Bastileborn - Dragon Fire Pt. 02

"You're the product of racial treason. My dad would kill Gregory for cheating on his sister with an elf."

"Shut up!" Thistle yelled with tears dripping down her face.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he continued to stare at her in disbelief.

He didn't understand why the elves enslaved Thistle instead of killing her. She had to be an abomination in their eyes.

"Thistle, if you really are an enslaved princess, I'll have to rescue you and return you to Gregory. It's my duty, you know," he said with a soft smile.

She looked at him like he was a complete idiot after that.

"You're a stupid ass! Like I would ever believe you're the nephew of a king! You... you have to drink the rest of this now. Tom said you had to," she grumbled as she wiped her face and climbed off the bed to retrieve the rest of the altered whiskey.

"Sure. If you insist. What is it?"

"Tom said it's whiskey. He mixed something in it to keep you sedated and ease pain. Tom is a good human doctor."

He watched her curiously as she stood in the middle of the room, holding the whiskey, simply staring at him. She seemed too afraid to get any closer.

"Thistle, you can come over here. I'm severely injured and tied to a bed. You don't have to be afraid of me," he said with a smirk.

He watched a cute blush spread across her delicate cheeks. She really was the most charming female he had ever seen. She sighed before she bravely stepped over to him and brought the small bottle to his lips. He quickly drank the rest of the whiskey, and it burned all the way down. Thistle backed away when he started coughing.

"Thanks. That stuff is strong," he said with a rasp in his voice. A few seconds later, his head swam with dizziness. "It works fast too."

"Um, what's your name?" Thistle asked as she watched his eyelids drooping.

"I'm Gavin. It's lovely to make your acquaintance, Thistle," he said softly. The room was growing dim as he admired her face. Her skin seemed to be giving off a soft glow. "You truly are beautiful, Thistle. Don't ever think that you're not."

Thistle watched as his head fell to the side. Her cheeks were burning and her heart was pounding. The handsome human seemed frighteningly sincere when he lied.

"Well, Gavin. I think you're loony and don't ever tell me that you're not."

Tension

It was late in the evening when Gavin found consciousness again. Orange sunlight was shining through the window, turning the gray stones to rust. His head was still aching as he looked around the small room. Thistle was curled up on Nora's bed asleep with a book held to her chest. Her eyes and cheeks were red, like she had been crying. He sighed as he remembered what he told her. Suddenly, his stomach growled angrily, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in a day and a half. His mouth was also painfully dry.

"Thistle," he called in a raspy voice.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she glanced at Gavin. She shot up like a spring when she remembered he was there.

"Did you say something?" she asked as she fumbled with her messy hair, trying to get it out of her face.

"Sorry to wake you. Can I trouble you for some water?"

"Of course!" she said as she hopped off the bed and scrambled out of the room.

Gavin listened as her soft, almost soundless footsteps hurried down the hall. Then he heard the clanging of a wooden spoon against a clay jar. She came back into the room with a large round pitcher held to her chest.

"Can you raise your head some? I don't want to spill this on my bed," she said as she set the jar on the floor and picked up the wooden dipper.

"I didn't know this was your bed. No wonder it smells so good," he whispered as he struggled to raise his aching head.

Thistle watched him struggle for a moment before she grew impatient. She stuck her hand behind his neck and helped him raise up.

"Thank you," he whispered as she carefully brought the dipper to his lips. He took a long drink and drained the cup. "Mmm, it's grape juice," he said as he licked his parched lips.

"Yep, Nora hides it for me," she said with a sneaky smile as she refilled the dipper. He happily drank three more cups before he laid his head back to rest.

"Thank you, Thistle. That was wonderful. You didn't have to give me your juice," he said as he watched her sit on the floor beside the bed.

"I should have gotten you something to drink sooner. I've never taken care of anyone before. I'm not very good at it. Let me know if you need anything else," she said as she dipped some juice out for herself.

"Um, will there be solid food for supper?"

"Yep. Nora will bring supper for us soon. We usually have bread and mutton, but sometimes we have pork and vegetables."

"I like beef, but pork or mutton would be splendid right now," he said with a smile.

"Do you often eat beef where you come from? I tried it once. It was amazing, but I got in trouble for it. Slaves aren't allowed to eat beef."

"We eat it often at the royal court," he said longingly.

He heard Thistle drop her spoon. He looked to see her staring at him in annoyance.

"You are unbelievably persistent with these lies! Will you please tell me the truth about yourself?"

"Thistle, for the last time, I am not lying to you. My aunt Selena is married to King Gregory Avonstine of North Luria. My father is Grand Duke Arum Runesteel of Talfane. Talfane is currently considered a large province of Luria, but it will eventually be named a kingdom once we chase the high elves away from our river. That makes me Prince Gavin Runesteel of Talfane," he said in exasperation.

She stared at him with her mouth open. Then she stood and backed away from him.

"This is horrible! You really are a prince. Did they know when they captured you? This could turn the Talfane dispute into a war! You have to get out of here!" she said as she clutched nervously at the hem of her dress.

"Calm down, Thistle. My father had no clue that I was in the skirmish on the southern front, and I forbid my subordinates to say anything if I went missing. They know I can take care of myself."

"So... you let yourself get captured? That's how you take care of yourself?" she asked in exasperation.

She watched as Gavin blushed and looked away from her.

"No, my arrogance got me captured. I attacked three high elf foot soldiers alone. I'm surprised they didn't kill me."

"You can NOT stay here! You have to tell them who you are. You being here is stupidly dangerous!"

"I know, Thistle, trust me. I'll figure out a way to escape, but I think I'll stay for a little while. There's a mystery I need to solve," he said as he looked at her curiously.

"What mystery?" she asked in exasperation.

"I want to know why the high elves are keeping a human princess as a slave."

"There's a princess here too?" she asked in disbelief.

Gavin laughed and rolled his eyes.

"I hate to break it to you, Thistle, but your existence is enough to justify a full-blown war between humans and elves. They should have given you over to your father instead of making you a slave. This is so bizarre. I can't imagine why they would keep you here," he said as he stared at her face for a moment. "No..." he breathed in disbelief when the most logical answer came to him. "Thistle... I think your mother is elven royalty."

"For goodness's sake! Please stop saying crazy, treasonous things!" she grumbled.

"They're not crazy! You resemble King Gregory. He has your name carved into his sword. You're human royalty. And now I'm beginning to think you're also elven royalty. Someone had enough power to keep you alive and hidden. Who would want to do something like that if not your royal mother?"

Thistle was trembling as she stared wide-eyed at Gavin. Then she burst into tears, fell onto Nora's bed, and hid her face in a pillow.

"Thistle, please don't cry about it," Gavin groaned as he tugged at the ropes binding his arms. "Why does this upset you so bad anyway?" he grumbled as he tried to wriggle free.

"Because I think it's true," she mumbled miserably.

"What? Why did you change your mind?" he asked in disbelief.

"I'm reading a story about an elf princess who had an affair with a human king. She became pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful child with short ears. The elf king knew the child wasn't his grandchild and forced his daughter-in-law to explain what happened. She broke into tears and made up a story about being raped by a human, but she didn't want the baby to be punished for the actions of others. She desperately wanted to keep it. So, the king decided to hide the strange child among the palace slaves. The story is told from the princess's perspective. She wrote a letter to her human lover, telling him the baby was stillborn. She was afraid to tell him the truth. She feared he would come to retrieve the child and start a war," she whispered sadly.

"In other words, the king figured the child would be better off dead than be made known to the public," Gavin grumbled.

Thistle looked at him and nodded. Tears were still dripping down her beautiful face.

"I'm the abomination that caused the princess so much grief," she whispered miserably before she buried her face in the pillow again.

Gavin sighed as he continued to squirm his way out of the ropes. He suddenly jerked his right arm free and quickly untied his other arm. Thistle was too busy crying to notice he was escaping.

"Yes!" he said happily as he jumped off the bed, but his celebration was cut short by a wave of dizziness.

Thistle looked up and gasped. She was about to scream for Nora, but Gavin collapsed on his hands and knees in the middle of the floor.

"Ugh, my head," he groaned.

"Are you all right?" she asked as she jumped off the bed and knelt beside him.

"Not really," he grumbled miserably.

Suddenly, Nora burst into the room, carrying a tray loaded with food. She stopped short when she saw Gavin and Thistle on the floor.

"By the gods! How did you get loose?" she bellowed as she stomped across the room and set the tray on the table under the window. Then she yanked Gavin off the floor and shoved him back onto the bed.

"Ouch! You demonic dwarf! Leave me be! I'm in enough pain already!" Gavin yelled as he fought to keep his hands away from Nora.

"Be still, ya bloody whelp! I'm tying ya down whether ya like it or not. I'm not leaving ya loose around my baby girl. Thistle, go get Tom!" Nora ordered as she seized Gavin's arms and pinned them across his chest.

"Yes, mam!" Thistle called as she darted out of the room.

Gavin sighed angrily and gave up his struggle. Nora was as strong as a bear, and his head hurt bad enough to make him cry.

"So, you're the infamous Nora. Thistle talks about you constantly. Do you know she's a princess of two races?"

Nora raised an eyebrow at him for a moment. Then she snorted and shook her head.

"I don't know what this crazy talk is about, but ya best keep it to yerself. Who are ya, boy? What did ya do before ya got captured? Were ya a farmer?"

Gavin gave Nora a dirty look after her last question, but he decided to hold his tongue. He figured Thistle would be too afraid to tell anyone who he was, but Nora would go straight to a palace guard and rat him out.

"My name is Gavin. I was a horse trainer for the Duke of Talfane. I can break the most rebellious of beasts and turn them into royal chargers."

"Ah, that's good! Yer my new apprentice then. Ya won't be training war horses. Ya will be helping me tend the farm animals. Thistle was my apprentice, but she isn't strong enough for the back-breaking work I do. I need a stout fellow like yerself to help drag beasts to the slaughterhouse," she said with a broad smile.

"Great," he groaned as he laid his head back and closed his eyes.

Thistle hurried back into the room a few minutes later with Tom behind her. He was shaking together another mixture of whiskey and herbs.

"Nora, did you knock him out again?" Tom asked when he saw Gavin resting.

"No, the light makes my head pound," Gavin grumbled as he slowly opened his eyes to look at Tom.

The old doctor had thin snowy hair and bushy white eyebrows over large green eyes. His smile was friendly and his vision keen. All that knew him liked him.

"Oh, good, you're awake. Sorry about the headache. There is only so much I can do to ease the pain of being clobbered with an iron skillet. Here, this will help a little. It's not as strong as the first batch, so it won't put you to sleep right away. Nora, please move. I assure you, he is too drugged to be a threat to any of us."

Nora huffed and released Gavin's arms. She stomped over to the table and pulled a small stool out for herself.

"Thistle, come here and eat before evening prayers," she said in a motherly tone as she pulled another stool out for Thistle.

The smell of the roasted pork made Gavin's stomach grumble noisily. He was eyeing the food as Tom shoved the glass bottle in his face.

"Be a good boy and drink, or I'll call Nora over here again," he threatened.

Gavin took the bottle and drained it in a few gulps.

"Yuck. What is that stuff? It burns worse than any whiskey I ever had," he coughed.

"It's slave tamer," he chuckled. "It will make your heart race if you try to exert too much. You best rest up and start earning Nora's trust. She might starve you otherwise," he warned as he patted Gavin on the shoulder. "Call me if you ladies need anything," he said before he left the room.

"Thank ya, Tom! Have a good night," Nora called after him.

Nora and Thistle were both staring at Gavin as he sat on the bed, staring at them. He was watching longingly as they ate roasted pork with carrots and potatoes.

"Um, may I please have some food?" he asked as he looked at Nora.

His eyes looked so defeated it made her chuckle.

"Of course, ya silly whelp. I'm not really going to starve ya," she said with a smile.

He smiled in relief and started to climb off the bed. He was moving slowly, but the more he moved, the more dizzy and weak he felt.

"Damn it," he grumbled as he stumbled back on the bed. He fell on his side with his head spinning.

Thistle was about to step over to help him, but Nora held out her arm and stopped her.

"No, sweetie. He might be faking. Give him a minute," she ordered.

Thistle wasn't sure what Nora was waiting for. It was obvious Gavin was too drugged to sit up.

"So, Gavin, are ya going to come get some food or not?" Nora asked in a casual tone as she went back to eating.

Gavin groaned and began pushing himself back into a sitting position. Thistle watched him worriedly. His whole body was trembling.

"Nora, he's going to fall on the floor again," she whispered impatiently.

"Let him. The boy is proud. He needs to be broken or he won't be any use to us. If I can't break him, he'll be sent to that nasty quarry. Please bear with me, Thistle," she whispered.

Thistle nodded and sat back down to watch. Gavin was still sitting on the bed, trying to get his bearings. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, then he pushed himself to his feet. He stood for a wobbly second, then he fell against the wall and stumbled noisily to the floor.

"Hurry up, Gavin. Yer food is getting cold," Nora called.

Gavin let out an exhausted sigh and forced himself to roll back onto his side. He laid there for a moment, out of breath from the small exertion.

"Thistle, help," he whispered miserably.

She almost jumped up to help him, but Nora grabbed her arm again.

"She can't help ya, Gavin. She can't even trust ya. Ya hurt her the first time she tried to help ya. Ya took advantage of an innocent girl to save yer own neck. Ya could have gotten her killed. Ya should be ashamed of yerself," Nora said as she watched him carefully.

His face tightened up, and he clenched his fists. He looked angry, but Thistle blinked in surprise when she saw tears dripping down his face.

"I'm sorry for what I did. I know it was terrible," he groaned miserably.

He was too ashamed to look at Thistle or Nora.

"I hope ya meant that. I want ya to know that I saved ya from the stone quarry. If it weren't for me, ya would be beaten with whips while carrying fifty-pound stones on yer shoulders. Palace slaves live a much easier life, but if ya try to escape, I promise ya the guards will shoot ya dead before ya reach the gate. So, I expect ya to be nice and not cause me or Thistle any trouble. In return, we will feed ya. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, I promise I'll be good," he said as he looked up at Nora.

"Very well. Ya can help him now, Thistle," she said as she let go of her arm.

Thistle swallowed against a lump in her throat and hurried over to him.

"Can you stand so I can help you back to the bed?" she asked as she touched his shoulder.

"If you can keep the room from spinning, I might make it," he whispered as he reached up and clumsily found her arm.

"Okay, let's go."

After a lot of stumbling and crawling, Thistle eventually got Gavin back to the bed. She helped him prop his back against the headboard so he wouldn't fall over again. Then she brought the tray to the bed and fed him his supper.

"Oh fiddlesticks, where is my mind today? I left our comb in the washroom. Thistle, if he tries anything funny, run get Tom or a guard. I'll be back in a flash," Nora said as she hurried out of the room with a lamp.

"She's a good slave driver," Gavin mumbled sleepily. It was hard to stay conscious with food in his belly.

"I'm sorry about all that. Why don't you just tell Nora who you are? I'm sure she could get you an escort home. It's silly for you to let yourself be treated like this," Thistle grumbled as she brought a small bite of pork to Gavin's lips.

He reached up and grabbed her hand, causing her to drop the spoon on the tray. She looked at him in alarm.

"Speak for yourself, princess. Why don't you demand to know why you're a slave?" he whispered as he pulled her slender hand to his lips and kissed it.

She quickly jerked her hand back.

"You're doing this because of me? I don't want to start a war! Tell Nora who you are and go home! I don't want things to change," she huffed as she picked up the tray and stomped back over to the table.

"Thistle, I'm doing this for King Gregory and your brother Eric. They think you're dead. You don't belong here. It's wrong what the elves did to your family because of their stupid racial pride, and stop worrying so much about starting a war. I'll find a way to do it peacefully."

"I think I'll tell Nora who you are. Then she can get rid of you," she said as she glared at him.

He smiled and shook his head.

"Then I'll tell everybody who you are, and they'll kill me for it. If they don't kill me, I'll go home and bring an army back here to rescue you."

"You're a stupid ass!" she huffed as she put her hands on her hips like Nora did when she was angry.

"I'm a stubborn ass too."

Nora came bobbing back into the room and startled Thistle. She quickly dropped her arms and sat down at the table, still glaring at Gavin. He was smiling at her as he fought to keep his eyes open.

"Thistle," Nora began, "fetch some blankets out of the closet so I can make myself a soft place on the floor. Ya can have my bed since I have to tie that little whelp to yers," she said as she combed out her long gray hair.

"Nora, don't be silly. I'll sleep on the floor. You did double duty today. I sat around reading," she said as she jumped up and pulled the blankets out of the closet.

"Maybe she doesn't like making a princess sleep on the floor," Gavin mumbled.

Thistle turned and glowered at him as Nora chuckled.

"There ya go again. I think I hit ya too hard today. I must have knocked yer marbles loose," she said with a wink at Thistle.

Thistle gave her a half-smile before she turned back to the closet.