Twenty Nine
Alara
Rohan and I are escorted out of the castle soon after, and into the city streets, the guards pointing arrows at us as we go.
“Why aren’t they taking us back?” I whisper to Rohan, staying close to him as the castle gate closes behind us, the guards positioning up outside.
“The king has the elves to entertain in his twisted games,” he mutters, eyeing the people mulling around as they stare at us. “Come.”
Rohan keeps me close to his side as we walk along the cobbled road, the people of Lothmere giving us a wide berth.
They look at us with a mixture of fear and disgust, and sneer at my ears like they personally offended them.
I move closer, and he wraps his arm around my shoulders.
“You’re safe with me, Alara.”
“Are we allowed here?” I ask as a woman slams the door to her home when she spots us.
“Yes, as long as I don’t cause too much trouble.”
“What will happen if you do?”
“The guards trailing us will take me down.”
I tense, looking over my shoulder to see if I can spot them, but I see none.
“They’re good. They’re the same type of guards that come to the clans and assassinate Dragorie people or try to kill our dragons.”
I shiver, then I look down at his bleeding thigh.
“Are you okay?”
He nods, eyes scanning everyone we pass.
I look around too, wondering if they’ll try to hurt us, but it seems they would rather be as far away from us as possible.
“I can’t believe he brought elves here,” I murmur to Rohan, and he stops suddenly, voice pitched low.
“We can discuss this when we are away from prying ears.” I want to talk about them now, about the tall women with the deep red hair, but I understand, so I nod, and he cups my face.
“You told me once that you wanted to go to a market. Although the circumstances are not what I wanted for you, there is no better time than now. Yes?”
I look around warily. “Can we even go?”
“We can,” he says firmly. “Just you and I for a little while. Let’s pretend we don’t have The Games looming at our backs.”
I smile softly when he holds out his hand, and I take it, ignoring the stares as we walk through the city and down to the market square.
“That’s my brave girl,” he says when I rest my head on his arm.
I know we’re getting closer to the market when it begins to get busier, and louder. So many people mull around, sellers haggling their prices, people looking at clothes and wares, glasswork and even flowers.
I take it all in while Rohan stands beside me, ever my shield and protector, glaring at anyone getting too close.
“Like it?” he asks,
“It’s incredible,” I say. “It would be nicer if they didn’t want to kill us though.”
He barks out a laugh, and he smiles down at me softly. “But where’s the fun in that?”
I scoff and nudge him.
I never got to visit all of it when I was here. Just the low end of it, the dark end of it.
“Enjoy it,” Rohan says, pulling me closer as two children rush past, sweet smelling bread in their hands. Their giggles make me smile as I take what feels like my first breath in a long while.
“Mama, an elf. Look at her ears.” A little girl points. Her mother scowls, but I smile at the girl.
Children are innocent, they’ve done nothing wrong, and her beaming smile back at me makes the scorn of her mother worth it.
“You hungry?” Rohan asks when we move on, and I shrug.
“I’m okay.”
“Come.” Rohan guides me through the people, a path clearing for us.
“Here, what do you want?” Rohan asks, as we come to a stop at a bakers stall.
Breads and cakes line the top of the table, and I look over them all, practically drooling.
“I don’t know,” I say, looking up at the woman behind the stall, she trembles where she stands.
Her fearful eyes are on Rohan, and I turn to him, spotting his glare.
“Rohan,” I mutter, nudging him.
His eyes drop from hers to mine, softening slightly. “Yes, Little Whisperer?”
“Stop glaring,” I mutter.
“Then she should stop looking at your ears like they will infect her,” he growls, and my head snaps up to the woman, swallowing roughly.
“I w-w-wasn’t,” she stutters.
Rohan growls at her. “Go on, Alara, choose whatever you want.”
“I don’t have any coin.”
Rohan pulls a coin from his pocket.
Where did he get that?
Looking back at the food, I spot a berry bread that reminds me of Effy, and my mood quickly dampens.
“That one,” I say, voice thick.
The woman grabs it and wraps it in paper before handing it to me.
It’s still warm.
Rohan throws the coin at her and guides me over to a wooden bench.
“Move,” he demands, glaring at the two men sitting there.
“Who the fuck are you to—” the man stops when he spots Rohan, his eyes widening before scurrying off with the other man.
“That wasn’t very nice,” I tell him, taking a seat and looking down at the bread in my lap.
“I don’t care,” he says. “They wouldn’t spit on me if I were on fire. What’s wrong? Is the bread moldy?”
He goes to stand, like he’s going to go back to that woman and I grab his arm.
“No,” I sigh. “It reminds me of Effy.”
He hums. “Don’t worry, Dorkin has eyes on her, you know this, we made a deal.”
He takes a chunk of the bread and holds it to my mouth. My lips automatically part for him, and his eyes light up with satisfaction, but quickly darken when my mouth closes around his fingers, sucking gently.
“I don’t want that deal with you anymore,” I mumble.
It feels like a lifetime ago when we agreed that I would learn to talk with his dragons and he would get Effy to safety.
“No?” Tension lines his body, and his nostrils flare when my tongue swirls around him. “Do not tempt me here.”
I release his fingers with a pop. “Do you want to make a new deal, Dragonbond?”
He tilts his head. “You’re being brave, my Alara. You know what it does to me when you call me that.” I eye his crotch and the outline of his erection.
“Your thigh is still bleeding.” I point out.
“It makes no difference when it comes to you.”
I clear my throat.
“New deal,” I whisper, and open my mouth for more bread.
He chuckles, but obliges.
“Okay, new deal,” he agrees, leaning down and placing a kiss on my lips. “I get to keep you for the rest of our lives and beyond.”
I blink up at him, a smile spreading across my face. “And what do I get?”
“Everything,” he says instantly, and my heart flutters.
I lift a hand to his face, trailing my fingers up to the braids I first did in his hair.
“When are you going to get rid of those hideous braids?”
“Never.”
I huff out a laugh and then I pull his face down, bringing his lips to mine.
I don’t care who is watching, how they’ll scowl and look upon us with disgust, I need to kiss my Dragonbond.
So I do.
It starts out soft and gentle, but it soon turns indecent. Heated… feverish.
There are a few murmurs around us, but I need to show him how much that means to me, so I open my mouth and let him in. His tongue entwines with mine, tasting me, savoring me and he wraps an arm around me, pulling me as close to him as possible, groaning low in his throat.
“Deal,” I pant as I break the kiss, eyeing his satisfied smirk.
“Come, let’s get you a drink to wash the bread down.”
He grabs my hand and after walking through the market some more, we come across a tavern.
Words sprawl across a sign outside.
“The Dusty Pig,” Rohan tells me, and I give him a grateful smile.
I hope to be able to read it on my own someday. After Rohan teaches me.
Will we even be able to do that?
I shake off those thoughts and I walk inside, Rohan holding the door open for me.
There are a mixture of people here, from guards at some tables, to those in finer clothes, along with others that are more worn. Off to the side, a man and woman are all over another man, hands down his pants and I look away, cheeks heating.
Rohan eyes the guards at the table.
“Problem?”
They look around. “Not if you have one.”
Rohan glares but says nothing as he leads me over to the man at the bar.
“Two mugs,” he says, and places four coins on the bar top.
The man eyes us but he takes the coin and hands over two mugs, liquid spilling over the rim.
Rohan grunts, but he takes the drinks and we find a table at the back, Rohan sitting beside me.
I take a sip from the mug, and the cool bubbly liquid makes me sigh.
“Good?”
I nod. “Good.” And it surprisingly is. “Will the guards let us stay in here?”
“They’re off duty, so most don’t give a shit. Plus, they don’t have Nighturn on them.”
I look over at them and see he’s right.
The silence stretches between us for a while. “One of the princes will marry an elf?” I ask eventually, and Rohan grunts.
“It’s none of my business what they’re doing, all that matters is that it keeps eyes off of you.”
I run a finger down the mug. “Niyah seems to be reluctant.”
Rohan nods. “She’ll be fine, I’m sure. She has the mouth for it.”
I frown. “Do you think…” I trail off, biting my lip, which he tugs free from my teeth.
“Words,” he reminds me.
“She looks familiar,” I say, squinting, trying to drag up the memory of my sister.
“Yeah,” Rohan says quietly, looking down into his mug. “I’m sure we’ll get a visit.”
“Really?” He nods. “Why?”
“Unfinished business, I assume.”
I’m not sure what it means, but I can’t stop picturing Niyah. Her hair, eyes.
I touch my own ears.
Will I get the chance to talk to her? Will she know my… family?
We sit in silence for a while as I lean against him, watching everyone.
They stare of course, eyes full of disgust, but one look from Rohan has them turning back around.
“Was the game bad today?” I ask him quietly.
“Yeah. Sigrid came in first place, me next, then Durruk followed by Varan and Karag.
I snuggle closer and his hand comes to my thighs, resting in between them. “I hate it.”
“So do I,” he says quietly. “Alter…”
“He was dying, wasn’t he?” I ask, my eyes watering when he nods.
“He was sleeping too much, you noticed that.” I did. “The other dragons knew too, and Alter accepted his time, and he went out like he should have.”
“How is that?”
“Like a dragon. He got to fly one last time. He got to be free before Morana welcomed him.”
I wipe a tear discreetly. “He was an old soul.”
“He was. He’d been with us a long time.”
“It’s not fair.”
“It’s not, but they will pay. Every last one of them.” I nod.
“Did you go to the cavern while we were racing?”
“Yes. I got to see those in the cages better this time. The guards down there were poking them with spears when they wouldn’t eat their meat.”
Rohan places a hand over my stomach. “And this?”
“I shouted at them to stop, one of the guards pierced my skin for that.” He goes to stand but I pull him back down. I know he lets me, there is no way I can overpower him.
“They let me feed them though. Rather me than them. It’s how I got to see them. It worked out.”
“My brave girl,” he murmurs into my hair, breathing heavily. “I hate you down there where I can’t protect you.”
“You were right, though. I need to be down there for them so we can figure our way out.”
“Have you seen any eggs?”
“No, but there is a back room I haven’t been in. Another is where the guards are.”
He takes a deep breath. “Then if you can, look in there when it’s safe.”
I lean back and look up at him.
His brows are furrowed, his jaw tense, but… he’s trusting me to help him.
Letting me in.
Like we’re equals.
I nod. “I’ll try.”
Rohan wraps an arm around me, hand stroking my hair.
“Come on, let’s get back.”
We take one last drink and Rohan guides me to the door. Just as we open it to leave, a voice calls out. “Don’t come back here, elven scum.” Before I know it, Rohan has him over the bar top and smashes his face against it, once, twice—the third time he’s knocked unconscious.
I stare, eyes wide as Rohan turns to look at the others.
“Does anyone else have something to say?” he roars, and they all shrink back, shaking their heads, even the guards. “Good, see to it I don’t hear that out of anyone’s mouth again or my fist will fill it. Understand?”
They all nod, and then Rohan comes over to me, grabs my hand and calmly walks me out the door.
It isn’t until we’re a little way down the street that the screaming starts, and when I look back, the tavern is completely engulfed in flames.
I eye Rohan, but he just stares at me, purple rings shining.