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(i dont know what isis ka is so she has a dragon)
mahado arrived far too late. He took off as soon as caught word heard of the bandits from the next town over, and galloped through the desert all night, but his village was smoldering when he dismounted from his tired horse the next morning.
The bandits were fleeing. mahado was too stunned to chase after them or try to get revenge. He could only watch as the dragon chased them out, the huge black dragon with red eyes, shooting black fire. A woman stood beneath it. Both she and the dragon looked straight at him. mahado ran.
He had every right to fear the dragon with the power of a god, but that wasn't the only reason he ran. Arriving at his house, he kicked in the charred door. Half of it crumbled to ash. He looked upon the remains of his house and his family. His legs gave way and he knelt on the ground, grieving.
After some time, he felt he couldn't stand the destroyed house. He forced himself to leave. There was nothing of his family left to bury. No possessions left to carry with him. He wandered around the town with no idea what to do next. Other villagers likewise wandered, mourned, or left with what little they still owned.
Amid the steady stream of refugees, the woman lay in the middle of the street. No one paid her any attention. mahado wanted to do the same. He had no reason, nor means to help this woman.
She lifted her head, surprising him. They stared at the other. She said nothing, but her eyes begged him for help, that she was either too proud or too weak to ask for.
mahado approached with caution. The woman and her dragon frightened him, but her unspoken plea stirred something in him stronger than fear. He knelt next to her.
"Will you help me?" she whispered, not believing anyone would give help to the likes of her.
"Yes," mahado replied before he could change his mind. He looked at her, now close enough to see the whip marks on her back, the bruises on her arms and legs, the cuts, the dirt, and burns covering her.
"You..." he could not voice his despair at the cruelty she had suffered, and simply reaffirmed."Yes, I will help you."
How, he had no idea, but he hid that from her. mahado picked her up easily, for she was light. He carried her to his horse, which was fighting off a would-be thief. mahado shouted for the man to get away, and he did. mahado mounted, holding the girl with one arm and the reins with the other, and rode to the next village.
Though he knew it was stupid, he rode through the hottest part of the day. The girl stayed barely awake through the whole trip, holding onto his arm. They arrived late in the day. mahado went straight to the inn, knowing more of his fellow villagers would come this way and take all the rooms. He was forced to leave the girl outside, not knowing how the innkeeper would react to her dark hair. it was so dark it was almost blue. Once he had paid, the keeper would see no color but gold in either of them.
mahado carried her in and laid her on the bed. He left and returned quickly with water.
"Thank you," she whispered after she had drunk.
"You should rest," mahado ordered, as she seemed to be unwilling to sleep. "I'll try to find a doctor."
"No, you shouldn't... for me..." she murmured, but fatigue overtook her and she fell asleep.
mahado brought a doctor as promised, though it was night now. He bandaged the girl, who slept all the while. He left medicine and more bandages, and mahado paid him with his rapidly dwindling supply of gold.
She woke the next morning. mahado dozed, sitting against the wall. He awoke as she tried to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" He stood up to block her way.
"I cannot stay," she apologized, bowing her head. "Thank you so much for your help."
"You can't leave. You still need to rest." He had no idea why he was forcing her to stay with him, when he barely had the money to cover his own needs now.
"I will only bring you trouble. Besides, I have no way to repay you."
mahado confronted the thought he'd wrestled with this whole journey. "That black.... dragon was you, wasn't it?"
She flinched. mahado waited, but she did not answer. "Well?" he prompted.
"Yes," she admitted, unwilling to meet his eyes.
Now that he had the knowledge, he did not know what to do with it. He feared the dragon, but it drove the bandits out of his town. And he did not fear the girl. If the dragon was hers, then it would not hurt him.
"I would not ask for payment, even if you had it." mahado ignored discussing the dragon for now.
"But..." she protested.
"Stay."
She stood in the doorway, debating.
Finally, "Thank you," she repeated. "I will repay you someday."
She went back to the bed and took the food Set left for her. He watched her, and after a moment, asked.
"Your name."
"What?"
"For now, you can repay me with your name."
"isis. ...and yours?"
"mahado."
 krixa 15 · Tue Dec 21, 2010 @ 09:45am · 0 Comments |
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