Look To The Sky

The Fleeing Part One by Debra Tennison

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. Lore and legend claim centuries ago flying devils suddenly appeared in the skies above them, laying waste to fields and farms. Life stock disappeared, children disappeared, and the remaining people retreated in fear to the caves and safe places to await their fate. Heroes rode out to meet them but never came back. Man could not stand before their angry fire. As legend goes, one day the dragons disappeared and did not return. They were gone as quickly as they had arrived. Cities were rebuilt, fields re-sown and hope grew again. But that was all in myth. No one looked to the sky and trembled anymore, and the dragons had faded from legend and memory. No, there weren’t always dragons in the valley.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The child peeked out of the doorway of his room. As he stood there rubbing sleep from his eyes he wondered what it was that woke him. There was noise, a lot of noise. There was clattering, people shouting, running and doors slamming. The sounds were coming from somewhere or everywhere. He heard footsteps, running up and down the hallways. He heard voices, angry voices, and they were getting louder and sounded as if, yes, it sounded as if the sounds were coming his way. He quickly pulled back into his bed chamber and eased the door shut then pressed his ear up against the closed door.

"Where was Kaila, his nurse?" he thought. He looked around the room but her pallet near his bed was empty. He wasn't awake enough yet to feel afraid, but instead, only curious. The voices, the noise and the steps were coming closer. The boy looked around his room, unsure what he should do. He climbed back into his bed quickly and pulled the coverlet up over himself. His childish mind telling him, surely, if he can’t see, he cannot be seen.

At that moment two men burst into his room. They were speaking low to one another as they looked around the room. He trembled at the sound of their rough gravely voices. Then there was silence.

Spotting the little mound in the bed, one of the men grasped the coverlet and flung it back to expose the youngster to their sight. To the boy, "quickly young prince" said the first man, the tall one. He indeed was very tall. The little boy had to arch his neck way back to get a good look at the man. He was dressed head to foot in black, from his boots to the hooded cloak pulled up over his head. With only several candles burning and a low fire in the hearth, the stranger’s face was all in shadow.

Fear began to creep up over the boy like a cold hand wrapping itself around him. He laid there as if frozen, unable to move, unable to speak and he was finding it increasingly difficult to draw in a breath. "Now, young sir!" said the tall one impatiently, grasping the boy by the arm and pulling him from the bed. The lad was now up close to the hooded stranger, his iron like grip holding the boy in place. The boy could smell the acrid odors of smoke and sweat and horse on the man.

The second man, much shorter, somewhat stocky and dressed all in dark clothing much like the tall man, was moving around the room, throwing open drawers and cabinets, pulling out items of clothing and tossing them on the boy’s bed. One last look around and the sturdy thickset man appeared satisfied. He had a bag of sorts with him, and he was pushing the clothing items down into it, without any effort towards organizing the contents. All the while the two men kept up a conversation in a foreign tongue. One that the boy did not understand.

Both men turned their eyes on the boy, looked to each other then back to the boy. “Boy, you must trust us”, said the tall man. “We have no time for questions and no time for childish behavior. Do you understand?” The boy hesitated briefly then nodded.

Lastly a third man entered the room. Almost as tall as the first man, though fair and bright in contrast to the dark hooded stranger. Golden curls covered his head and reached nearly to his shoulders and even in the dim lighting the boy could see his eyes were a brilliant piercing blue. His clothing was the color of autumn leaves and appeared to change colors as he moved about. The fair man came into the room followed closely by Kaila, the boy's young nurse.

The little boy broke free of the hooded stranger and ran to his nurse, hiding his face in the folds of her dress.

The man in shadow turned to the nurse, "Dress him and do it quickly! There is little time!" he said sharply. She did not answer him, simply gave a curt nod, and turned to the young boy pulling him over to the bed then taking his little round face in her soft hands, she looked into his eyes. He is so small she thought. This is all so much for one so young. The little boy looked to his nurse and was reassured by her calm manner. "My sweet, my prince, we need to dress you for a special trip, for an adventure. You do like adventures do you not?" she whispered. He nodded slowly and felt his fear beginning to slowly slip away and curiosity take its place. He smiled and nodded more enthusiastically. Kaila returned his smile.

He had always liked a good adventure. He and his closest friend Dierk had many adventures in the castle. Just yesterday they had searched all morning until they found where the old kitchen cat hid her most recent litter of kittens. Mangy old thing had hissed and clawed at them, even giving Dierk a long bloody scratch down his arm. "She can be our dragon," he had told Dierk. "And her kittens, well her kittens are the dragon’s gold!" Dierk had nodded in agreement. Yes, the boy thought to himself, he did like a good adventure. "Where am I to go for this adventure?" he whispered, eyes sparkling.

"That's what makes it an adventure." she answered. "You will find out when you get there. Now let us get you ready".

Kaila noted the restive manner of the men in the room and began to quickly dress the young boy in his traveling clothes. First warm woolen breeches, thick knit hose that she tied securely at his knees, then singlet, shirt, and gambeson. The gambeson was a perfect miniature of his father's, complete with family coat of arms. She smiled as she slid it over his head and adjusted the fit. The fabric was soft and silky like a lamb’s ear. The deep green fabric was a perfect complement to the boy’s dark hair and chestnut-colored eyes. Crimson red detailing at the neck and hip framed the tiny Coat of Arms on the chest.

The youngster finished sliding into his heavy boots as Kaila made to pull his cloak around him. At that moment the shadowed man strode over to them purposefully and grabbed the nurse by the elbow and hissed "woman, not that! Think!" he said pointing to the brightly colored gambeson. Then, not unkindly, "does he not have something more appropriate? Find him something dark, and make sure it is padded for warmth."

The boy looked up into his nurse’s face and saw the color rise up her neck and into her cheeks. "Yes, of course, forgive me sir", she answered and pulled the gambeson up over his head. She paused looked from the gambeson to the men and saw the three had retreated to the corner of the room, their heads down, speaking in low voices. Instead of placing the item back into the heavy wooden wardrobe, Kaila quickly rolled up the gambeson and pushed it down into what was to be the boys traveling bag.

At the wardrobe she pulled out a thick, dull, brown tunic and slid it over his head. Fitting the traveling cloak around him she fastened it at the neck and stepped back. She continued to smile but her bottom lip quivered slightly, and the boy saw tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

"Remember me young Prince as I will remember you", she said as she placed her hand over her heart. "Remember I loved you and served you and will always keep you here, in my heart." Kaila leaned over and placed her hand on his small chest, over his heart, and whispered, "Keep me here young sir." His heart was beating against his chest like a little bird trying to escape but he nodded his head. Noting that the boy was beginning to look a little fearful, his brows drawn down and lower lip beginning to tremble, Kaila quickly straightened up and smiled and said in her usual cheerful manner, "now then Theo, it is time to begin your great adventure". The boy smiled again, looking relieved. The two exchanged a brief hug. She continued, "You stay with these men and do exactly as they say, exactly as they say, and I shall come to you and see you as soon as I am able".

The stocky man grabbed the bag from the bed, tied it close and headed out the door followed closely by the hooded man who had the boy firmly by the hand. The youngster looked back only once as he was taken from the room. Kaila smiled brightly at him and with a wave of her hand he was off.

The tall man with the handsome blond curls moved to follow, but not before turning to Kaila, pulling her close and planting a quick kiss on her now trembling lips. He loved the smell of her, floral and sweet. He loved the sight of her, her delicate porcelain features. He always thought they would be together, share a life together.

"I am coming back for you my love, as soon as it is deemed wise." he said. A sob finally escaped Kaila. "Gerald, keep him safe! I will delay them if I can". Gerald grasped her hands, so tiny in his own and pleaded softly, "I don't like this, you should be coming with us. It is not safe for you here." He pulled her fingers to his lips and continued, “Do you understand that they that never were have returned and have brought their masters with them?” and she nodded briefly.

Kaila felt fear squeezing her chest, threatening to steal her breath away, but answered him firmly, confidently, as she was pressing him out the door into the hallway, "Go now. I am only a servant so I have nothing to fear. They will only seek for the boy. He must be made safe." After one last lingering embrace Gerald turned and made his way down the hallway, quickly, silently.

He was gone and out of sight, before Kaila slid to the ground, her composure melting into sobs. She knew she would be dead before sunrise.