Queen of the Dragons

Twenty Eight

I do not think at this point that I have any more tears to cry. I never thought tis a possible thing, but  as I lay in a wagon with my unconscious and injured closest friend, I could just whimper and silently pray to the gods and goddesses that my friend be okay and that we make it through this.

Every bump and rock in the road made our bodies slide and crash and by the time we had stopped my shoulders and head were hurting a lot! I just wanted my papa to come swooping in and get us. Or maybe even Loche to come and yell at the men who took us and then take me back to our marriage chambers. The bed was large and comfy and I remember him holding me tight as we slept. Who would think I would spend the day after my wedding like this!

Loche and I should be doing things that married people do. Like kissing and walking around holding hands and maybe going to the meadows. Sharing sweet bread! Instead I was in a covered wagon with my bloodied best friend sliding all about and hitting the awful sides of the wagon, hard!

Why must life be this hard? I could not even hold on to Dale for comfort or speak to him, or even heal him. I was completely immobilized by those awful ruffians! I also had no more tears left to cry at all and tis was a terrible thing to realize. I just wished that I could heal Dale and then he would be able to help us get out of this terribleness!

As I heard loud and terrifying commotions, I pressed my cheek into Dale's cold clammy skin. He was so very pale and his blood was now covering both him and myself. He was bleeding much too much.

The carriage suddenly halted and we slid to the front of it, pain blooming at the top of my head as we made impact with the hard wood. Before I could even register my awful pain, the cloth that they had covering the wagon was being ripped off and the hot sun met my eyes. I winced and closed my eyes at how bright and warm it was.

Before I knew it, I was being pulled by my ankles, towards the opening of the wagon, where I was so rudely thrown in. My entire body was hurting for how they threw me around like I was a sack of yukata roots ready to be boiled! The man pulling at me was messing with the bindings that kept my feet stuck together. It felt nice to be free of my bindings and I flexed my ankles happily.

"Don'tchya get too happy fae."

What did he mean by that? My legs jolted at the sudden feeling of something cold and metallic against my ankles. Then I heard an odd ringing or a jingling. Before I knew it, I was being pulled out of the carriage and standing. I was standing. As soon as I tried to take a step, I fell over, something was preventing me from taking a full step! How dare..whomever did this to me...do this to me!

My nose filled with dust and I sneezed a few times, as I hit the ground. Not only was I sneezing, but my body hurt. Again! My captors are terrible captors, how could they let me fall? Aren't I supposed to get water and food? They are not like fae captors...

I was being yanked up painfully and let loose a strangled cry. I still could not breathe pretty well due to the cloth stuffed in my mouth, my nose was doing all of the work.

Someone had a tight grip on my shoulder and nudged me rather harshly. "Small steps fae or else you'll eat dirt again and we don't want you damaging that pretty face, ya ere." I did not like the way this man spoke to me, but I did look down to see what was on my feet and was mortified. Shackles linked together by chains. I had never seen such instruments before, and they looked horrible and hurt.

I listened to my captor, slowly putting one foot in front of the other, anger getting the best of me as I almost fell again. The chain was so short how on earth was someone supposed to walk? As I focused on walking, I was not really focused on my surroundings until the growls and whistles started.