***Boots***
Fiona left shortly after receiving Boots's apology. Gregory did the same but brought a pillow and blanket back out for him to use a few minutes later. With a small bowl of soup to top it off.
Boots lay awake in the barn, on a bundle of hay with his blanket and pillow.
It seems he's survived his trial.
He'd even been given a bowl of soup!
He knew that Fiona had not completely forgiven him, but now, at least forgiveness seemed possible.
Boots was content with that.
He decided to review the knowledge he had gleaned from Gregory earlier.
The year was 342 After Fire.
It seems that very few records survived from before the 'Great War of the Dragons' 342 years ago. When civilised life was nearly destroyed across the continent in a 156-year war with the Dominion Concordat, an alliance spanning multiple dragon races, whose sole belief was that Dragons were essentially superior to all other life and should be worshipped, as their God Solaris intended.
The battle of Cantro, the last surviving capital city, and the last vestige of hope for the people of Alleon, apparently raged on for over a year. Ending in a stalemate, the Dragons withdrew and haven't returned in force since. Some historians believe they saw the war as unwinnable, while others suggest they are simply gathering their forces for another attempt. It took a long time for a dragon to mature after all.
In the devastation that war brought to the country most official records were destroyed. So, the government decided to simply start records from scratch.
After the war, people do what people do and the land was divided once again across the continent of Alleon.
A whole slew of minor countries and kingdoms were formed. Border wars and skirmishes plagued Alleon continuously. Even now.
As for Gregory's farm, that lay on the outskirts of Fenniton, the town Boots had seen earlier.
Fenniton was one of the eight towns in the small kingdom of Raxia.
The king of Raxia was called King Pino.
More commonly known as; 'The Slave King'.
Boots hadn't had the chance to press Gregory for more details.
'Slave king, eh?' Boots thought to himself.
"Not for much longer." He muttered under his breath. No king worthy of the title would be named as such. He clearly didn't deserve a kingdom and Boots was more than happy to relieve him of his post.
He pulled the blanket over his shoulder and allowed the sweet embrace of sleep to wash over him.
It had been a long day.
***Rodger***
The sun slowly rose on the sleepy valley, morning mist filled the air as the first rays of sunlight struck the roof of the barn.
A rooster poked his head out from the chicken coop.
This was his moment.
He hopped out of the coop and trotted his way over to his favourite spot by the barn. A lone fence post just by the door.
He scampered over cheerfully, left eye rolling free in its socket without a care in the world. He had a kink in his neck that made it look as if it had been broken before, his tongue frequently hung out the side of his beak if he wasn't paying attention, some might say he could only run diagonally, and that his plumage was a little… haggard.
But he didn't care. He didn't even have the capacity to understand.
He jumped up onto his little post and surveyed his domain.
He closed his good eye momentarily.
And filled his little lungs with a deep breath.
'COCKA-DOOOODLE-DOOOO!!!'
Perfect.
One more time!
'COCKA-DOOOODLE-DOOOO!!!'
Perfect.
One more time!
'COCKA-DOOOODLE-DOOOO!!!'
Perfect.
One more time!
'COCKA-DOO-DDER-BLEH-BA!!! Baaak!!!'
***Fiona***
"Boots!! Put him down!" Fiona shouted. She had just walked out the front door, ready to start the day. Only to see Boots strangling Rodger the rooster.
"This animal is in pain; I shall ease its passing." Boots said with a dark expression, strangling the snot out of Rodger.
Roger was starting to foam at the mouth, left eye bouncing around in its socket like a die in a cup.
"Boots he's fine, just put him down! Now!!" Fiona said firmly.
"Very well." Boots relented with a sigh. Releasing Rodger.
'Bok-kaaaaaaaaaaaaw' Rodger screamed maniacally, running off into the distance as soon as his feet touched the ground.
"…"
"…"
They stood in silence for a moment, watching Rodger's diagonal retreat.
"So, why were you trying to kill the rooster?" Fiona said a little awkwardly. Still slightly unsure how to talk to Boots.
Although she no longer thought he was a crazed murderer, she was still slightly wary of him.
"Well, ah…" Boots said wiping the sleep from his eyes, "I thought he was in the final throws of death, so I decided to help him along." he said, tail flicking unconsciously.
"Oh," said Fiona, catching the movement from the corner of her eye, "You're sure about that?"
"Indeed"
'Flick!'
"You weren't mad because he woke you up?"
"No!! O-of course not." he said crossing his arms.
'Flick! Flick!'
"Rodger didn't startle you?" she said with a mischievous grin, trying to make eye contact.
"No! I was already up!" Boots said, crossing his arms, trying to avoid her gaze.
'Flick!' 'Flick!'
'He is too easy to read! He's like a little kid!' Fiona thought to herself.
"Hmmm" she said leaning in close.
Boots desperately tried not to look her in the eye. Only giving the occasional shooting glance in her direction.
She stood up on her tiptoes and pinched his ear firmly. Bringing him down to her level.
"You can't lie to me Boots!" she said laughing, "I will always know!"
"Ow-a-da-da-da-da" Boots squirmed in her grip.
"Don't kill the rooster! Got it?"
"Ow- got it!! Ah-"
"Good," she said releasing him, before glancing at his still mud-covered legs and arms, "you need a bath."
"Oh, yes, sorry last night I neglected to take one," Boots said instinctively bringing his paw up to his mouth.
"What are you doing!" she said, slapping his paw away from his outstretched tongue, "you'll give yourself a hairball!" Fiona looked at him with a mortified expression. A hairball could kill you!
"Huh?" Boots mumbled.
"Urgh, men! Honestly," she said shaking her head, "come with me, I'll draw you a bath."
Fiona led Boots into the small bath hut that stood adjacent to the main house, she opened the rickety wooden door and beckoned Boots to follow her inside.
'Bonk!'
"What was that?" Fiona said turning to look at Boots.
"It's nothing." he said with a grumble, rubbing his head.
Fiona shrugged and continued into the hut. Inside was a large stone bowl that sat on bricks above a small fire-pit. A cabinet and a couple of buckets stood off to the side.
"C'mon help me with the water." Fiona said, grabbing the buckets and throwing one to Boots.
They spent the next 10 minutes filling the bowl with water from the well.
Fiona reached into the cabinet and grabbed a flint and steel.
She knelt down by the fire-pit and struck the sharp edge of the flint against the fire-lighting steel. Causing sparks to fly onto the hay wood and coal that sat in the fire pit.
The small bundle of sparks soon developed tiny pockets of fire on the hay.
"Oooh." Boots said involuntarily.
'Just like a little kid!' Fiona thought to herself trying not to laugh.
"And then we can get the fire going a little stronger like this" she said, presenting her palm to the flames and closing her eyes in concentration.
Her paw glowed slightly, and a gentle breeze emanated from her hand, feeding the flames and causing them to spread and join into a modest fire!
"Wha-!!" Boots recoiled in surprise, "How did you do that?"
"I know a little bit of air magic, Dad taught me." Fiona said proudly.
"That's amazing!" Boots said, awestruck.
"Oh, its only a little bit, I'm not a certified magician or anything." Fiona said with a blush.
"You just control the air with your mind?"
"I suppose so, it's a tiny bit more technical than that, I can't fly or anything crazy." Fiona said sheepishly.
Boots stood there with a surprised look on his face for a while, Fiona couldn't quite tell what was going through his mind. He seemed pretty impressed to say the least.
"Okay so, I'll leave you to it," she said turning to leave, "I'll go grab you a change of clothes and a towel."
"Oh, ok." Boots said looking anxious.
"You know how to take a bath right?"
"O-of course. Soap, water, scrubbing, I'm aware of the process." Boots said, looking uncomfortably at the slowly warming water.
Fiona raised an eyebrow.
"You're scared of water?"
"I am not!" Boots said un-convincingly.
'Flick'
"You can't lie to me Boots!" Fiona said with a wicked smile.
"I'm not scared. I just don't like it."
'Flick!'
"Hmmmm, seems to me like you're scared… " a sudden thought occurred to her, "what was all that about being a king last night? A king scared of a bath… oh dear, what will people say?" she said dramatically putting a paw to her cheek.
She had been meaning to ask him what all that king business was about but hadn't actually had the chance to bring it up yet.
Boots's face filled with embarrassment, steam practically emanating from his head.
'Gotcha!' She made a mental note to terrorise him about it later!
"I am not scared of a BATH!" Boots said with a determined look in his eyes, paw reaching for his trousers.
The sounds of fabric tearing filled the room.
"Wahhh!" Fiona yelped, covering her eyes, and running out of the hut.
'SPLAAASH!!!'
"I'll go get you a towel, your majesty!" Fiona said playfully with a giggle.
"Humph!" Boots harrumphed from the hut.
'A man's pride is a fragile thing!' Fiona chuckled to herself. Just as she turned to head towards the house. She noticed a rather out of place straw hat hovering behind the well.
"No one likes a spy, Dad." she said narrowing her eyes.
The straw hat jumped as if struck by electricity!
"O-oh, ahem, sorry what dear?" Gregory said, standing up from behind the well, straightening his hat, "I was, ah, just tying my bootlace?" he said with an unconvincing smile.
"Hmmm, whatever you say Dad," Fiona said nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow, "out digging today are we?"
"Oh ah," Gregory said, thumbing his shovel, "well, you know, its about time to start planting after all. What, ah, was all the commotion about in the bath? Everything ok?" he said changing the subject expertly.
"I was just showing Boots the bath Dad, don't worry," she said walking over and rubbing his arm, "everything's fine, he's just a bit clueless."
"Oh, good," Gregory said, relaxing slightly, "anything you need?"
"Yes actually! Do you know where Mum put Ben's old clothes? Ben's got his own place in town now and he doesn't visit that often, so I doubt he'll miss them."
"Up in the attic I'd expect, there probably some boots in there that'll fit him too, they're about the same size I'd of thought." Gregory said stroking his chin.
"Thanks Dad!" she said giving him a peck on the cheek and hurrying off to the house.
"Oh, she said catching herself, "do you want anything from town? I was thinking of taking Boots and the eggs to the market."
"Fiona, are you su-"
"Dad, he's harmless," she said dismissively waving a paw.
"Well…" Gregory paused, stroking his chin with a frown on his face, "Could you get Colin to fix my axe? It's in the shed. And get the shopping list from your Mother." Gregory said, wringing the neck of his shovel anxiously.
She could tell he was worried about her being alone with Boots, who was, until recently, public enemy number one..
But for whatever reason, she just wasn't scared of the overgrown kitten anymore.
Not even a little bit.
'So, he can help me do the shopping.' she thought to herself with a nod.
***Boots***
Boots splashed uncomfortably in the water; it wasn't so bad once he was in. Quite warm in fact. But not what he would call pleasant.
Although it did feel good to scrub the muck off of himself with the soap!
He gave himself a thorough scrubbing, even made himself a little beard out of the suds. Before violently shaking it off.
He was a king! Soapy beards are for children!
Although…
Maybe a hat? Nobody was around after all.
'No, no, no.' he shook his soapy stately hat free.
Although…
30 minutes later there was a sharp knock at the door.
"I'm coming in." Fiona said, slowly opening the door with a bundle of clothes and some boots in her arms.
"Ah!" Boots froze.
"What are you doing?" Fiona asked catching sight of Boots's soapy hat and beard before bursting into raucous laughter.
Boots hurriedly stuck his head under the water. Splashing it everywhere.
"I'll just leave these here, your highness" she said, placing the clothes down on the stool next to the bath, launching into hysterics once more as she exited through the door.
Boots waited until she had left before resurfacing.
Humiliated, he clambered out of the bath to dry himself and set about getting dressed.
It was a complicated few minutes but he managed to figure it out. Eventually he stood fully dressed in a blue shirt, brown trousers, black jacket with fleece lining, that was quite form fitting and hugged his chest nicely.
The boots were another issue, he'd got them on, but had no idea what the little bits of string were for so just tucked them in. They felt a bit weird to walk in at first, but Boots did not dislike them. he'd be able to step on all manner of things without hurting his feet, quite the useful invention!
He felt a bit warmer than he was used to being, but he supposed he'd have to get used to it if he was going to fit in in this place.
***Fiona***
Fiona had just finished filling out the shopping list for her mum and was heading out of the house with her basket full of eggs.
"Oh, Mum before I go," Fiona paused halfway out the door, "could you feed Cinnamon for me while I'm away?"
"Cinnamon?" Margaret said with a confused look on her face.
"Yes my pet mouse, he's in my room."
"Wha-"
"Thanks Mum!" Fiona said slipping out the door "I'll be back soon" she shouted over her shoulder.
She stopped quickly at the shed to grab her fathers' axe and was just walking towards the bath hut when the door opened.
'Bonk!'
And Boots stepped out clutching his head, fully dressed.
"Hey, you don't look too bad with your clothes on!" Fiona said with a cheeky grin.
Boots's face betrayed his embarrassment.
"C'mon, cheer up! We're going to town!"