A Dragon's Tale Ch. 28

***I self-edit and admit editing isn't my greatest skill. I apologize in advance for anything I missed.***

***IMPORTANT NOTE: I didn't realize that Ethan's conversation with Illuminar last chapter would come across like Illuminar violated free will. That was never my intent and I apologize for the lack of clarity. I added a small section to that conversation to make it clear that He doesn't violate free will. (You can also look at Kendra's conversation with Luminar Kossel way back in chapter 11, which makes the same point in a more obtuse way.)***

CHAPTER 28: Stone walls do not a prison make...

* * *

Kendra stared at Lady Ekthros, a white-hot fury building inside of her. What she wouldn't give to have her strength enhancing vambraces back and have the woman's neck in her hands. Suddenly, she was a lot more sympathetic to the parts of Ethan's story where he'd flown off the handle in a dragon's rage; she was imagining snapping the woman's neck like a twig. Not only for her threats against the lovely Taloni, but also for what she was trying to force the dragon huntresses herself to do

"You can't be serious." She nearly growled at the prospect of being forced to bond to any dragon; even Ethan.

"I am." The arch mage said with a smug smile. "Your future punishments will serve as an example to those who might cross me, but this... this is because you ruined my plans more than once. Bond to him."

A low dragon's growl came from behind her.

Ethan was crouched like he wanted to pounce despite his obvious exhaustion, and Kendra was ready to join him. His claws were out and his teeth were bared; if that rage had been directed at her, she would've done everything in her power to flee. Lady Ekthros seemed unperturbed, and Kendra got the distinct impression that her calm demeanor had nothing to do with the iron bars separating them.

Kendra's eyes met Ethan's, and she was instantly sure that he had zero desire to bond to her. He looked like he hated the idea nearly as much as she did. For some reason, that stung slightly. The dragon huntress turned back to Lady Ekthros, ready to lay into her verbally since she couldn't physically.

"You have one minute." The arch mage said.

"What?" She blinked in disbelief.

"You have one minute to bond together, else your precious Fey will be carrying a dragon's brood -- and not this dragon's brood -- by the end of the day."

Kendra looked at Ethan.

He looked at her.

They both glanced at Taloni, who was cowering behind Ethan, then back at each other and stared for several seconds.

"Forty-five seconds." Lady Ekthros called.

Ethan growled at the woman, then extended his hand towards the dragon huntress.

Kendra couldn't believe it.

It wasn't possible.

After all the time she spent hunting dragons, she was going to bond to one? She shuddered. Literally the only thing she would've hated more were Lady Ekthros' threat towards Taloni. That was it. Literally nothing else would have ever have induced her to eventhink about potentially considering this.

Nothing.

Anything else she could escape.

She could escape any other prison, any torture, any nefarious scheme that the arch mage could cook up. Every prison had a weak point and every jail had a way out. But bonding... that was permanent. That was life-long with no way out. It was the worst kind of prison; one with no stone walls and no iron bars. She would be trapped for the rest of her life, bonded to the most vile, despicable kind of creature ever to walk Illuminar's green Earth. It made no difference that it was Ethan either; the best example of the worst species was still the worst species.

"Thirty seconds." Lady Ekthros said.

Kendra looked at Ethan's outstretched hand, then at Taloni. She couldn'tnot do it. She had to in order to save the Fey girl.

"For the record, I hate you." Kendra said as she took Ethan's hand. His scales were warm and smooth, but made her shudder anyway. It took a second for her to realize that this was the first time she'd touched him -- touched any dragon -- without the intent to kill, and she was doing so to bond to him.

She shuddered again.

He frowned. "For the record, I'm only doing this to save Taloni and I still don't trust you."

She gave him analmost-smile, which healmost returned. At least they could agree that they didn't like or trust each other. Yes, that was a wonderful foundation for a marriage. Wait, a marriage? It was only at that moment that Kendra realized that she was effectively about to be married. She would be wed to a dragon.

She shuddered in disgust yet again.

"Ten seconds."

Kendra gave him one last sneer, then took a deep breath and pushed a tiny drop of her deep mana into him as she felt a similarly small drop of his deep mana be pushed into her.

* * *

Selene followed behind Sarah as they returned to the inn where she would hopefully find out how the outpost's blacksmith -- Rindrin -- fit into the mystery surrounding this place. The girl had seemed disappointed and resigned to whatever his visit entailed, but strangely she also seemed grateful too.

It didn't make any sense.

"Yes father?" She said as burst through the door to the inn's main room with Selene in tow.

There were only two people in the room, sitting across from each other at a table. The first was Sarah's father, the second was a large, gruff looking man who was nonetheless not unattractive. He had a full beard, was powerfully muscled, was wearing a leather apron, and looked like he'd been born near a charcoal fire because his face and clothes had a fine layer of soot on them. If she had to guess, she would've said that he was the blacksmith, Rindrin.

"Get Rindrin an Ale." The innkeeper instructed and then turned back to the other man.

"Thank you Festus." Rindrin said. "Now, as I was saying, I think you're shooting a bit high."

"Why high?" Sarah's father, Festus, asked. "It's a good price. She comes from good stock if I do say so myself."

"Yes, but consider the other problem." The blacksmith countered. "That one isn't so easy to deal with, and it could be dangerous even to me."

Sarah came back out holding a pitcher of ale. Her hands were shaking slightly and Selene was worried she was going to spill half the drink before she'd delivered it.

"I'll take it to him." She offered, but the girl hesitated.

"I should do it." She said with resigned air, though she still looked anxious. She continued on while focusing on not spilling it. She managed and set it in front of him.

"Thanks." He gave her an acknowledging nod and then turned back his conversation with her father.

"And strong offspring means more work; she's a good worker." The innkeeper said, probably returning to his earlier comment.

"That's good, but consider how long I'd have to wait." Rindrin countered. "Besides, I'm planning to have at least two; I mostly just want to get started on the kids now."

"Is your father selling a goat or something?" Selene asked, knowing that baby goats were called 'kids'.

Sarah wouldn't meet her eyes she shook her head.

"I think five silver is a fair price." The innkeeper stated flatly.

Next to her, Sarah seemed to deflate like a balloon, though Selene couldn't figure out why for the life of her.

"I think four is more fair." Rindrin replied. "Consider her problem, and look at her."

Both men turned and looked at Sarah, then her father spoke. "Stand up straight girl and turn slowly."

Selene's jaw dropped.

What.

The.

Fuck.

Sarah stood up straight and slowly turned on the spot.

"She's a bit skinny and fairly plain, plus there's that problem to reckon with." The blacksmith pointed out.

"But she'll make a wonderful wife." Sarah's father countered. "She cooks well and her mother didn't have no problems with kids. I'd be swimming in children if she hadn't taken the fever."

Selene felt like her entire body had locked up in shock. What the hell was going on here?! It sounded like Sarah's father was actually selling his daughter into marriage; selling her! She knew that this sort of thing happened in remote places on Earth -- and the monks had mentioned it only last night -- she but couldn't believe that she was watching it.

Rindrin pursed his lips. "How about, four silver and ten coppers. That's fair for Sarah's bride-price."

"Done." The other man replied, then Rindrin counted out some coins and gave them to the innkeeper.

"She'll make a fine wife." The innkeeper said as he counted out the coins the blacksmith had just given him.

"I hope so." Rindrin replied. "I'll take good care of her Festus, you know I will, but I definitely want to get another wife later."

Selene almost reached into her leather pouch and shot the man right then. She wanted to shoot both of them, but didn't want to do it in front of Sarah.

Sarah...

The girl looked to be on the edge of tears as the two men walked out the front door, neither having seen the girl's reaction.

"Nine nights." Sarah sniffled.

"What?"

"I'm only worth nine nights." The girl swallowed hard and looked like her hopes and dreams had just been crushed and trampled into the ground. It took a moment for Selene to realize that she was referring to the cost to stay at the inn. Four silver and ten coppers would buy nine nights at the inn.

The girl got choked up as she continued. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful that Rindrin is willing to marry me; I'm so incredibly grateful. It's so generous of him and I never thought anyone would with my problem, but..." A tear that had been collecting at the corner of her eye started falling. "I'm only worth nine nights."

"Sarah, you're worth much more than that."

The girl either didn't hear her or the words hadn't registered.

"He's a good man, and I'm lucky he's willing to marry me. But only nine nights?" She looked like her entire sense of self-worth -- or at least the little that remained -- had completely evaporated.

"Come here." Selene pulled her into a hug which she didn't resist. As much as the ex-FBI agent wanted to rant and rail about how unjust this was and how little she should pay attention to their negotiation, something told her that's not what the girl needed.

Selene heard voices outside the front door and steered Sarah through the kitchen and into the girl's room so no one would see her in this state. They sat down on the bed, and the girl threw herself down on the bed, tears slowly leaking from her eyes. Selene's own eyes landed on her sword, which Sarah had offered to let her store in her room. She had half a mind to go carve both men up with it, but didn't think murder was the right solution.

"He basically gave me away." She finally said after five straight minutes of crying. "I hear a good man will pay thirty silver as the bride-price for a virtuous and pretty girl." She sobbed. "Can you imagine Selene? Can you imagine a man being willing to pay so much for you?"

"Not really." Selene replied honestly, though probably not the way the girl was thinking.

"I've heard that prettiest girls like you are worth a whole year's wages." Sarah said wiping her eyes. "I wish I was a pretty girl."

"You are." Selene said, and she meant it.

The smile on her face when she'd been talking about her herb garden earlier in the day was infectious, and no one in their right mindwouldn't have called her pretty then. True Sarah was a bit on the plain side, physically speaking, but certainly not unattractive.

"Rindrin is a good, honest man and I'm grateful; I really am." She whispered. "I just wish I was worth more than nine nights."

"You are." Selene replied firmly, not even able to comprehend how this girl's value system got so screwed up. A girl shouldn't value herself based on what a man would pay to marry her.

"It's my fault." Sarah finally whispered quietly.

"It isnot your fault." Selene replied emphatically.

For some reason, Selene didn't get the impression this was low self-esteem talking. The girl certainly had low self-esteem, but this didn't seem like it stemmed from that. It seemed like this came from something more real and more tangible; something very specific that Selene could only guess at: probably her 'problem'.

"It is my fault." She said, trying to wipe away the tears that were still coming. "The monks were right about me."

"Right about what?"

"I..." she faltered, seemingly ashamed of herself. "I... I can't say." She swallowed hard and then started crying again.

The Brazilian woman had no idea what to do.

She got the distinct impression that Sarah wouldn't share whatever the monks had said, and yet it seemed to be the source of her horrible self-image. She would've loved to 'take care of' the girl's fiancé, but doubted that would make a difference at all. The damage had already been done, and she somehow doubted it would make a difference in the long run. She briefly considered helping the girl run away, but doubted Sarah would go for it and wasn't about to try kidnapping.

Not knowing what else to do, she tried to comfort the poor girl.

* * *

Kendra had never felt anything like it.

The instant she and Ethan had exchanged deep mana, she felt... it was like she could feel a part of her mix with a part of him. It was a part from each of them that was truly deep, intimate, and personal. She had long heard that bonding with someone was like sharing your soul with them. She had long scoffed at the idea too, but now she wasn't so sure. She felt herself connect with him somehow, and in a way that she couldn't quite understand or explain.

As the connection finished forming, she felt it flare up for a moment, burning incredibly bright. Bright enough to illuminate him.

All of him.

It was like everything he'd ever thought, felt, or done flashed before her eyes all in an instant. It was like looking at a city from above and seeing every bright spot and every dark alley; every bastion of hope and goodness mixed with every stronghold of despair and malevolence. All of it -- all of him -- was laid bare before her for a split second.

She could feel his noble side which strove toward goodness while being weighed down with doubts, fears, and insecurities. She saw his darker side tinged with both human and draconic elements. She saw his desire to protect and love contrasted with the impulse to control and dominate. The former outweighed the latter, but she'd never realized how hard he must have to fight to restrain his base instincts, especially from his dragon side.

Seeing it gave her a whole new appreciation for just how good -- well, maybe 'not bad' -- of a dragon he was. She couldn't imagine struggling with that every day and still being like him.

Then it was gone.

She blinked.

As the bond finished forming, the sight vanished from her mind leaving only a vague impression of the totality of his being. She couldn't remember anything specific, only broad generalities, and even those were nebulous and ill-defined. She physically stumbled slightly and took a step back, the force of the darkness and light inside of him overwhelming her slightly. She looked at him, trying to decide how one man could contain so much of both at the same time, and especially wondering how the light shone brighter than the darkness.

Then she realized that he might've gotten a similar glimpse of her as well, and instantly hardened her mental defenses.

* * *

Ethan had bonded before, but not like this.

It wasn't like Alana who had eagerly accepted his mana, welcoming it as a lover might. It wasn't like Beth who was full of hopeful optimism coupled with boundless curiosity. He couldn't remember bonding with Taloni much at all, having been unconscious. However his dragon side preserved some memory fragments of the tender innocence and profound trust that made her so delightful. It wasn't like Rachel who'd offered no resistance when he'd saved her from the will-breaker ring.

This was different.

There was a sharp edge to Kendra's deep mana that was hard and abrasive. He could actuallyfeel her disgust for him, and for the fact that she was being forced to bond with him. He could feel her hatred for all dragons -- including him -- permeating her deep mana. It had a visceral force to it that was frankly shocking.

Then they connected.

That hard, abrasive part of her mixed with his own deep mana. Had they been one mere ounce more different, they probably would've mixed like oil and water. As it was, they mixed, but almost reluctantly. He could feel both of them instinctively resisting the inevitable results. He felt the same profoundly deep and intimate connection that he'd felt when bonding to his other wives, but much differently in this case.

Their bond flared for a moment as it finished forming, and he caught what he'd been waiting for. All of her laid bare before him. Her entire personality, her memories, thoughts, emotions all impacted him at once.

But he was ready.

He'd spent a lot of mana enchanting himself to improve his reflexes. He concentrated on using those improved reflexes to slow the deluge down so he could actually see what made her tick. As a result he could 'see' these things much more clearly than he had with his other wives. The images, memories, and feelings were less jumbled, less fragmented, and more orderly.

He could see Kendra as a young girl, cowering under something as the world around her was engulfed in dragon's fire. Her young eyes stared from a distance as her home was immolated. He could feel her terror as she searched the windows for the two people within... two people she dearly loved but would never see again. He could see her cold and lonely at the orphanage. He could see the relentless hours of training, the countless life-and-death fights, many against dragons, and the pain of losing her comrades.

But he saw one thing above all else:

Loneliness.

Powerful, black, dark, all-consuming loneliness. It permeated every memory, every thought, and every action from the moment her parent's house had burst into flame. It hit him like a tidal wave, almost sweeping him away in a cocoon of isolation the likes of which he'd never felt before. He felt himself physically stagger backwards at its force...

Then it was gone.

The bond completed, her memories and feelings faded from his mind and he breathed a sigh of relief.

*Ethan! Are you okay!* Alana called.

*Dominus, what happened!?* Beth thought to him.

*I'm okay, I'll explain in a minute.* He replied as he tried to maintain a semi-upright position despite his exhaustion and the last remnants of the overwhelming sensation of loneliness that he had felt from Kendra.

Lady Ekthros eyed both the dragon and the dragon huntress, then reached her hand out towards them as if feeling something he couldn't see. After a moment, she smirked.

"I'll let the happy couple get acquainted." And with that, she strode out of the room.

Kendra looked at him like she was trying to decide whether to kill him or hug him. She settled for an icy glare while backing as far away from him as she could and sitting down on the floor with her arms crossed protectively over her chest.

Taloni bit her lip, then stood, walked over to her and sat down next to her. "Thank you Kendra. I know how much you don't like dragons."

The dragon huntress grunted, but otherwise didn't answer. She didn't seem to be able to meet his eye either.

Curious.

Given what he'd just learned about her, her hatred of dragons suddenly made a lot more sense than before. It was hard to imagine hernothating dragons with what she'd gone through.

He couldn't quite shake the crushing burden of loneliness either. It was hard to imagine walking around feeling like that all the time. He literally couldn't imagine what that would be like. He hadn't been married very long, but with Alana, Beth, and Taloni around he never felt lonely. Other things yes, but not lonely.