Dragon Eyes

Chapter 12.

A Kidnapping.

Caderyn spread his wings again took off into the sky. Lynwood, after some difficulty, managed to get Collyn into a sitting position in front of him, with one arm around her waist and the other still over her mouth. Collyn was struggling very hard by now, trying to tear herself loose from Lynwood’s grasp.

“Will you calm down please?” Lynwood yelled into her ear. “Or you’ll send us both tumbling to our deaths.”

Collyn widened her eyes and looking down gave a muffled shriek and shook violently

“I thought I asked you to calm down,” Lynwood scolded. “Stop struggling and relax, the more you struggle, the greater your risk is of falling off and killing yourself.”

Collyn obviously understood the wisdom of his words and relaxed. Lynwood took his hand off her mouth and regretted the action, for Collyn let out a high pitched scream. Lynwood quickly covered her mouth again.

“You want me to go deaf or something? Good grief, have you ever stopped to wonder that screaming isn’t going to do you any good? Just keep quiet, that will make us all feel better.”

Collyn grit her teeth in fury as Lynwood took his hand off again. She turned to face him, anger burning a fire in her dark eyes. “How dare you, how dare you kidnap me like this? Who do you think you are? When my uncle realizes what you have done he will surely kill you.”

“I only kidnapped you to keep myself from being discovered,” Lynwood explained. “If you would have just remained calmed none of this would have happened, but no, all you could do was scream.”

“Of course I screamed, any girl in her right mind would scream.”

“Any girl in her right mind would keep quiet. It’s just you city girls, who don’t know any better, throw hysterics when you see things; I mean from insects to dragons, you always have to scream.”

“You have got to be the most horrid, ill manner boy in all of Northurst! Put me down this instant!”

“As you wish,” Lynwood gave a gallant nod. “Caderyn, would you mind descending?”

Caderyn dove down; Collyn closed her eyes in fear, while Lynwood threw his head back with pleasure.

“You can open your eyes,” he laughed when Caderyn’s feet touched the ground. “We’re on dry land.”

Collyn immediately jumped up and began running, but stopped short when she noticed the unfamiliar surroundings.

“Where am I?” she angrily demanded

“Some place where no one will hear you,” Lynwood replied.

“Take me back to the palace at once!” Collyn stomped her foot in displeasure.

“I will, but only when you promise not to go telling everyone about the dragon and me.”

“Oh believe me, when I get back the first thing I will do is report you to my uncle, King Farran.”

“Then I’m not taking you anywhere,” Lynwood shrugged, settling more comfortably on Caderyn’s back.

“Who are you?” Collyn demanded. “What is this letter abou? And was it really necessary to drag me all the way out here in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE?”

“I told you, my name is Lynwood and I am the son of a woodsman. I don’t have a clue what the letter is about, only that my father told me to bring it to your brother, the nephew of the king. Oh I probably should have asked this before, but does the king have more than one nephew? Perhaps you have another brother, or perhaps some other sibling His Majesty has a son.”

“Ignorant peasant,” Collyn muttered. “My father was the king’s only brother and Wilheard was my father’s only son, so there. Why did your father ask you to deliver this letter?”

“Because there is no one else to do it.”

“Couldn’t he do it?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“If you must know, my father was captured the day before yesterday.”

“Captured? By whom?”

“I don’t know. He was dragged away by some kind of soldiers and my sister and I had to go into hiding. I told you, I’ve got a lot of complicated issues to try and work out, so I don’t appreciate being stuck here with you.”

“If you think I find any pleasure in being stuck out here with you, you are severely mistaken!”

“So why do you do us both a favor and promise not to talk about me? I’ve got a little sister, all alone in a dragon’s cave, worried sick about me. Can’t you at least have some compassion on a motherless girl who just lost her father as well? I’m the only support she has left and I need to get back and take care of her. If for nothing else do it for her?”

Collyn was silent as she pondered all Lynwood had said. “How do I know you aren’t some dangerous person?”

“You don’t know, you’ll just have to trust me. If you promise me to keep quiet, I will take you back to the palace right away.”

Collyn stood pondering for a few minutes. “Very well,” she spoke at last, “I’ll take the letter to my brother and I won’t tell about the dragon, but I do have a condition.”

Lynwood groaned. “What is it?”

“You’ve got to come by sometime and take me for a ride on the dragon, a proper ride.”

“I can’t do that! What if I get caught?”

“Come at night,” Collyn shrugged. “If you promise that, I swear I won’t tell a soul about you, not a single soul.”

Lynwood glanced at Caderyn. “You’re going to have to run it through him. If he says no, then no.”

“Can’t you tell him what to do?”

Lynwood shook his head. “He’s not my pet, and I don’t order him around. I live in his cave and abide by his rules.”

Collyn was very perplexed. “But he’s an animal!”

“He is a magical creature,” Lynwood corrected. “He’s very wise and understands a lot more than we think. If you want him to take you flying, you’re going to have to ask him, not me.”

Collyn bit her lip, obviously deep in thought. At last she turned her attention to the dragon, who was gazing at her very intently.

“Caderyn,” she said, giving the dragon a graceful curtsey, “I am princes Collyn, an orphaned child who lives with her uncle and aunt. Neither of them have any time for me and I have few friends. The children who move about in my social circle are so tiresome and I am not allowed to play with any of the servants. I am locked day in and day out in a golden cage and would love nothing more than a bit of freedom. I should very much like for you to take me for a proper ride, out into the mountains where the air is fresh. It cannot be today, however, for I must get the letter to my brother, and he comes tomorrow. If you would be so kind as to risk coming by again and giving me a taste of what it must be like to be you, I would be so happy, so grateful. It would be like a dream coming true.”

Lynwood was rather taken back at the sudden change of tone in Collyn’s manner and speech. He did feel a little pity from the words she said, but at the same time couldn’t help wondering just how true they were.

Caderyn looked deep into Collyn’s eyes. They were very honest and pleading, and though Caderyn had noticed that this human could be a nastier than even Lynwood, there was desperation in the tone she used. He turned over to Lynwood. Lynwood shrugged.

“In two weeks time, my uncle will go off on his annual hunting trip,” Collyn added. “My aunt, cousin, and brother will go with him and the palace will be empty. You come at night, as you have now, and no one will notice you. Please? Take me away from this wretched place, even if only for a night.”

“Do you think we can trust her?” Lynwood whispered to Caderyn, but Collyn heard him.

“You think I would lie to you?” She angrily asked.

“I wouldn’t know, I just met you this morning,” Lynwood answered back. “And so far you haven’t done much to recommend yourself.”

“I’d appreciate if you would just leave this between me and the dragon,” Collyn retorted, her eyes flashing angrily at Lynwood. Lynwood shrugged his shoulders and feigned an indifferent look.

Caderyn gave a low throaty sound, a sort of dragon chuckle; he found the interaction between the two children very funny. How strange humans were, how peculiar their preferred way of communicating with each other, it seemed to him that no matter what they always ended up fighting. Caderyn did not want to come here again, it was dangerous for him to be out in the open. Caution of course dictated that he stay far away from heavily populated areas. However, apart from being cautious, Caderyn was also very wise, and wisdom told him that this little girl was not just a shallow, spoiled princess. Behind her perfect mask was someone who would help them in time to come. It is hard to say just how Caderyn knew this for sure, anything that has to do with a dragon is hard to explain. Suffice to say, Caderyn felt it would be best to go along with Collyn’s condition, so he turned towards Lynwood and gave a nod of his head. Lynwood understood the message, though one can’t say he was very pleased with it.

“Alright,” he turned to Collyn. “In two weeks time we’ll come over, but you had better keep you end of the bargain.

“Oh, I will,” Collyn eagerly nodded her head. “And if you don’t come, you can be sure I’ll tell everything to my uncle.”

“I figured as much,” Lynwood retorted. Collyn scrambled up behind Lynwood and the dragon took for the sky once more.

Collyn slipped her arms around Lynwood’s waist and clung to him. Lynwood didn’t know if he fully enjoyed this action of hers, but it did make him feel rather strong and brave. To think the princess, who considered him to be nothing more than a simple peasant boy, was now clinging to him for protection. Collyn gazed with wonder and excitement down at the earth as it passed beneath. The fields and forests, the twisted rivers and irregular ponds and lakes, how different it all looked when viewing it from above.

“It is so beautiful,” she whispered. “I never thought a day would come when I would fly. It was scary at first, but now I am truly enjoying it. And to think I am on the back of a dragon, a magical and dangerous creature. Tell me, how long have you known him?”

“Strangely enough I haven’t know him long, I only met him the day before yesterday,”

“How did you manage to tame him so fast?”

“I didn’t tame him,” Lynwood replied. “We befriended each other and that is why he is willing to help me out.”

Collyn was puzzled, “I didn’t know dragons could be befriended.”

“I didn’t know that either until I met one, I thought I knew so much about dragons but a lot of what I knew turned out to be wrong.”

“Really?”

“Yup. You know, it’s like that with lots of things, what you hear and what is in real life is so very different. Or what you assume is totally opposite of the way it is.”

“It’s often like that with people too,” Collyn thoughtfully stated.

“Agreed. You shouldn’t judge people before you actually know and understand them fully, there may be more to them than you originally thought.”

Collyn giggled. “Like woodsmen’s sons who suddenly appear from nowhere in your garden.”

Lynwood laughed. “Or princesses who scream even when they promised not too”

“Hey, you really scared me”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean too, I didn’t think you would stay up.”

“Never underestimate a princess,” Collyn winked at Lynwood. “There is more to me than just a girl in a pretty dress.”

Lynwood twisted around to look at her. “What you told Caderyn back then, is it true?”

Collyn sighed. “Yes. My parents have been dead for a long, long time and my older brother and cousin only care for their friends and companions. My uncle doesn’t have time for me and my aunt hates me and never wants to see me. I can’t stand that palace, but I have nowhere else to go. I have my tutors and my governness and everything I want is given to me, but nothing interesting ever happens in my life. I envy all children who are not me.”

“Isn’t there anyone you can play with?”

“Only the children of the noblemen, but I cannot stand them. The girls just want to sit and talk about boys and the boys just tease us girls all the time. I would give anything to play games with the servant children.”

Lynwood laughed, “oh but servant boys will tease you too. I guess it’s just a boyish thing to want to tease girls.”

“You mean you do it too?”

“Sure, all the time”

Collyn shook her head in bewilderment. “Why?”

Lynwood thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Cause the reaction is funny I guess.”

“You boys are so strange.”

“And you girls are even stranger.”

They both laughed at this.

“Tell me, Lynwood, how old are you?” Collyn asked once they had both calmed down.

“Thirteen. What about you?”

“I’m twelve. To think you are only a year older than me, but so very different.”

“I guess that is because I have led a very different life,” Lynwood offered.

Collyn nodded and gave a small shrug. All too soon for her they returned to the palace and Caderyn descended to the same spot he had last time. Lynwood hopped down and helped Collyn off Caderyn.

“Don’t forget about giving the letter to your brother, and make sure no one else gets it.”

“I won’t,” Collyn promised. “Thank you for kidnapping me.”

“Huh?” Lynwood was puzzled

“Well, if you wouldn’t have kidnapped me, I wouldn’t have been able to have this delightful experience of flying. I didn’t like you at first, but I think you and the dragon are growing on me. Who knows, maybe I’ll even start liking you.” Collyn turned red from this statement. “I shall look forward to my promised flight.”

Lynwood cracked a smile. “Goodnight, Princess, have pleasant dreams.”

“Thanks. Have a safe flight back to wherever it is you are going.”

Lynwood nodded and climbed back onto the dragon. “Come on Caderyn, let’s go home.”

Caderyn spread his wings and took off into the sky, Lynwood turned and waved to Collyn, who was watching him fly away. Collyn waved back and stood there until Lynwood and Caderyn completely disappeared from her sight. Then with a sigh she turned and quietly snuck back into the palace and to her room.