Chapter 10: A Change of Course

“Change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong”

-Old proverb.

Nina timidly walked her way through the greyish soaked soil of the town’s square towards the palisade’s only entrance, followed close by her trusted dragon companion and the village’s chief to watch this so-called fist as the highlanders called it, riding down the muddy road at full speed, just as first droplets of rain began to fall, marking the end of the until now merciful weather.

The group of bull-riders quickly made it to the town’s entrance, crossing the main gate at full gallop, making a sudden halt before the small crowd of villagers that gathered to meet them. Nina watched in awe as the mounted escort descended from their mounts, showing off their magnificently engraved suits of armor. Nina realized immediately that those were not average highland warriors, like those who helped her with the fallen wardens’ burial the day before.

These warriors in front of her were of the highest ranks, maybe second only to the wardens, and they were escorting someone of utmost importance.

This is serious.

-“Welcome sir, we did not expect you” the chief greeted him while helping him dismount.

-“Neither had I expected to be assigned patrol duties, Huno, yet here I am” the Overseer replied without taking his eyes away from the palisade wall.

-“You did well in fortifying the village, anything to report?”

-“Not much sir, but the Priestess and her servant bring grim news” the chief replied.

-“What priestess?” the Overseer asked confused.

Nina watched as the chief turned towards her with a rather evident apologetic look in his eyes, as if trying desperately to spare her some kind of unpleasantness, but at the same time knowing he had no other choice but to comply. His glance was quickly followed by the Overseer’s, and she couldn’t help but gulp loudly and nervously when their eyes met.

-“Zako, take your warriors and assist Chief Huno in anything he requires” he commanded.

-“Aye, sir!” the warrior complied.

-“We will talk later Huno, I'll have a word with our Lady first”

-“As you wish, sir” the chief replied.

The Overseer walked past her towards the nearest hut, and Nina promptly followed suit, she briefly turned towards Rudo sporting the same apologetic look that the chief previously looked at her with, and made a gesture with one hand gently pleading him to wait for her. The dragon tried to race after her but was stopped by a knowing Lars who took him firmly by the arm; the boy quickly tried to free himself from his grasp but gave up almost immediately after Nina turned again for one last glance at him before closing the wooden door behind her.

-“Our Lady cares about you mate, come, she’ll be fine” Lars told him in a soft tone and gave him a small pat in the back before walking away, followed slowly by the dejected dragon.

Nina took a seat on a small wooden chair offered by the man, who then sat on another similar chair behind a wooden table. They both stared at each other briefly before the overseer broke the silence.

-“I'm Overseer Farlay Irfis of Clan Irfis, Chief Huno said you bring grim news”

-“My name is Nina, Nina Valdir, Field Priestess of the Church”

-“I know who you are, what I don't know is what you are doing here! You should be near the mountains with the old priest”

-“I know! But the village was attacked by the northmen! They killed everyone there! …including Verkan” Nina replied.

-“Northmen… And when this attack happened?” the man asked.

-“Last night, sir” the girl said.

-“How did you survive?” he asked again.

-“I ran away and hid in the forest! I returned to the village this morning and found it razed to the ground! We battled a mage and a group of mercenaries! We managed to defeat them and left them there tied! You should send warriors to apprehend them!”

-“Northmen, mercenaries, a mage, what’s next? The God Slayer? You do realize how implausible your story is, do you?”

-“I know it sounds crazy but I’m telling the truth!” Nina replied.

-“Do you have any proof of what you're saying?” the man asked.

-“Only this” the girl replied while producing the larger of the mage’s spellcasters from her back and placing it across the table, much to the overseer’s shock who recognized the device immediately. He could only stare at the metal contraption with a dreadful expression on his face, not daring to even touch it. The man fiercely lashed out at her instead, taking the girl by surprise.

-“Foolish girl! You should have killed him when you had the chance!”

-“I’m sorry sir, I couldn’t bring myself to do it!” she apologized.

-“And who is this ‘We’ you just talked about?!” he asked again.

-“Me and Rudo”

-“Rudo? That thing?!”

-“He’s not a thing! He is… err… he’s my servant!” the girl replied frantically.

-“I thought priests were not allowed to own slaves” the overseer replied as a matter of fact.

-“Well... he's not actually mine, err… he belongs to my family!”

-“Then he joined you before or after the village was attacked? And then he hastily brought you all the way here in less than a day?” he asked again in a calm yet severe tone. Nina knew instantly, much to her horror that the man in front of her already knew that she was lying. The overseer proved to be terrifyingly intuitive; she tried in vain to explain herself before he interrupted her again.

-“No, he...”

-“My lady, I won't say anything about this but you need to come up with a better lie” the man spoke in a soft tone, making her heart skip a beat.

-“I’m sorry, sir” she replied dejected, lowering her head.

-“How am I supposed to believe you if you cannot trust me with the truth? And even worse, you are insulting those who perished protecting you by lying!” the overseer reprimanded her.

-“I’m sorry sir, I just…”

-“You are trying to protect that thing, why?” the man asked, and Nina found herself unable to respond. The girl realized he would not stop questioning her until he found out the truth, so she figured it was pointless to keep lying.

-“Did he hurt you?!” he asked sternly.

-“No sir” the girl replied.

-“Is he threatening you?!” he asked again.

-“No sir, he’s helping me”

-“He’s helping you?! And do you trust him?!” he asked yet again.

-“Yes sir, absolutely!” Nina replied confidently.

-“Why?!”

-“Because he saved my life twice already! And he has not given me any reason not to trust him! He might be dumb as a rock and a bit too blunt most of the time, but he has been trustworthy!” she dared to respond. The overseer contemplated her response for a brief instant, giving her a small amount of time to calm her nerves down at least a little bit before continuing with the uneasy inquiry.

-“So far… And how can you be so sure he’s not going to change his mind?”

-“We have a deal” the girl replied.

-“A deal!? You do realize how stupid that is, do you? How do you make a deal with an animal?”

-“He’s not a wild animal, sir, I mean, he can talk! I promised him food! He is kind of childish, and maybe not too bright, but he is fast! Very fast! And insanely strong too! He’s been kind to me, sir and I’m sure he would never hurt anyone without a good reason” Nina said.

-“…and now a dragon that talks, thinks, and makes deals…” the man replied.

-“You need to know this, that creature has been stealing from our villages for the last two months! Its tracks are unmistakable! By Clan law, he has to be punished, but I’m willing to let pass this minor offense if he's truly helping you. But if I were you, I would keep an eye on him” the overseer warned.

-“I’ll keep that in mind, sir” she replied.

-“Very well, enough of that monstrosity. Listen carefully miss, I will explain our current situation; Clan Irfis is going through a dire predicament! We have both Clan Kano in the west and Clan Aureon in the south, both of them ancient enemies that are bent on constantly harassing us” Farlay explained.

-“Outlaws from the Deadlands attacking caravans in the east at the strait, that Imperial outposts are all too pleased to let pass through. And now raiders landing up north, thousands of them”

-“Our warriors are exhausted and overwhelmed; they are too few in numbers and spread too thin to cover all the territory”

-“Our late Lord Burgan did his best to revert our current situation with the help of Priest Verkan many years ago, but it will still take several years before their reforms bear fruit”

-“Meanwhile, we have to do what we can with what we have”

-“We made a truce with both Clan Kano and Clan Aureon, both of them agreed to halt their incursions while we bury our late Lord but it's only a matter of time until they resume their raids”

-“The northmen probably feel emboldened by the Lord's passing that they launched a massive assault. I've got reports that almost a hundred ships landed in the beaches near the cliffs, just a few leagues north”

-“Lord Nero is currently engaging a large force of Northmen; you said that a small band infiltrated to attack us from behind, that’s correct?” he asked, taking Nina by surprise who has been listening to the lengthy explanation.

-“Yes! A band of fifty at least! The larger force is probably only a distraction so the smaller band can have free reign!” she replied.

-“And how are you so sure?” the overseer asked again.

-“The mage told me”

-“And you believed him?! You should not believe anything that comes from that man’s mouth! You do realize he could have lied just to save his neck, do you not?!” he retorted fiercely.

Nina paused for a moment; she has been all worked up by the overseer’s hostility and something in the bottom of her heart has been telling her to snap back at him, she really, really wanted to, but even a young teenager like her knew that would probably be the worst thing she could do.

However, even though the man has been, unlike the villagers, nothing but unpleasant with her, she had to concede he probably had the best intentions in mind, at least for his Clan, that’s it. Nina has been increasingly wary about revealing the truth, however, the man has been terrifyingly sharp, and practically extracted what he wanted to know out of her. Still, she felt it was her own fault since she was the one who lied to the man’s face to protect Rudo.

But she knew she had no other choice but to trust him.

-“Yes sir, but he gave me this, so I think he was saying the truth” Nina said while producing a small rolled scroll from her pockets.

-“What is this?” the overseer asked while taking a look at said scroll, and after a quick glance, his jaw dropped. He glanced back at her just briefly, unable to believe his eyes, his sharp mind racing at the mere thought of the possible ramifications of the contents in the small piece of paper he was holding.

-“By the Gods... Are you trying to tell me that this is all because of you?!” the man exclaimed awestricken.

-“I don’t know what else to think, sir” the girl replied.

The Overseer quickly realized the immense trouble the young priestess was in. He tried to imagine what she must be going through, and couldn’t help feel remorse for how he had treated her until now.

No wonder why she sought that abomination’s help.

-“You did well in concealing this information, I’m certain people from our Clan would never betray you, they put extreme value in their honor, but any other people would probably be eager to sell you out. Don't share this with anyone, do you understand?!” the overseer urged her.

-“Yes sir”

-“I have to inform Lord Nero immediately, I will send my personal escort to apprehend this Mage if he’s still where you left him. Do you have any idea on who might have put that bounty on you?” the man asked.

-“No sir, your guess is as good as mine” Nina replied.

-“I see” he said, pausing for a moment.

-“I will tell you what I think, if this assault has anything to do with the bounty on you, then it had to be planned by someone with enough resources to arm a small army, with enough influence to convince the Northmen to attack us exactly at the moment where we are the most vulnerable. Someone with well-positioned spies to give them precise information of our Clan’s inner organization, AND your whereabouts, with the specific knowledge on when and where you would be in our territory” he explained.

-“This cannot be a coincidence”

He’s right, girl! This is big! But what should I do?!

Nina had already thought about the magnitude of the events that transpired in the last hours, but it never come to her that it could have this reach. If the Overseer was right, then that meant that someone, somewhere, funded, armed, and mobilized an entire fleet, and a massive army just to get to her.

But why?!

-“Is there someone like that here in the Highlands?” she asked.

-“I can think on a person or two but I have my doubts, this looks like the kind of trickery someone from the Empire would do. No clanner, no matter how wicked, would ever dare to mess with the northmen in this way” the man replied.

-“If you are being targeted by a conspiracy of this size, then it's probably a power play against your father”

Her heart stopped after hearing those words.

-“My father?! I have to warn him!” Nina blurted out, rising from the chair so suddenly that it made it topple behind her, much to the man’s surprise.

-“Don't be foolish! How would you do it? He's on another whole continent, on the other side of the ocean! You can't send a letter from here and even if you could, it would take months to reach him! You need to focus on your own survival!” he pointed out.

-“I'm sorry, sir” the girl apologized.

Of course! All of a sudden it made perfect sense why those people were after her! They were trying to get to her father through her! He was the important one, after all, the world-renowned Mage Slayer, as the highlanders called him, Warlord of the Six Clans, and the hero of Midland. She was just a little nobody that just happened to be his daughter that was just starting her journeys in a god-forsaken land, and nothing more.

But if those that were plotting against her father were willing to go to these extraordinary lengths to abduct her, and gain some sort of political leverage against him, that meant her estranged half-brother, her beloved Illiam, was also in the same danger as her. Nina’s heart was suddenly filled with dread, and uncertainty, although this time, not for herself. Nina already lost her mentor and best friend Verkan, she was still barely recovering from his tragic death, and now her heart was aching again at the possibility of also losing her dear brother.

Oh no! Illiam, please not you! Please Gods protect him!

-“My Lady, are you alright?” the overseer asked taking notice of her sudden change of mood for the worse, making Nina snap out of the intrusive negative thoughts. She used her now clean sleeves to wipe the tears from her eyes before replying.

-“Yes sir, I’m fine”

-“May I ask how you know my father?” she asked out of the blue.

-“I can’t think of anyone who doesn't know your father, but we’ve actually met you know, many years ago during the war” the man obliged.

-“You fought with him?”

-“I fought against him” the overseer clarified.

-“A-a-against? Weren't you from the Clans?” the girl asked.

-“I never said that. Do I look like a clanner to you?” he countered.

-“I can't really tell, sir” Nina replied.

-“I am a Teberian, young lady, but many people here refer to my kind simply as Imperials; I’ve served in the Imperial Army, fifteen years ago during the war. I was taken as a bondsman” the man explained.

-“A bondsman?”

-“You know nothing about the Clans, do you not?” he asked back, making her feel a bit dumb for forgetting. Verkan already told me that!

-“Not much to be honest, sir” the girl replied a bit disheartened.

-“I understand you grew up isolated in your isles, and also spend some time in the Empire, that's correct?”

-“That’s correct, sir” she replied.

-“I see, a bondsman is a prisoner of war forced to work as a slave for a time, but instead of whip and chains, you are bound by your own honor. Since I was badly wounded during the war, I was no longer fit to fight, I couldn't escape either. They assigned me to the worker caste, as a farmer, I was given menial tasks at first. But after some time has passed, they began trusting me with more responsibilities” the overseer explained.

-“They trusted me, and treated me well, and once I served my time they offered me a place among them. I contemplated the possibility of going back to my home, but I realized life here was much better than in the Empire, these people treated me like one of their own. The late Lord realized my potential and appointed me Chief Overseer some years ago. I'm one of them now”

-“You do realize that if the situation was the other way around, I would have probably been worked to death as a slave of some twisted Imperial noble, do you?” he asked.

-“Yes sir” she replied.

-“Listen carefully, you need to go south to Dawnfall, a brand new cathedral was built within the city walls some years ago. There is the local headquarters of the Church. You should be able to find protection and lift the reward out of your neck with their help”

Wait! What?! Nina could not believe her ears; she was dearly hoping that the clan warriors would keep her safe now, especially after that whole ordeal yesterday. But now he was asking her to leave!.

-“So you won't help me?!” she asked indignantly.

-“What exactly do you want me to do? We are facing an invasion, young lady! An army of vicious Northmen, thousands of them! Even if Lord Nero was here with us, I’m not sure if he’ll be able to guarantee yours or anyone else’s safety! And even if he could, what would you do? Staying here for the rest of your life?”

-“I think it’ll be better for us both if you leave Clan Irfis territory while you still can. You understand how desperate our situation is, do you?” he prompted her.

-“Yes sir, I understand” the girl replied begrudgingly.

-“I wish I could do more! Believe me! But I also have to keep my people safe, and sadly, your presence here also threatens them. There is not much I can do with the current state of affairs. I think your best option would be to keep on the move, especially since everyone seems to know you're here” the man kept explaining.

-“Lady Nana's caravan parted yesterday, but if that… aberration was able to bring you here in half a day then you should have no trouble catching up with them. Dawnfall also happens to be their ultimate destination, they went south towards Clan Aureon lands, it's the longer path to the city but is also the safest”

-“Clan Aureon has many more warriors in their ranks, so they should be able to provide escort, and protection, and to deter any bands of northmen from pursuing. She also hired her own escort of sellswords, so the rest of the trip should be safe”

-“It’s a long trip but that's your best chance” he told her.

-“Yes sir” Nina replied.

The overseer got up from the chair unexpectedly and walked outside in the heavy rain, with Nina doing the same and followed him but stopped under the porch. She watched him calling the leader of his escort who swiftly reached him and gave him detailed instructions in using so thick of an accent that she couldn’t understand a word of it. Zako quickly assembled his warriors, mounted their bulls, and then took off to the east at full gallop, towards their new hunting mission.

Both the chief and Lars crossed the square to catch up to her, and she quickly located Rudo standing under the cold rain, watching her from a distance. She was about to try reach to him but the sudden roaring from the overseer’s personal ride interrupted her.

The overseer approached the worrying-looking trio under the porch, already mounted onto his trusty bull, ignoring the intense rain, and ready to depart. They exchanged uncomfortable looks for a brief moment before he spoke.

-“The longer you stay, the most likely that anyone looking for you to find you. I suggest you depart soon, the sooner the better. If you need anything just ask Huno, I’m sure he will provide you with anything at his disposal, if he has not already”

-“Our talk will have to wait for another time, Huno; I must report this news to Lord Nero immediately. As for you miss, good luck, you are going to need it” the overseer said.

-“Thank you, sir” she replied.

The man took off violently, riding his mount at full speed, Nina watched him disappear into the distant fog. Did I say thank you?! I meant thanks for nothing! Although she was extremely disappointed at how things turned out, and even though she really wanted to curse the overseer, she couldn’t blame him, she had to admit he was right.

Sooner or later, you will have to sort this out, Nina, and the sooner the better.

-“My Lady, are you alright? You seem agitated, what did you talk about?” the chief asked.

-“Yes I'm fine, chief, we just talked about the attack”

-“I see, I humbly apologize in the name of Clan Irfis, My Lady, the overseer can be a bit overbearing sometimes” he explained.

-“Just a bit?!” Lars asked back jokingly, making her smile broadly in return.

-“Don’t worry chief, you did nothing to apologize for” she replied.

-“My Lady, you are the most kind”

-“We finished the defenses while you were talking, your dragon has been a lot of help” Lars commented.

-“Where is he?” she asked.

Lars pointed in the direction where Rudo has been standing silently after helping the villagers, and Nina couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Not only had the overseer shown almost complete disdain for him, but he also had to fake being the very thing that the creature had already told her he hated the most.

A slave.

And not only did he go with it, everything he did had been for her sake. Their previous argument popped into her head only making her feel even worse. Girl, you owe him big time! You better make it up to him later.

-“My Lady! I know it's way past noon, but we made lunch for you” Lars told her.

-“Thank you Lars, I’m really hungry! I’ll be with you in a second”

The man ran hurriedly towards another building that was used as a kitchen, followed closely by the Chief, leaving her by herself for a minute. She looked at Rudo, who was still standing near the entrance, silently, and with his eyes closed, as if he was enjoying the piercing cold rain falling violently against his mostly naked body. A part of her almost wanted to join him, while the other more logical part was trying to shack the silly idea out of her head.

-“Ptss! Rudo! Over here!” the girl called out to him.

The boy looked in her direction and saw the girl waving at him and signaling with one hand to come closer. He obliged immediately, slowly making his way back to the porch and to her under the heavy rain, and through the grey muddy soil of the town’s square. The noisy growling of her stomach reminded her of the lunch that was waiting for her, but Nina wanted to have a few words with her dragon friend first.

-“What is this? I’ve never seen water falling from the sky! It feels good!” the dragon exclaimed in awe.

-“I’ve told you you could use a bath!” the girl replied smiling.

-“This thing never happened where I came from!”

-“It’s called rain, you dimwit! It’s a blessing from the Gods! Or it’s that it never rained in the Badlands?” Nina explained.

Even though the girl outright insulted him, she didn’t do it with malign intent, or at least that’s what she keeps telling to herself. But since her expression came more with an endearing tone and the boy didn’t seem to mind, she thought it would be fine to keep teasing him mischievously. Now that it came to her mind, the dragon seemed fond of her calling him names, curiously.

Well, it was her who came up with a name for him after all.

-“Nah, the Gods don’t like it down there very much” Rudo replied, interrupting her thoughts.

-“Oh, I forgot you don’t believe in any Gods”

-“Hey! I’m going to get lunch now; I can save you the leftovers if you like” she offered.

-“Really? That sounds good!” he replied excitedly.

Nina let out a sigh of relief, and couldn’t help but smile. It was like Rudo had entirely forgotten about their earlier fight and was back to being his usual curious, childishly careless self. He just kept looking at the clouds, moving his tail back and forth, and gaping like a fish, marveling at something so ordinary that everybody else has given for granted but that he was experiencing for the first time in his life.

The last few hours have been a horrific nightmare for her, but the dragon boy had not only saved her, he also alleviated some of the pain with nothing but his stubborn, foolishly naïve yet positive attitude.

The highlanders’ politeness has been a nice surprise but also forced her to behave formally, and show proper etiquette. Verkan had been the closest thing to a best friend she ever had, and losing him broke her heart into a million pieces. He taught her to always respect traditions, above everything else, and despite his best intentions, she never had the chance to actually be herself, other than when secretly reading her forbidden books.

But even though she trusted him, Nina needed to be cautious around him. Despite being just a teenage boy around the same age as her, the dragon and that inhuman strength of his still frightened her quite a lot, especially when he was angry. He didn’t seem uncaring, or outright evil, but the girl wanted to remain on his good graces as much as she could. Although it was unlikely, she didn’t want to risk finding herself on the receiving end of his nastier, more dangerous side.

She wouldn’t waste this chance, however, to tease the dragon when he was in such a good mood. It was better than keeping brooding over things outside her control. Nina decided it was high time for lunch and began walking the same hut that Lars and the chief went but not before teasing Rudo one last time.

-“You better get ready because I’ll bathe you when I come back! You stink!” she yelled at him at the top of her lungs and ran away, leaping from one porch to the next one to avoid stepping on the mud.

-“Hey! I’m not stinky! I’ll eat that soap of yours, that’s what you’ll get!” the dragon replied loudly.

Nina quickly reached the hut, opened the large wooden door, and was about to walk inside the building but not before making one last mocking face to a surprised Rudo, who bared his teeth in return. She quickly closed the door behind her, finding it increasingly hard to believe she was actually laughing. “What is this?! I shouldn’t be joking around like this!” Her mood suddenly mellowed to a more somber one, and her heart was swiftly flooded again with uncertainty. But, at least for a brief instant, he made her genuinely laugh again.

Silly Rudo! That surely did a number on him!

Inside the building she found her lunch already served over a small table, she also found Lars thoroughly working over a large piece of white linen that would later become a new set of clothes to replace the oversized ones she was currently wearing. Nina grabbed one of the many wooden chairs arranged around the room and sat next to the table. She was craving to finally enjoy a decent meal after that whole ordeal, but not before clasping her hands for a quick yet silent prayer.

-“Enjoy your meal!” Lars spoke joyfully.

The girl smiled warmly and then turned her attention towards her meal, which she proceeded to eat enthusiastically, although said enthusiasm quickly died down after a few sips of the recently reheated soup. She reached out for the bread rolls that were in a small basket in the middle of the table, immediately taking notice of their rock-like hardness. Nina had to use the spoon to break the bread apart and plunge the resulting smaller pieces onto the soup to soften them. Her previous conversation with Rudo quickly came to mind.

He was right, it’s not that good. It’s not good at all.

Poor Lars, she thought. He must have cooked their lunch in a hurry under the threat of an attack. Although the unsavory meal paled in comparison to Nana’s banquet the other night, she was too hungry to complain. She recalled that she actually cooked and ate that vermin this morning to even think about being picky with the food now, so she decided to get over it already and finish with her soup quickly. The solid bits left at the bottom of the bowl were more of her taste, and the almost dissolved white chunks of bread were actually nice.

She thanked Lars for the meal and grabbed a couple of bread rolls to give to Rudo later. But since it was still raining outside, Nina decided to remain indoors, watching Lars skillfully sewing the different pieces together in complete silence. It was amazing how that pair of gigantic hands of his could demonstrate such level of skill with both a needle and thread, but watching him stitching the piece of linen suddenly made her feel quite sleepy, and having spent almost a day and a half without an ounce of sleep was finally taking its toll on her.

The man quickly took notice of her half-asleep state when the girl yawned despite her best efforts not to. Nina apologized profusely for the rude gesture but lucky for her Lars didn’t mind at all. He offered her the same shack where she had previously bathed in for her to rest in since no other building provided any sort of privacy or comfort. Not even the living quarters for the villagers which they shared with each other.

Lars left his needlework over the table, walked outside, and quickly ran towards the largest building at the other side of the square, jumping to avoid the large pools that formed in the mud under the rain. Nina also walked outside but remained under the porch, trying to force herself to remain awake. The dragon spotted her from afar and quickly made his way to her with a concerned expression on his face but was greeted by the girl’s warm smile, much to his relief.

-“I thought you were crying” Rudo told her.

-“I’m just tired” Nina replied.

Both of them saw Lars returning with a large mattress, sheets, and a pair of pillows, together forming a large package over his head. Rudo quickly raced through the rain to help him with the warehouse’s doors. Nina’s heart warmed as she watched both of them, dragon and man, helping each other and working together seamlessly in what was probably the first time that Rudo interacted with someone other than a slaver.

Was this the side of him that he was afraid to show to others?

A tenderer and altruistic side fueled by his natural protective instincts, way different from the savage, animalistic picture she first thought of him. It was amazing how both he and Lars, and the other clanners by extension, had much more in common than they realized. Both of them demonstrated an inherent goodness that came naturally to them, and a righteous heart that was so rare and yet so needed in this day and age, not too different of the dragons and Imperial Knights from those fantasy books she enjoyed so much, and a far cry from the barbaric, and sadistic northern raiders that she was saved from.

Verkan was right; there is something magical about this place.

Her head has been aching for a good part of the day now due to the extended sleep deprivation, but by this point, it became almost unbearable. Her body was yearning for some much-needed bedtime but at the same time, her mind was dreading the inevitable journey to the realm of dreams as she knew she wouldn’t be meeting her dreamy knight in shining armor, but most probably those accursed Northmen that even in her dreams wouldn’t leave her alone.

She watched Lars building a makeshift bed for her, using the leftover stakes of the palisade wall that Rudo brought from outside the village. It only took him minutes to saw the timber trunks to a more appropriate length and nail the resulting wooden stakes together into an austere yet solid piece of furniture. He then put the mattress over it and made the bed ready.

-“Finally! A bed worth of our Lady, hope you find it comfortable” he exclaimed enthusiastically.

-“Thank you Lars” the girl replied.

-“Sleep well, My Lady”

He closed the roof’s hatch that was left open earlier since the rain poured intensely through it into the giant tube that Nina previously took a bath in. On his way out, Lars took a large wooden plank leaning against one of the warehouse walls and used it to cover the tub before leaving the building and closing the room.

Nina sat on the bed to check it, finding it quite comfortable if a bit stiff. Although she wasn’t exactly in the best position to complain about it. Rudo then entered the small room to check on her before she fell asleep, and she smiled in return. It was odd how he turned from an annoying pest to a trustworthy companion in less than a day.

-“I told you it would be bad if you didn’t sleep” he told her.

-“I guess your bath will have to wait for later” she replied smiling.

-“I got this for you” the girl told him, showing him the bread rolls she saved for him. Rudo took one of the rolls and started chewing it right away, much to her amusement.

The boy bit off a fair-sized chunk out of the rock-hard piece of bread without much difficulty, using his fangs and strong bite to break it. He turned his head and found her already lying down and with her eyes closed, and decided not to bother her with the crunchy noise. He swallowed the large chunk before speaking.

-“I’ll be outside” he told her in a soft tone.

Rudo began to walk outside but he froze in place when the girl grabbed him by the arm, much to his utter shock. He could feel a fuzzy sensation in his stomach that was certainly not the food, and his own pumping organ inside his chest, beating hard against his ribcage. What was this? He had cheated death several times before and didn’t even sweat. Why was this so terrifying?!

-“Please stay with me, I don’t want to be alone” Nina asked.

-“Okay” the dragon replied.

He sat on the floor leaning against the wall next to the bed, to watch over her during her sleep, but maybe he could take the chance to rest as well, he was a bit tired of so much working after all. Nina fell deeply asleep soon, not before taking one of his hands with both of hers; leaving the boy wondering why in hell was suddenly so freaking difficult to just pull his hand from her tender grasp. Although he wasn’t one to believe in magic or in any gods, he couldn’t keep himself from asking what kind of witchery was this?.

Even though he didn’t know what the future would hold, or what kind of dangers they would face, there was one thing he was completely sure of, he didn’t even know why, but he was sure of it.

He wouldn’t let any harm come to her, not in his watch.