OTHER SIDE.”

“Why can’t we go through the caves with Ward?”

“BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY HAZARDOUS TO HUMANS. DRAGONS CAN TOLERATE THE NOXIOUS GASES AND HIGH HEAT IN THOSE CAVES, BUT THE GASES AND HEAT WILL KILL HUMANS.”

“I understand.” Donal put me back onto the bed. He and the girls went about gathering our necessary clothes, supplies and other things into the wagon and hitched the ox to the wagon. By the time they had finished, Fiorenzia and Ward had arrived. Ward and the hatchlings took off first, as they had less to prepare. It was a wrench to watch them leave, but it was, hopefully, a temporary parting. Then, after I kissed and hugged my children and had a tearful parting with Donal, they climbed into the wagon. Orlando placed the spells on them and they drove off towards the pass. Orlando then bundled me up like a giant swaddled baby and wrapped carrying straps around me. While he changed back to his dragon form, Fiorenzia checked up on me to make sure that I was stable and able to withstand the flight. Orlando gently picked me up with his claws and we took off for the mountains. When we reached the foothills of the Lags, Orlando released the spell on the guards and on Nora.

We arrived at the monastery by sunset. Orlando, in human form, knocked on the huge doors at the entrance. He was admitted, while Fiorenzia stayed with me. He returned an hour later with the Abbot and the Infirmarian, who consulted with Fiorenzia about what care and course of medicines that I would need. Before Orlando carried me into the monastery, I thanked the beautiful white dragon for all the care she had given me.

“No need to thank me, Patra, this is my life calling. I give my services freely to all who need me. Please do not hesitate to call me again, if you have need of my services. Heal and stay well, Patra.” With an elegant leap, she took off and was soon out of sight.

Orlando carried me into the monastery and we were lead to the hospital section. I was there installed in an isolated room, so that I could have privacy and my femininity wouldn’t disturb the monks.

They took excellent care of us, although the food was on the bland side. But it was nutritious and it filled my stomach. Orlando stayed by my side, to keep me from fretting too much for my family and hatchlings.

It was to my joy that Donal and my children arrived by noon of the third day since our departure. The Abbot was taken aback by the size of my family, but rapidly recovered his composure. We were allowed to stay in a guest cottage outside the walls, so that I and my children wouldn’t interrupt the calm and routine of the serene monastery. We heard word from Ward, the next morning, that he and the hatchlings were staying in a secluded meadow close by, that provided them adequate shelter and food.

Back in the arms of my Donal and surrounded by my children with the hatchlings once again safe, I rested and thrived. The Infirmarian came everyday to check on my progress and give me my daily medicines. Our time there was idyllic for the most part. The children happily played. I turned 24 years old. Little Jayson, at seven months, finally started teething. He was very unhappy about it. Surprisingly, the Infirmarian found some herbs to rub on his sore gums to relieve his pain. When I questioned him on how he knew this, he told he that he was the fourth of twelve children and that he remembered that this was what his mother used on his younger siblings.

Donal was wonderful as usual. He took care of me. He took care of the children. When he discovered that the monastery had several statues that had started to deteriorate, he repaired them, and in one case that was in very poor condition, he carved another for them. At the Abbot’s request, he taught several monks how to maintain them. The Abbot was very grateful for Donal because he gave back to their community in gratitude for their care for me.

At night, when we were alone together, Donal would touch my ever-so-slightly expanding belly. He would always get this look of amazement on his face. And he would ‘talk’ with his babies, telling them of his love for them and his hopes for them in the future. When he kissed my belly, I became so aroused by such a simple act. Unfortunately, Donal wouldn’t give me any relief. He said that it would expend too much of my energy and he promised that when I was well again, he would make sure that I was completely satisfied. It was difficult to wait, because I wanted him so much.

At the end of our second month there, the Infirmarian announced that I was well recovered. The Abbot came later that day and said that it was time that we continued our journey. He gave us maps of the area and of several nearby kingdoms. Donal, Orlando and I poured over them trying to decide the best way to go. Going straight north to Rawn-Devu, we would have to travel through the deserts of Mahajatma. Only the people who lived there and those intrepid souls who liked great heat went into those deserts during the middle of summer. That was not the way for us.

Going east and skirting the deserts would be the next shortest route, but it went through wilderness areas that were unsettled by humans and might be full of who knew what hazards. The longer way to the west went through several civilized areas. When Donal noticed that at the top of the map, on the western coastline, lay the kingdom of Alfaria. He grew very excited and figured out that, although technically somewhat out of the way, it still would lead to Rawn-Devu. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted us to go there.

“Alright, Sweeting, out with it. Why are you so keen on going to Alfaria?”

“Because, Love, my mother was Alfarian. Last I heard, her father and many siblings were still living there. I haven’t seen them in many years and I would love for you to meet them. They are a happy, loving people, very fun-loving and musical. Please? May we go there?”

Since I couldn’t think of a reason to deny him and Orlando had no objections, we agreed to travel west to the coast, turn north to Alfaria and then on to Rawn-Devu.

Our departure from the monastery was for the most part a happy one. The one sad note was when Donal went to the Abbot to ask him to marry us. The Abbot grew angry at our deception and gave a stern lecture to Donal on propriety, morality and adherence to the law. He refused to marry us and refused to speak to Donal again.

The monks came to us as we were about to leave. They brought us food and necessities to help us on our journey and waved to us goodbye. Before we got to the road, we detoured and picked up our hatchlings. We were once more a complete family and we were once more on our way to Rawn-Devu.