Dragon Eyes

Chapter 22.

Confronted.

Lynwood and Caderyn had flown off deep into a wooded area and settled for the night. Beast and boy were utterly exhausted.

The next morning dawned misty and damp. Caderyn nudged Lynwood to wake him up. Lynwood yawned and rolled over.

“Is it morning already?” he grumbled, as he sat up, feeling cold, wet, and uncomfortable. “Why does morning always come earlier that you want it too? Oh well, I suppose I should get up. Father will be getting really worried over me. I hope he doesn’t mind too much that I took off yesterday, I hope he’ll understand. Did you have breakfast?”

Caderyn nodded his head.

“Good.” Lynwood yawned and forced himself to stand up. “I hope the girls are alright in that cave. Do you suppose they are angry at me for not coming back home?”

Cadern tossed his head a little as if to say, ’I don’t know.”

Together they flew through the morning mist back to the dragon. Lynwood found it hard to see through the fog, but Caderyn seemed to know his way and soon the castle loomed in the distance. Sliding through the study window, Lynwood saw it was a complete disaster. Obviously the king’s men had already been there and left.

Lynwood thanked his stars that he was alone. It had been a rash and foolish act of him to just come here and it was a pure miracle how the place was empty. It could have ended so much worse. It took him some time to remember where the door to the secret passage was, but at last he was able to locate it and using the extra key given to him by Eadberht he stumbled down the narrow, dark staircase and to the secret chamber.

The men had already risen and were eating breakfast. Lord Eadberht was nowhere to be seen.

“Anything left for me?” Lynwood asked, running over and gazing greedily at the food.

Everyone had to laugh at the expression on his face. Lyndon made space for him and Tristan put some of the plain, tasteless food and gave it to the boy, who gobbled it up and licked his fingers as though devouring the tastiest feast ever.

“Where is Lord Eadberht?” Lynwood asked, his mouth full of food. Lyndon descritly nudged his son at his bad manner, in front of the prince no less.

“He went out,” Wilheard replied. “Said he had some spies out there or something. We need to find out what Uncle Farran has been up to if we want to plan our next move.”

Lynwood caught his father’s hard stair. He groaned but glanced over at the young prince.

“Your Highness, I want to apologize for the way I behaved yesterday. You have only just discovered some terrible truths about a man you once trusted, and I was insensitive.”

Wilheard also let out a frustrated sigh. “That’s alright, Lynwood. You have been risking your life to help me for a long time and have lost so much, I should have been more grateful as well. Lord Eadberht gave me quite a tongue lashing yesterday. You were right when you said I should not take the coward’s way out. I am going to stay and fight for my throne, though I have no idea how to do it.”

Silence prevailed for another hour as the men finished eating and sat around, not knowing what to do. Lynwood informed his father and Tristan what he had been up to the past couple of days.

At last, just when the men were wondering how much more they could take of the inactivity, the door opened and Lord Eadberht entered, followed by another, thin man dressed in simple clothing.

“I have news,” Eadberht stated. “One of my spies has informed me that the king is giving a public addressing tomorrow. Messengers have been riding around the entire city. It has to do with the treason that has been commited against him in the past couple of days. He will go to the City Hall and speak to everyone from that large balcony for public speakings.”

Wilheard narrowed his eyes. “Do you think it is a trap? He’s trying to lure me to come and confront him again.”

“That is no doubt what it is,” Eadberht agreed. “But we can turn his trap into ours. We have a dragon with us after all making the odds in our favor. You don’t have that letter, do you, Wilheard? The one with all the information?”

Wilheard hung his head in shame. “It was taken from me when I confronted my uncle.”

“Pity,” Eadberht sighed. “This will so much more difficult without it. Still, I have the information that my son passed onto me before he was banished. I say this is our opportunity and we must not let it down! Here is what I thought we will do. Lynwood, listen close, as a lot will depend on you and your dragon friend.”

***

The morning fog had cleared and bright skies replaced it. It was the first time Lynwood and Caderyn were soaring through the city in broad daylight. The streets were mainly quiet as everyone had come to listen to the king.

“Do you think it will work?” Wilheard, who was sitting behind Lynwood on the dragon, asked.

“I have no idea,” Lynwood confessed. “We’ll just have to give it our best shot.”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

“I suppose we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”

“That’s not a very comforting plan B.”

“I guess not, but what can we do? Eadberht seemed very confident, I guess we’ll just have to rely on his faith for this scheme.”

Wilheard nodded. “What I can’t believe is that I am riding a dragon! I never through of dragons as being creatures one could ride on.”

“Maybe they’re not, but these are desperate times.”

“All the books only pictured dragons as something made to be slain.”

Caderyn turned his head and gave a low grumbled when he heard this

“The books were wrong,” Lynwood replied, patting Caderyn to calm him down.

Wilheard remained silent. It’s not that he really hated the dragon, it just everything seemed so strange. What about all those tales of men who had risked much to save princess from the clutches of evil dragons and in that way earned her heart and hand? What of all the stories of dragons attacking innocent people and those warriors who stood up to danger and slew them? Were they really all just made up? Was there really no truth to them at all? Were dragons the sort of creatures who wanted to just live and let live? Somehow it just didn’t seem to make such sense. If all Lynwood said about dragons was true, then all those stories and tales suddenly lost their meaning, and that just about ruined all Wildheard’s childhood dreams.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he stated at last. “I truly am grateful to Caderyn. It is only I find it hard to believe that all those tales, all those stories of men fighting evil dragons are wrong. There must have been some truth to them.”

“Perhaps there is,” Lynwood replied with a shrug, “Maybe not all dragons are good, just like not all people are good. But you can’t group all dragons as being ‘bad’ for they are not all bad, as we have witnessed.”

“I suppose,” Wilheard agreed. That certainly made sense.

The large City Hall came to view, and with it a great crowd of people. Wilheard and Lynwood both took deep breaths.

“This is it,” Wilheard whispered. “Tell me, Lynwood, what are we doing? This is about as impossible as it gets! I will only kill the few people who are loyal to me.”

“Impossible is a word I no longer believe in, Your Highness,” Lynwood firmly stated. “If I let the idea of impossible stop me, I doubt you and I would both be riding on this dragon right now. Come, you are about to become king, you have to have faith in yourself and courage. You will need it once you start the difficult task of ruling us all.”

It was strange to be given advice from a young boy, but Wilheard found he was grateful for it.

“You are right,” he said. “I need to stand my ground. That is my rightful throne, and my uncle killed my father and mother and has been destroying this land with his greed. The wrongs must be put right, no matter what the cost.”

They had reached the Hall by now and gasp and shouts could be heard down below as the people noticed the dragon and the two riders. King Farran was standing on the balcony, but did not seemed frightened or surprised. He just glared up at them before turning back to the crowd.

“There he is,” he called in a calm, cold voice. “The nephew that betrayed me. The nephew who tried to take my life. He has made a deal with the dragons and now they have come to take my throne. A throne given to me by my own brother!”

There was a rumbling of murmers from the crowd at this.

Caderyn had landed on the roof by now and Lynwood jumped down.

“My fellow countrymen,” he called out. “Our sing is telling us one great big lie!”

“It’s the boy,” a woman suddenly called from the crowd. “The boy who rides the dragon from the wanted posters!”

“Apart from being a traitor to the crown,” Lynwood kept on talking. “I think we all agree that Northurst has never had it worse since he came to power. Taxes keep on raising, we can hardly make it from winter to spring, we are starving and sick and he just builds fancy palaces to please he greedy and demanding wife! Do we even want a king like this? Winter is on it’s way and he has raised taxes three times to what it was. If he continues to rule, how many of us will live to see the next spring?”

There were low murmers and a general nodding of heads.

Lyndon, standing in the crowd, along with the rest of the men who had mingled with the people, couldn’t help from staring at his son with wide eyes. Who would have ever thought that Lynwood, shy, reclusive Lynwood, could stand up there and make such a speech?

“We’re poor, we’re sick, we’ve got nothing and he’s robbing us of the little we have to feed his rich nobles! Even the army is not what it used to be. Those of you who are soldiers, how long has it been since you have been paid? Those of you who are invalids from faithful service defending our kingdom, does he care about you? Or does he leave you to starve? If treason is wishing for a different king, a better king, then I choose treason! Better treason than death by starvation and disease!”

More murmers, murmers of agreement. Farran was so taken aback by the speech that during the entire time Lynwood spoke he was silent. Who was that ridiculous boy? He was just a kid, yet he was acomplishing so much!

He shifted his gaze and caught the stern gaze of his wife. It was either now or never. If they didnt’ silence this boy then they would lose the kingdom to the angry crowd that was getting stirred up against the king instead of against the young prince.

Wilheard had just off the dragon too now.

“Farran has killed my father, King Elhon!” He thundered out. “And if treason means taking back a throne that was rightfully mine before this thief stole it, than let it be treason! If treason is defying a man who is destroying this kingdom, then yes, I have committed treason. And those who are with me have committed treason as well. Tell me, good people, what will you choose? King Farran? Or treason? Take a good look at him, this murderer of family, this thief of good honest people, this greedy, dishonest man. Is treason really worse than him? Men of the army, generals, officers, soldiers, will you follow this king? I may be young, but I promise to be a better king than my uncle. I will follow in the footsteps of my father if you will trust me with the path!”

The crowrd, desperate, heavily taxed, tired of poverty and neglect, was starting to go wild. Everyone had their eyes glued to the young prince, standing on the roof with the boy and the majestic dragon. Such a prince was surely better than their bad king. A prince who could even get dragons to do his bidding!

No one looked at Farran, no one saw him raise his hand just a little. No one saw the archer in the strategic spot, no one saw him discreetly draw the arrow from the quiver at his side.

But then a voice cried out.

“The dragon, Wilheard! This is not about you, he’s after the dragon!”

Wilheard paused, confused. Lynwood, however, turned sharply and noticed the archer, his aim fixed on the large, red and gold beast. He had already let the bowstring go and with a wuzz the arrow flew into the air.

“Caderyn, watch out!” Lynwood shouted and taking a giant leap, threw himself over the dragon’s head.

And the arrow, meant for the dragon’s eye, found it’s mark in Lynwood’s shoulder.