Dragon Tamer - Book 1

Chapter 9

Merrick walked away from Marcie's feeling troubled.

He had just had another bad encounter with her father, which had resulted in putting him in a very aggressive state of mind.

Marcie was not back. True, she had only been gone for a few days but he was so nervous that he checked her home everyday just to make sure.

He wished that she wasn't so stubborn that he could have talked her out of going. But that was her way, and most of the time it was the reason he loved her.

Other times it made him want to pull his hair out.

He trudged through the pass which lead him back to the village, normally it took him a good hour but it took him longer this time because he was contemplating whether he would ever see Marcie again and that thought made his chest hurt.

When she'd come back from hunting a few night ago she had been distracted, not her usual self. His mother had been worried. And now she was going back into the forest. Something was not right.

Everyone knew that the forest was full of all kinds of creatures.

Stories went back to when the first travellers had settled here, and had been terrorised for months by unseen monsters. Over the years a truce of sorts had built up as the village grew and the creatures no longer targeted them.

He himself had never seen anything that had warranted terror or fear, but then again he had never even stepped foot in the forest - the pass between Marcie's house and the village didn't count - the stories told to him in his youth and still today kept him away from the trees and firmly within sight or running distance of his tavern home.

He would never understand Marcie's fascination with the forest, and it was a fascination. He had known her long enough to recognise that she was always in a calmer frame of mind when she had been hunting within its depths, long periods away from it caused a shorter temper than normal and moodiness.

But this time...he worried that she really was going to go too far and get herself killed.

He was not sure if it was her mother's death, her brother's leaving, or her fathers descent into drunkenness that was the cause, maybe it was a combination of all of these events, but the girl he knew in his youth was no more.

And yet still he loved her.

Of course he loved her. He had loved her from the first time her had met her (or so he believed).

While she shared the appearance of the rest of the village she was taller than the other women and her hair fell thick and straight down her back. Her most astounding feature was her eyes, they were light green mixed with dark green specks and surrounded by long dark gold lashes They made her, in-regards to her appearance, utterly unique within The Forgotten Village, and also, utterly despised.

Uniqueness was seen as an abnormality. She was lucky that it was only her eyes which were different, for if she had inherited the dark brown hair of her mother, then she would have been thoroughly and outwardly shunned by entire village, thankfully all she had to put up with was a lot of whispering and staring but quickly averted gazes.

If she wanted too, when her mother died, she could have homed up with his family and married him when she was of age, at the beginning that seemed to have been the only solution, and she did stay with them for a few weeks after her brother ran off.

But after the initial grief had subsided she changed. Even if he had still been quite young at this point he still recognised and remembered clearly the change which happened in her, her mothers death made her sad but her brothers abandonment made her angry and one day she packed her bags and went back to live at her the home her father built. Attempts to bring her back in the 'safety' of the village proved fruitless, he would never forget her mother and father marching up to the cottage to the shocking sight of the twelve year old Marcie chopping wood behind the house, she only said that she needed to warm the house as her father was cold and promptly shut the door in their faces. He also wouldn't forget the look on her face, he eyes were perfectly clear and set, her decision made clear, she would not be told otherwise.

That stubbornness was also what would probably lead to her death, whether by the hand of the village, who despised anything different or 'unnatural', as they saw it, or by doing something reckless. Such as she was doing right now.

The walk through the trees was uneventfully, as it always was, all the villagers seemed scared to go through the pass, Marcie laughed at them.

Merrick noticed that whenever Marcie was gone, the village seemed quieter, as if her very presence meant that there was something to gossip about. The children, who loved her, looked bored and sullen as they played in the streets and doorways.

When he neared the tavern his mother - who had obviously been anxiously waiting for him - ran out to meet him, one hand placed protectively over her stomach.

"Is she back yet?" she panted, looking worried.

"No ma, the house's empty, except for her father"

Luce caught her breath and placed a hand over her heart looking worried, "I do hope she comes back safely"

Merrick smiled reassuringly and took his mother's arm, "I'm sure she will, she has not been gone for so long and this is Marcie we are talking about."

"That's what I'm worried about" she mumbled, "She cares nought for her own safety"

Merrick began leading his mother slowly back to the tavern and a nice warm bed with lots of cushions and blankets, Widow Dafne had confirmed that the baby was soon to be born and that she should have plenty of rest.

As they neared the door Luce glanced up at her son and saw lines of worry and stress around his mouth and eyes.

"Son, you do plan on marrying dear Marcie one day don't you?"

Merrick winced and looked away.

"She needs a man in her life"

He shook his head and helped her up the steps to the back door of the tavern, "Ma, I do not know if you've noticed but she's gotten on well enough without one"

"Every woman needs a husband, it is her duty to serve him and his to provide for her." Luce replied stubbornly,

Merrick sighed, he and his mother had this argument often, and after being with Marcie for so many years he couldn't bring himself to agree with her or the rest of the village.

"I can see Marcie having something to say about serving or being provided for" he said

Luce frowned and opened her mouth to say more but Merrick steered her up to her room and helped her into bed.

"I shall marry her when she says it is okay for me to marry her" he said, placing another pillow behind her head.

She grumbled, "I suppose that's all I can hope for"

He grinned and kissed her on the forehead, "All any of us can hope for" he said.