Dragon Riders of Etrea 2—Chapter 9

“I’m telling you, there’s nothing to be concerned about,” Rasud said. Shel hadn’t said anything for several minutes, but he could see the stress in her face and by the set of her shoulders.

Shel glanced at him and let out a breath. “I’m sorry, Rasud. A lot of major things have changed in my life over the past week. It’s a lot to take in all at once.”

“Well, get used to taking in things, my dear,” Rasud said.

Shel’s eyes narrowed.

“Food! I mean food. I’m going to treat you to the finest culinary delights the entire time we’re there.” Rasud knew a few places near the center of the city where the wine was well-aged and not all the food was meat-based. He didn’t get a chance to go there very often, generally because his best friend preferred meat and beer. 

“How long until we get there?” she asked.

“Roughly a week in total,” Rasud said. “Although we’ll be stopping by the sleepy town of Limestone on the way there. Oh, about four days from now, I believe.” He reached down and patted his horse on the neck. “As long as you keep up the good work.”

“What’s it like?” she asked. “Limestone, that is. And what a strange name.”

“Well, I would counter by saying Silverkeep is a strange name for a city,” Rasud said with a wink. “I’m pretty sure the keep isn’t made from silver, hmm? As I said, Limestone is a sleepy town. Mostly farmers and country folk. It’s quiet, but the inn we went to had good food and acceptable wine. However, the wine was a bit costly there, as they imported it.”

“Wine,” Shel said. “I’ve never had wine.”

Rasud felt sad for her for never having tried so many delightful things, and excited that he got to introduce her to them. 

“Well, it’s stronger than beer in both taste and strength so you have to be careful with it.” Rasud scanned the brown savannah around them as their horses plodded along. “Seeing this land makes me grateful that I get to show you the finer things in life,” he said.

“Thank you,” Shel replied. “Just try not to overwhelm me, okay?”

“Of course,” Rasud said. “I know my handsome looks and charming personality can be quite overwhelming, so I’ll do my best to temper them both. You’ll just have to try your best not to tackle me at every turn.”

Shel laughed at that, a beautiful laugh. A woman like her should smile and laugh all the time, but she had been subject to a life of brooding. She was like a woman version of Henrik at times.

“What do you want for your future?” Rasud asked.

Shel looked at him for a moment, then looked away. “I have no idea. My destiny was to simply grow old as a witch-woman, a shaman helping the chief control people. It seems now I have both more options and more fear.”

“I think once you get to the city and experience it some, your fears will melt away,” Rasud said. “You’ll probably even grow to enjoy it, as I’m hoping you’ll grow to enjoy me.” He put that last bit in there just to see what she would say.

She smiled. “I do like you, Rasud. I’ve never had anyone flirt with me like you do, but I know you’re genuine. It’ll just take me some getting used to. All I ask for is patience.”

Well, that answer made Rasud happy. He glanced up at the sun, noting its position in the sky. “Alright, some time has passed. Are you in love with me yet?”

Shel laughed.

“I would advise not mentioning orcs when we get to Limestone, though,” Rasud said. “On a more serious note.”

“Why not? They don’t like us?”

Rasud shook his head. “Not in the slightest. Orc raiding parties attacked several farms near the small town. Even just the mention of an orc and they’re ready for a lynching. Don’t ask how I know that.”

Shel gave him a strange look. “And what about in the city? In Selfoss?”

“They’re far enough away that orcs haven’t been a problem, but they still won’t enjoy hearing about them,” Rasud said. “You have to understand, my dear, our people have been problematic to humans for a long time. Even me—do you think my father courted my mother and won her affections, as I am trying to do with you? Or do you think some orc bastard saw a pretty woman and had his way with her, because they see that thing as sport?”

Shel looked suddenly ashamed. “I have never liked that. Any time there is conflict, women become victims. As you said, our men seem to see it as sport. They don’t care that they’re harming someone.” She paused for a moment. “Are the humans different in that aspect at least?”

“Oh no, not even slightly,” Rasud replied. “Men are men among any race. If a group of human raiders were to come across a small farming town, you can bet they’ll be terrorizing the women, be they young or old.”

Shel looked at Rasud, slightly shocked. “Then why act like they’re different?”

Rasud smirked. “Well, you have to understand, my lovely flower. When humans do it, that is the price of war, quickly forgotten. But orcs? Orcs are savages, so when it happens they talk about it for months.”

“Humans sound terrible,” Shel said. “You’re not really filling me with high hopes for Selfoss.”

“Ah, my apologies,” Rasud said. “I do have a habit of mocking society, especially the more negative aspects of it. My point was that when it comes to war, men will be men, and I mean that in the worst way possible. Outside of that, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at Selfoss. At least, I hope so. I’m going to do my best to keep you to the nicer parts of town.”

Shel reached up and touched her new face. Rasud wondered how long it would take her to get used to it; both the new face and the fact that she was so stunningly beautiful now. To be fair, she had been beautiful before but most people wouldn’t see that in an orc. Rasud was a connoisseur of beauty, so he saw it immediately.

“Sometimes I feel like a child,” Shel said quietly. “Everything in my life is suddenly new, and I have so much to learn.”

“Well if you’re a child, consider me your daddy,” Rasud said, not sure she would get the joke. A quick glance over at her said she didn’t. No worries, he’d teach her about that as well.

“There are some things we should go over,” Rasud said. “I want to make sure you fit in with the humans.” He suddenly laughed. “With the humans. We’re humans now. I guess step one will be to stop calling them the humans, right? Anyway, the hum—we are a polite people, when we’re not at war at least. Saying things like ‘good morning’ to people is highly advised.”

“Yeah, we don’t really do that,” She said, then cleared her throat. “Well, the orcs don’t really do that.”

“Oh, the hum—gods be damned, that is already getting annoying.” Rasud took a deep breath. “We are a polite people, as I said. We place a lot of emphasis on things such as respect and manners overall. Even Henrik, for all his brooding nature, can be a polite man.”

Shel frowned. “He concerns me.”

“He concerns us all, my dear.”

Shel glanced at him. “You make light of it, but I’m serious. After being around him for a while I believe he is a good man, in here,” she said as she touched her chest, right over her heart. “But this temper of his that apparently comes from his dragon. It’s not right. It’s like a curse.”

“Well, if I understand things correctly, yes, it’s rather like a curse,” Rasud said, some of his joviality slipping. “But as long as he is able to hold onto himself, he’ll be fine, and that means the rest of us will be fine.” The thought of Henrik’s temper taking permanent hold almost made Rasud shiver. And him that way, but with a dragon? The world wouldn’t survive.

“I have seen many men injured in duels and in battle,” Shel said. “Twice now I have seen Henrik take wounds that should have killed him. Instead, he gave the most frightening smile I’ve ever seen and kept fighting, as if the pain delighted him. He just kept going, as if his injuries gave him more strength, and fought like a rabid wolf.” She shook her head slowly. “He terrifies me.”

“He terrifies most people, so at least that much is normal,” Rasud said. “But yes, I do understand your cause for concern. The good news is that Henrik possesses a strength of will far beyond the rest of us. If anyone can maintain mental control over a dragon, I believe it is my old friend.”

They rode in silence for a while after that. The thought of Henrik losing control and razing all the land with his new dragon was a bit terrifying, especially since it was a possible reality. Rasud tried to stay positive about it, as he did with most things.

He reached into his saddlebags and withdrew two apples, one for each of them. At least Shel seemed to enjoy all the new food he was introducing her to. That boded well for their future together. If there was one thing Rasud simply wouldn’t stand for, it was eating meat every day. He would suffer through it on occasion, but overall he detested it.

They rode until the sun set, then made a simple camp on the savannah. Shel used her ancestors to reshape the ground a bit, making a low wall to give them some privacy and protection from any sudden gusts of wind. 

Rasud still wasn’t used to using his saddle as a pillow, but Shel adapted to it just fine. He kept his complaints to a minimum. That certainly wasn’t the way to attract a woman, after all, especially one as strong as Shel. 

He held an arm out and Shel smiled, then moved to cuddle with him. She was a bit taller than he was, but she laid back with her head on his shoulder and wrapped one arm around him. Rasud pulled a blanket over them; it wasn’t cold outside, but he wanted to hide his body’s reaction to her touch. She wasn’t ready for the ol’ magic staff yet.

“Thank you for everything,” Shel said, and squeezed him tightly. “It’s nice to be treated as if I’m special.”

“That’s because you are special, my darling,” Rasud said. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

Shel chuckled softly. “I have a feeling you treat all attractive women this way.”

“Yes, but only for a few minutes, or at least until they slap me,” Rasud replied. He felt Shel move and quickly continued. “Yes, yes, I have been known to flirt a bit. Don’t worry, my sweet, I won’t suddenly lose interest in you and leave.”

Shel nodded and hugged him again.

Her head on his shoulder wasn’t the most comfortable way to sleep, but Rasud would cut his arm off before admitting to it. Shel was out in a few minutes, but it took Rasud a bit longer. He idly wondered how Henrik was doing. Probably having a more exciting time than they were, riding through the nearly empty savannah.