Treasure Ch. 06

--

When they entered the city gates, Richard and his companions parted ways. Sir Christopher, a fair-haired, muscular man with a whiskery face, did so with a little more enthusiasm than his partner, and Catherine shrank away from his arm with a polite smile as he attempted to drape it over her shoulders in a fond embrace. As they strolled off into the night, Richard looked down at her and raised his eyebrows.

"Are you going to tell me what all of that was about?" he asked once he had confirmed that the area was deserted. Catherine frowned.

"All of what?" There was a tone of uncertainty in her voice, and she tried to swallow it down.

"You know what I'm talking about," Richard shot back, looking grumpy. "I'm not a blind man, Catherine. I saw the hold you had over that dragon; one word from you had him as docile as a pussycat." A jolt of panic shot through her nerves, and she held her head high as they followed the dirt path towards the dark silhouettes of buildings and walls. The gates shut behind them with a screeching rumble.

"I'm beginning to think that dragons are misunderstood creatures," she said quietly, clasping her hands in front of her so she could fidget nervously with her fingers. Richard's head seemed to jerk towards her in surprise, and she kept her gaze trained on ground. "Captive or not, he treated me...he treated me kindly, Richard. He only seemed to want my company."

"Kindly?" Richard repeated incredulously. "Company? We've sent dozens of girls to him over the years, and you're the first of 'em to be sent back to us. He isn't an innocent creature, Catherine. There's eons of blood on those godforsaken talons of his--more than you or I could ever comprehend."

She swallowed. "I think he was lonely," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the crunch of dirt beneath their feet. Richard was silent for a few minutes, and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. As comfortable as she felt confiding in him, she couldn't help but feel as if she had said too much.

"You're a good girl, Catherine," he finally said, and his tone was a little softer than it had been before. "Too kind for your own good, sometimes. You can find goodness in just about anyone, and I like that about you. I always have." He paused, and Catherine looked up at him worriedly. "I'm not going to tell anyone what you've told me," he murmured, and even in the dark, she could see the worry in his expression. "And I don't think I need to tell you that it would be best if you kept this to yourself from now on. The rest...they won't understand."

She nodded jerkily, casting her eyes downward in shame. "Thank you, Richard," she said softly.

"The world is changing, Catherine. It's us against them now, and I reckon that it will be for decades to come." He put a weathered hand on her shoulder, and she leaned her cheek against it briefly. "To the west, Orthrin has sent armies to its mountains to slay the giants. Our own King Ulric and his eastern allies are offering hefty rewards for dragon hearts. There's even talk that King Hadrien plans to siege the forest. He's been sending messengers into its depths to negotiate peace treaties with the fey, and none of them have returned...well, completely intact," he added slowly.

"Why does he want to ally with the fairies?" she inquired, shivering a little as she recalled the fierce wildness of the one she had encountered.

"They're strong, and I'd wager they outnumber us ten to one," Richard answered grimly. "I don't think they're too keen on siding with anyone, and that makes him nervous. It makes all of us nervous."

"Then why don't we leave them be?" Catherine retorted. A brief wave of fury made her words short and clipped, and Richard seemed to smile a little.

"You'll understand when you're older, Catherine. Men don't take kindly to powerful things that they can't control."

They began to scale a small hill that seemed very familiar, and giddiness bloomed in her belly when she saw the building at the top of it. Its many windows were blank and dark, except for one that overlooked the eastern garden. A faint candlelight flickered on the walls inside of it, and she felt her eyes widen. Suddenly, she didn't know if she was ready for what was about to happen.

"Now, you can go on ahead and talk to your father about your rescue. He knows about what we did tonight; I went on ahead and told him that it was all hush-hush. But Catherine--King Ulric, he can't know about this," he said urgently, pausing at the stairs to look at her gravely. "Times are hard right now, and if he heard that I aided in the dragon's escape, I'd be branded as a traitor and exiled. As far as the rest of the world knows, you came running out of that cave tonight and found me and my men stationed at the bottom of the trail. Do you understand?" She nodded wordlessly, and, looking satisfied, he continued to march forward. Jitters spread from her belly to her fingertips as they reached a tall, iron gate, and the silhouette of a man came to greet them from the other side.

"What business have you here at such a late hour?" he snapped, and Catherine's heart leapt into her chest. She recognized that voice. It was Cedric, one of her father's guards.

"I found something of Duke Bastion's," Richard said, a little bit of slyness entering the gruffness of his voice. "I reckon he wants it back." Cedric's head turned towards Catherine, and he seemed to reel when he got a good look at her.

"Good Gods," he said hoarsely, and he lunged forward to open the gate. "Lady Catherine. Please, come inside," he said quickly. "I can fetch him immediately--"

"I can manage that on my own," Richard grunted, and they both strode past him once he had pried the gate open. Cedric lowered into a deep bow, and Catherine felt herself flush. It had probably been less than a week since she had left, but she could already tell that it was going to take a while for her to become accustomed to such treatment again. By the time they reached the heavy wooden doors, her hands were trembling at her sides. Richard glanced down at her, and from the light of the massive lanterns hanging on either side of the doorway, she saw him flash her a kind smile. "You ready?" he asked gently, putting an arm around her shoulders and giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"Y-yes," she answered shakily. She suddenly couldn't breathe properly, and when Richard raised his fist to pound on the wooden doors, a jolt of excitement and terror struck her heart.

The doors creaked open, and an elderly lady peered out into the darkness. Her gray hair was pinned into a tight, severe bun at the back of her head, and her blue eyes were milky with age. She was wearing a humble green dress with a slightly tattered apron tied around the front. She squinted at them, and then her face grew slack.

"Oh, Leda," Catherine breathed, looking blearily up at her nurse. Her eyes were filling up with tears, and she rubbed frantically at them with her sleeve to stop herself from dissolving into a weeping mess. Richard watched the exchange in silence, looking faintly amused. "I've missed you."

Leda's thin, wrinkled mouth worked for several moments, and then she crumpled into a heap at their feet.

"Leda!" Catherine gasped in alarm, diving into the house and kneeling down next to her. The old woman's eyes fluttered open after several seconds, and she gaped up at Catherine wordlessly. "It's alright!" she insisted, clutching her shoulders. "It's just me! You're not hurt, are you...?"

"What's the meaning of this?" a rumbling voice demanded, and Catherine looked up helplessly to watch as a tall man strode angrily into the foyer. His rich clothes were hidden beneath a thick sheepskin mantle, his dark brown hair was shot through with veins of silver and tied back at the nape of his neck, and his brow was furrowed in a familiar look of annoyance. A wide silver medallion with a heron on it hung heavily at his neck, and his fingers were studded with thick rings made of various metals. When his eyes met Catherine's, he stopped where he was, and his breath was punctured with what may have been a quiet little gasp.

"Hello, father," Catherine said weakly, her lips trembling.