The Dragon Prince's Bride (Updating)

Chapter 13

Sylvia gazed around the small room quietly. Jana was asleep in the kitchen, her face down on the table deep in a drunken stupor. The rest of the house had been silent for hours, with everyone else in bed. Which meant that now was her chance!

As carefully as she could Sylvia snuck past the drunk woman and out the kitchen door. She looked around for a patrol guard but saw none. Then she bolted out of the gate and off towards the forest, racing to avoid being detected by any wandering servants. She knew this whole venture was risky, crazy even. Especially since Jana had been so kind as to lessen her burdensome punishments, but as soon as she was free of the shackles Sylvia's mind could not help but contemplated how best to check on Keil! What if he had been waiting for her to return all this time? Or what if he needed help finding his way back home? She simply wanted to know if he was okay. She could not forget about him, she could not abandon him. She just had to return one last time!

Eventually Sylvia reached where the small burrow was situated. She neared the shelter slowly, kneeling down to look inside. "Keil?" She whispered.

No reply came. She crawled in further and felt around the floor, looking for any sign of Keil, but there was nothing. Not even a dim warmth from where he had lain for so many days. Sylvia let out a disappointed sigh, the realization hitting her heart hard. She knew he was a just a stranger she had found out in the woods, but she felt so accustomed to his presence that his disappearance was devastating. It had been nice to have something to look forward to each day after her work. But now Keil was gone. For good. Just like she knew he would be...

Sylvia cried silently for a moment. It had been plain stupid for her to come out here, looking for someone who was sure to be long gone! She was just so sick of herself and her own pathetic tears. She should have known better than to get her hopes up about such silly things. Dreams and hopes were not for slave girls. Not for her, now or ever.

******

Keil gazed up at the moon that night with awe. The skies were so clear and beautiful this time of year. He was glad they could be appreciated even on the land below. Finna was off a little ways foraging for food amongst the small forest creatures, though she often ended up playing with them and making a loud ruckus through the grass and leaves instead. He chuckled at her playfulness, but then his mind drifted back to Sylvia. He wondered what she was doing right now. Did she really have no regrets about leaving him out here for good? Even after she had done so much for him? Why? Why save him only to abandon him later?

Keil shook his head with a grumble. He just didn't understand. He didn't understand Sylvia, or her people, or this strange land. Truly, they were all so different from his own. Not that he really wanted to know. These primitive land dwellers were nothing of consequence in the end.

Finna suddenly let out a whinny purr, clawing at a nearby tree trunk in a sad way. Keil laughed, knowing she had probably gone and let a meal escape by accident.

"Come on girl, we must go," He commanded softly.

The dragon growled grumpily as she came back towards him, looking disappointed. He patted her snout with a chuckle. "That is what you get for playing with your food!"

She let out a snort as he mounted the saddle on her back. Then they headed back to the burrow for the night. First thing in the morning they would depart and make their journey back home. It would not take long to reach the mountains to the north, and from there he could search for signs of his home.

Just then, Finna let out another curious purr, sniffing the air with interest. Keil gazed around the area warily, searching for her point of focus. That's when he saw her. Yes, that woman, the one he could not seem to stop thinking about.