Fire

Chapter Thirty One

"So what would you two like for breakfast?" An older man asks as he comes around the corner. Getting a closer look at us, first he smiles, then it quickly drops when he looks at me.

"M-m-my apologies my lady, I did not mean to be d-disrespectful. I-I-I knew that Conny was bringing a friend, b-but I assumed it was one of her friends that is a servant as well. I-I-I am truly sorry my lady," he stammers.

"Oh no. Please, you don't have to be afraid of me. I am just another normal person, just like you. I may be engaged to the Prince of Dragons, but I am just like you. There is no need to treat me differently," I say reassuringly. A look of relief instantly comes onto his face and he takes a big breath of relief.

"Thank you, lady. You are very kind," he smiles.

"Please, call me Ember, or Fire. That's what Conny does," I say as I return his smile.

"Now," he says as he claps his hands together. "What can I get you two for breakfast," he smiles. Conny grins at the two of us, and then goes bouncing off to sit on a high stool next to a tall table.

"Can I have my usual? With extra chocolate and sugary stuff?" She says with a hopeful smile. He chuckles and nods before looking at me.

"Would you like the same as her?" he asks me.

"Just... not as sweet. Just make how it is usually made," I say as I nod, not knowing what Conny usually eats for breakfast. He chuckles yet again, and proceeds to go make us our breakfast. I sit down on another stool beside Conny, although she doesn't stay there for long. She got up and wandered around the kitchen for a while, stopping by other workers and saying hello before wandering over to look over the shoulder of the man making our breakfasts.

"Child, I will not making your breakfast if you continue to hover. Go collect some food for your afternoon meal. Do something useful or sit down," he says in a loving but authoritative tone. She just giggles and wanders off somewhere else.

"Sir, I'm sorry. I never caught your name."

"I'm not surprised, child. I never gave it. My name is Dominik. But you can call me Nik, as all my friends do," he says as he smiles at me before continuing his work.

"Nik... How long have you known Conny?" I ask.

"Hmm... Well, I've known her since she was a little girl. She was almost always hungry growing up, so she hung around here a lot. Dragon milk doesn't work with feeding humans, so I was always making new things to appease her. Her mother is the dragon Wren. Her mate died along with her only child. So when she found Conny, she could not help but take her in and raise her. And because she could not feed her with her milk, she gave me special instructions that I could be the only one to feed her. She became like family," he says with a small smile. He starts to hum under his breath as he is finishing up and Conny comes and sits beside me.

"I packed stuff for our lunch. Some cheese, bread, fruit, and a diluted water skin of wine. We should be all good. Niiikkk... Is our breakfast done yet?" she asks sweetly. He shakes his head and softly laughs as he brings us over two large cups with steam coming out of them. He places one in front of each of us before walking away to get the rest of our breakfasts. Conny sniffs hers and sighs.

"Ahhh... It smells so good!" she says before taking a gulp of it. I know she instantly regrets it when she screams 'hot' and begins to breathe funnily through her mouth.

"Child, you should know by now that it is going to be hot when I give it to you so you should take it easy," Nik says from the other side of the room. I grab my cup and go to take a sip out of it when I hear Conny stops smart mouthing Nik suddenly. I look up at her over the rim of my cup and see her staring at my hand holding the cup.

"When did you learn to do that?" She asks me, still staring at my hand. Pulling my cup away from my lips, I look at the side of my cup. On it was what seemed to be I giant, weirdly shaped snowflake. I set the cup down on the table and spin it around so I can see the snowflake. It branches out from where my hand was. Now that my hand is no longer there, it is fading away from the heat of the drink.

"Uhhh... just now?" I say only half aware. They both look at me with wide eyes and slack jaws. I shift nervously, uncomfortable under their gazes. I should be used to being stared at by now, because of being stared at for my hair color and then being paraded around like a trophy here. I shift in my seat and pick at the bottom of my tunic. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Conny close her mouth and shake her head before coughing and signaling Nik to stop staring. We eventually all get back into what we were previously doing, Nik cleaning up the kitchen and Conny and I get back to eating our breakfast.

"Are you ready to go?" Conny smiles as she wriggles in her seat. I nod and she jumps up, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the door.

"Bye Nik!" we say together as I am being pulled out the door and into the hallway. On the way out, Conny grabbed a bag and attaches it to her belt as she is walking, once she lets go of my arm.

"Where are we going? Isn't the exit out of the caves the other way?" I ask confused as I follow behind Conny. She turns around and smiles at me, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"We're going a secret way, my way."