The Fates

Celia was hiding behind the horses, she could see Taurus eying her suspiciously and she gave him a pleading look, willing him to be quiet. Taurus snorted at her before going back to eating his hay.

Celia still hadn’t seen the men anywhere but they had said that they were going to meet up, they would need horses to draw the carriage so avoiding to her own logic they were probably going to meet up here. She only hoped that she was right and that their horses were indeed here and not anywhere else.

She hadn’t really had time to think this through when she had made the decision to try and leave tonight. Celia had felt an incredible guilt in burdening Rhale but now she felt even more guilty, leaving him without so much as a word.

Would he be angry with her? Would he be worried?

Celia hated the dilemma she was in.

She had no time to change her mind now, she could see the same men from the tavern coming down the street. So she had been right in presuming that they would meet up here, she didn't know if she was happy about the fact or not.

As they got closer she stepped further back in the shadows, keeping herself well hidden.

Celia briefly contemplated if it would be a better course of action to just ask if she could ride with them but she quickly decided against it, she had no money to offer them and she didn’t want to insult them by thinking they would give her a free ride.

Soon they were bringing forth an open carriage filled with hay, why they would be bringing hay with them to the King’s land she did not know.

Two of them were attaching horses to the carriage while the other men went to the tavern again, this was her chance.

There were only two of them now and they were busy. Celia carefully moved out from her hiding spot, making sure that she didn’t step on anything that could make any noise. She looked at the two men again, they were still focused on the horses.

She hurried to the carriage and ducked behind it, looking around quickly to make sure that no one else was around before she made her way to the back of the carriage. It was filled to the brim with hay and she thought that it would be easy to hide in the middle of it.

Celia was just about to jump up on it when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She spun around and saw Rhale standing there calmly with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Hi” Celia said in sheer panic, Rhale had a bemused smirk on his lips.

“Trying to get away from me?”

Celia let out a loud sigh and her arms fell heavily to her sides. Well, she had been trying to get away from him, sort of but she didn’t want to tell him that.

She tried to come up with any sort of explanation, she opened her mouth to speak but closed it again when she realized that there was nothing she could say to make this situation look like something it wasn’t. Instead she stormed past Rhale and walked into the tavern again, she didn’t need to look in order to know that he was following her.

When she walked up the stairs to the room quarters she could hear his heavy footsteps behind her. Celia walked right into their room and closed the door firmly behind her before Rhale had a chance to enter.

He camly opened the door and came in right after her, seemingly not bothered at all by her behavior, which for some reason made her angry.

She sat down on the bed while Rhale leaned on the door, one of his feet resting on it.

“Are you so desperate to go to the King that you opt to hide in a carriage with strange men that are smuggling weapons to the King’s land?” Celia flinched at Rhale's tone, he sounded disappointed.

So that’s what the hay was for, Celia felt stupid now. But not as stupid as the strange men, surely they would be caught.

“Without your bow and arrows I might add”

Celia had forgotten about them, they were still standing against the wall, right where she had left them. She really hadn’t thought this through.

When she didn’t answer him Rhale un crossed his arms.

“What is this about? Do you want to go to the King? Or is it me you want to get away from?” Perplexed she looked at him, how could he think that?

“No, no, no. Please don’t think that” Celia rose herself from the bed and went to stand in front of him.

“What am I supposed to think? I saw you listening to what those men said but I never thought” Rhale let the sentence go unfinished, she knew what he was going to say. He never thought that she would try and run away from him, she saw the hurt in his eyes and silently cured herself. She was so stupid, she never meant to hurt him.

“No Rhale, I wouldn’t” Celia's voice almost broke as she took in his paind expression.

“But you did”

“I never meant for you to take it like that.”

“Celia, talk to me, tell me what you're thinking.” Rhale almost pleaded with her.

How was she going to explain it to him? She absolutely hated how hurt he looked and she hated even more that it was she who had put it there.

“Don’t you understand? This, all of this, it’s my burden to bear. Mine, not yours. I can’t ask this of you, it was one thing when we didn’t know what I truly was but now...”

Rhale pushed himself off the door and walked closer to her “Sweet Celia” his hand came to rest on her cheek and she leaned in to it “So you don’t want to get away from me?”

“Never”

“You never once asked me to help you, you never even once asked anything of me. Did you ever stop to think that I helped you out of my own free will?”

No, she hadn’t, “are you?”

“Sweet girl” he said right before pressing his lips to hers, the kiss was sweet and short but it still started a fire within her.

“I should be angry with you,” he said when he pulled away.

“Why aren’t you?”

“You make it very difficult, one minute you're infuriating and the next you say the cutest things.”

“Oh”

“Just like that day in the cabin, after we were attacked by goblins, do you remember what you said?”

Celia thought back to that day, she had been afraid for him “I said that I didn’t want to leave you, that there had been so many of them.”

He put his forehead against hers “See? Cute.”

She realized then that perhaps he wasn’t used to people wanting to help him, it was probably the other way around.

“I don’t understand why you would want to help me? Shouldn’t you want to try and find out if I have magic? Don’t you want to save the world?”

“I couldn’t care less, the world can be damned as long as you are safe.”

Celia let her head fall to his chest and she put her arms around him, when his arms went around her too it felt like home.

“So what do we do now?”

“We could stay here for a few days while we figure it out. But for now we sleep, you must be exhausted.”

She was, she was utterly and completely exhausted. The bed was soft and as soon as she felt his arms around her again she fell asleep.

The next morning they walked down together and ate a morning meal. Celia was still slightly full from last night but the bread was newly baked and tasted heavenly.

People still stared at Rhale, even people that had been here last night but now they also stared at her and she really wished that the dress had fit her better around her chest.

Celia sighed in relief when a newly awaked Beard came and sat with them. She could not understand how all this attention wasn’t bothering Rhale.

“You disappeared fast last night” Beard said in-between bites to Rhale.

“There were things that needed my attention.”

Beard grinned at his statement and Celia had the feeling that she was missing something.

“Ay, I’m sure you did. Has he ever told you about the time he caught the eye of a succubus?” Beard asked Celia and she shook her head.

“No you remember wrong, she was after Lachlan.”

“I remember now, he almost fell for it too, we had to drag him out of there!” Beards booming voice sounded much louder today and she wondered where he came from, his accent was very different from theirs.

Just when she was about to ask, loud screams came from the outside.

All three of them stood up at the same time but Rhale moved first, making his way to one of the windows to look outside.

A screeching sound so loud rang out that Celia had to cover her ears, she made her way to the window and stood next to Rhale.

“What is that?” She asked and tried to look outside.

“Dragon, come, it's not good to be stuck inside if the dragon starts spitting fire.” Rhalr said and Celia followed as he walked outside, at least today her bow and arrows were securely around her.

As soon as they stepped outside she saw the big reptile, it was huge, even bigger than the tavern.

It had blood red scales and wings broader and wider than its body. It was flying over them, screeching with long enormous claws on its dangling feet.

Beard came to stand behind her just as Rhale drew his sword, “Keep her safe?”

“Ay, I will'' Beard answered and Rhale turned to her “I’ll be right back.” and then he ran right out into the open where people were scrambling to get away from dangerous creature.

“Come on, we can’t linger here, the stupid folks will run inside to hide” Beard said and led Celia away from the building but her eyes were glued on Rhale, she watched horrified as he climbed up on a roof top and yelled at the dragon, trying to capture its attention.

“Is he mad? Beard, we have to help him!” Celia's voice was thick with worry as Beard pulled her away by the arm.

“No we don’t” He said and held on to her arm harder when she tried to walk towards Rhale. “He don’t need our help lass”

Beard brought her to the same hiding place she had last night, behind the horses.

Celia could see why. They were in the shadows, close to the tavern but not in front of it and most importantly they had a clear view of the sky.

The dragon changed its course when it spotted Rhale, its tail crashing into houses as it turned. When the dragon flew at him Rhale jumped at its throat holding on to it, just missing the fire it breathed out.

The house wasn’t so lucky though, it caught fire and people inside screamed and ran out only to come to a standstill in front of Rhale and the huge dragon.

Rhale had managed to push his sword into the dragon's neck, but the dragon tossed with its head, making Rhale lose his grip and he fell down to the ground.

Celia let out a sigh of relief when she saw him land on his feet but now his sword was stuck to the dragon's throat and it seemed to be more annoyed by the fact than injured.

Celia drew her bow without thinking, aiming for the dragon's head. She let go but the dragon moved and her arrow entered just under its jaw.

The dragon let out another blood curdling screech but Celia was already drawing her next arrow, her ears ringing by the sound the monstrous beast was making.

Just as she was about to shoot Rhale had jumped the dragon again, this time holding on to the sword at its throat. Rhale put his feet against it and pulled forward, the dragon's throat ripped and blood sprayed out all around. The dragon staggered, shaking the ground with its weight as it stumbled.

Celia knew that it would die, it could not survive that amount of blood loss but it was still swaying around and the people by the burning house were dangerously close to its feet. So Celia let go of the second arrow, this time it pierced it between the eyes. The dragon fell forward and the earth shook as an earthquake as its big body hit the ground.

“Good shot” Beard said beside her but she was too busy looking for Rhale to answer, she found him, he was already carrying injured people away from the bloody scene

“Has he killed many dragons?”

“As far as I know, ay many”

Celia made her way over to the town's healer that was directing where the injured should go.

“How can I help?” she asked and he eyed her suspiciously before deciding that she was good enough for something.

“Water needs to be boiled and clean cloth needs to be ripped. In there” The healer told her and pointed at one of the houses.

Celia made her way there and looked around, there was no one else here yet but there was a fire blazing and a cauldron next to it, she found water in a barrel and filled the cauldron. Soon others came to help and not long after there were piles of ripped up cloth and one after the other injured people were brought inside.

The healer told Celia and what he needed and she fetched it for him and whatever else she was told to do. Her village had been attacked on multiple occasions and every one, including her and her mother had helped wherever help was needed.

By the time the injured were all taken care of Celia's feet hurt and she had small blisters on her hands. She wasn't bothered by it, they had lost five people in the attack and there had been little the healer could do for them. One had been a mere boy.

Celia tiredly walked outside and saw that the fire had been put out and the dragon had somehow been moved. Rhale must have had a hand in that she thought, remembering when he had caught the boulder.

Her head was spinning from weariness as she looked around at the destruction the dragon had left behind. Rhale must have been waiting for her because she felt his arm come around her shoulders and she gratefully leaned into his side as they made their way back to the tavern.

“I saw you, in there, you were kind to help.” Rhale said quietly to her but she shook her head at his statement.

“I was unhurt, of course I’d help” How could she not have helped?

“Not everyone did”

“And only you jumped the dragon.” Celia pointed out.

“Only you shot at it" Celia came to a stop and faced him, “I was so scared when you jumped at it” Rhale pulled her to him and he held her tightly. Celia listened to the steady beat of his heart, completely content in his embrace.

"People died today." She said against his chest, like saying it out loud would somehow make it all better.

There was nothing Rhale could say, she knew, but Rhale tightened his arms even more around her and somehow that made her feel just a little less bad.