The next morning Rosalina and Spirit returned to the clearing. They stopped at the edge and stared in surprise; the clearing looked as if the fight had never happened. The bodies were gone and there wasn't a trace of blood anywhere. The only proof was the dragon who remained where they left him.
How in the world did he do that? She wondered, urging the white mare forward.
Berkeley lifted his head as they approached, his frosty blue eyes softening slightly when he saw them.
"Rosalina," he said, his deep voice breaking the silence. "I see you have kept your word. You do not find many nobles who do." He seemed pleasantly surprised by this.
"Of course," she said, dismounting Spirit. She unfastened the medical bag from the saddle and walked over to him. "Why wouldn't I?" She set the bag down on the ground next to him and kneeled beside him, checking the bandages on his foreleg.
He didn't respond and just watched as she quickly checked his wounds and rebandaged them.
"Looks like they're all healing well; no sign of infection anywhere," she said, closing up her bag and getting to her feet. "The tear in your wing is fusing well, too. You should be good to go in, say, a week, maybe a week and a half." She turned and tied the bag back to the saddle, then grabbed a different, bulkier bag and brought it over to him.
"I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some food," she said, opening the bag. "It's still cold though. I hope you don't mind." She pulled a few slabs of meat from the bag as well as an entire turkey. "If this isn't enough I can bring you a deer," she added, looking his large frame up and down.
"It will be enough for now," he said, lowering his head until it was level with hers. Large, icy blue eyes stared into her crimson red ones as if looking through them into her soul. Then he blinked, and the feeling was gone.
"Thank you," he said, moving his head back, "for this, and for helping me."
"It was nothing, really," she said with a shrug. "I'm sure anyone would do the same if they could."
"In my experience, they do not," he responded, "only you." He picked up a meat slab with his teeth and gulped it down. "And if they do," he added, "it is only for personal gain."
"Well I have my own reasons for helping you," Rosalina admitted, lowering herself to the ground beside him. "Truth is I love dragons. Always have." She sighed and put her head back, looking up at what little sky was visible through the trees. "My mother used to tell me stories about dragons when I was just a child. She would always tell me how dragons were honorable creatures that deserved our respect, and that if I ever met one I should always be kind."
"Your mother sounds like a very kind and understanding woman," he said softly. She nodded.
"Yeah, she was," she agreed.
"Was?"
"She died years ago. I was seven when it happened." She pulled her legs close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "She was murdered. No one knows who was behind it or why they did it."
Berkeley swallowed the bit of meat in his mouth before laying his head down on the ground near her. "I am sorry," he said softly. "I do not know if this will make any difference, but I do understand. I too have lost loved ones; my parents were killed when I was young." She saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I barely escaped with my life."
That sounds familiar, she thought to herself. "Sounds a lot like the Duke," she muttered. It took her a second to realize she said that out loud.
"The Duke?" The dragon repeated, lifting his head. She noticed a weird expression on his face but she couldn't tell what it was.
Oh, he's probably confused, she realized. "Duke Ravenport," she explained. "He went through the same thing. Although people seem to think he's the one responsible for it."
"What do you think?" He asked, an intense look on his face.
"I think they're all fools to think he'd do something like that," she said aggressively. "He was just a child then! Who in their right mind would believe something like that? I mean, sure," she relented, "he's an extremely powerful and somewhat terrifying man- he is known as the Dragon of Illridia for a reason- but that doesn't mean he's the one behind it. He couldn't be," she added, "he just isn't that kind of person."
Her thoughts drifted to the time before her death. She remembered how, while the Duke was still cold and distant, he wasn't cruel or unkind in any way. "He treats those under him with dignity, and inspires loyalty and respect," she said out loud. "He is an honorable man with a good heart."
"You speak as if you know him well," Berkeley said. "Is he someone important to you?"
"He's my husband," Rosalina answered thoughtlessly. "Well, not yet," she corrected, "but he will be. Soon. And I don't really know him that well," she lied, "I haven't even met him yet."
He looked at her with an odd expression on his face, and she began kicking herself mentally. Stupid! She thought. Why'd I have to start talking about the Duke anyw-
The black dragon suddenly began laughing, interrupting her thoughts. His laughter startled Spirit, who had been grazing at the edge of the clearing. Her ears went back and she snorted angrily before turning her back to the two of them.
Rosalina just stared at Berkeley, surprised.
"You are a strange woman," he chuckled, "to defend a man you have not met."
She felt her face flush. "Well- I- you-" she stuttered, not knowing what to say.
"Relax. It is not necessarily a bad thing," he said, looking away from her to the sky. "On the contrary, I would say he will be lucky to have you."
She looked up at the black dragon, the confusion clear on her face. "What?" She managed to say.
He turned back to face her. "You say he is a powerful man," he said, "and it seems people despise him for it, yet you do not. Yes," he interrupted when she opened her mouth to speak, "he has loyal subordinates who respect him and would also defend him, but it is not the same as someone who is his equal; it is not the same as a wife."
"Still, that doesn't mean he'll be lucky," she disagreed. "For all you know I could be trying to take advantage of him."
"That is not possible," Berkeley snorted.
"How do you know?" She shot back. "I could just be saying things to get him to trust me."
"You are not that kind of woman," he said. "I know those kinds of people well. If you were really one of them, you would defend him in front of other people, that way word will be able to spread and reach him. You would not be talking about him in such a manner to a dragon you just met if this were the case." He shook his head. "No, you are an unusual and kind woman."
"I didn't expect a dragon to know how people are," she said, surprised. "Have you been around people a lot?"
The dragon blinked a couple times then turned his head away from her. "Humans are very predictable," he responded.
That didn't answer my question, she thought. Maybe he has some human related trauma and doesn't want to talk about it. Well, I can understand that.
She patted his foreleg in a comforting manner with one hand. "You should eat that." She said, changing the subject. She pointed to the turkey he had yet to touch.
"Ah, yes," he said, looking down at it. "I had forgotten." He grabbed it in his jaws and crushed it with his teeth before swallowing.
"I thank you again for the kindness you have shown me," he said, dipping his head to her. She blushed.
"It was nothing, really," she said, getting to her feet.
"Are you leaving?" He asked. She nodded.
"Yes, I have things I need to do in town," she responded, dusting the dirt off her clothes. "I will be back tomorrow to check on you." She picked up the bag she used to carry his food and called Spirit over. The white Trakehner lifted her head and walked toward them, stopping at Rosalina's side. The white haired woman tied the bag to the saddle and prepared to mount the horse.
"I-" Berkeley started. He stopped, opening and closing his mouth a couple times.
"Yes?" She asked, turning to face the dragon.
"It is nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Farewell. I will see you again tomorrow."
She mounted Spirit and waved goodbye to him. "Till tomorrow." She said, "farewell!"