Where There Be Dragons

Chapter 8

The tailor could feel the mood of the room turning hostile and so, took it upon himself to diffuse the situation.

"What his majesty means to say is that it will be very difficult if you do. It's a risk we can't afford to take. We have seen the ecological damage your species has done to your section of the world, can you imagine what would happen if that thoughtlessness expanded over into ours as well?

"It won't be so bad. Why, Christopher's family has lived here since the 1600s. Haven't they Christopher?" said the tailor as he awkwardly smiled over to Christopher in an effort to boost morale.

Christopher nodded back.

"You will live a life of luxury, with riches beyond your wildest dreams. You will have food and clothes. You will have nothing to worry about. You will be safe here." continued the tailor.

"I'm sorry that you crossed over, it was very unfortunate, but, for our own safety, we simply can't let you leave".

"But you can't keep us here, we didn't do anything wrong". I said as I tried to reason with them.

"Not you, personally" hissed the Dragon King.

But we couldn't stay. My Dad was still waiting for me, he probably thought I was dead by now. I tried to explain it to them, but they wouldn't listen. They said that people got lost at sea all the time and that we wouldn't be missed.

They enticed us with the promise of other far off lands and the mystery of what resided in the other three corners of the world. They showered us with gifts and told us that this was not a time for commiseration but for celebration.

They said that we were their guests, even though we were their prisoners.

"A banquet. We'll hold a banquet tonight in honour of our new arrivals". smiled the tailor.

"Very well." said the King. "Very well."

We were shown back to chambers that the palace had prepared for us. I tried to think of a way out, while Hank and Keira tried to make the best of a bad situation.

We couldn't say anything between ourselves because Christopher was always within ear shot, but I knew in my head and in my heart that we couldn't stay here. Somehow, we needed to get away, whether we had the court's permission or not.

Christopher showed me to my chamber. It had an en-suite bathroom and shower. And laid out on the bed, a pressed green velvet shirt and trousers, similar to the dress that Keira had been given. Laying on top of the outfit was a silver medallion, shaped like the spherical crest of the Kingdom.

"I hope you enjoy the bed and the shower. I had a hand in their design. And I speak from experience when I say, you wouldn't want to sleep on a dragon bed. Different spines, you see?" chuckled Christopher.

Christopher waited in the hallway, while I showered. It had been a long few days and it was nice to let my muscles soak in the continued stream of the shower head.
The hot water was so relaxing that I almost forgot about the rest of this nightmare. I grabbed a towel and walked over to the bed where the crushed velvet still lay. The material was so soft and warm, that this did really feel like the life of luxury, but I had to remind myself that we really couldn't stay. I don't know why they added the medallion, I wasn't going to wear it. I wasn't one of them and I never would be.

I needed to think of a way out. A tidier room would help me think. My old clothes were all crumbled by the foot of the bed. I picked them up and straightened them out to create a better atmosphere in the room.

"Hi, it's Christopher, are you ready to head down to the banquet?"

Dammit, this would have to wait.