The World of Drakonia--Dragons and Riders

It had been a rather eventful night so far. The Lizonians seemed to be more active than usual and Erik could only figure it was because of the full moon. Still, they had not been this active in a long time. What was it that make them more troublesome tonight than all the others.

~Erik….I smell Lizonian blood. I’m going down to take a closer look…be ready.~

Hearing Mina’s voice in his mind, Erik pulled his bow and knocked an arrow to get ready for just about anything. As Mina leaned to the right and tucked her wings, Erik leaned forward in the saddle to make her as aerodynamic as possible. The descent was fast and it brought a smile to his lips. When Mina grew closer to the ground she spread her wings and slowed her speed so she and Erik could take a closer look at what it was she picked up on.

As they passed over the farmstead they could see the dead Lizonians laying on the ground and saw a couple others scurrying for cover as they quickly abandoned the fight. Mins turned and made another swoop and as she passed by this time she leaned slightly to the left allowing Erik to fire off some bolts at the retreating Lizonians. His bolts were true and he heard their reptilian screams as they were struck. One more pass to make sure they were dead, Mina landed a few yards from the farmstead and Erik easily slid off her powerful body.

Carefully approaching the farmstead, Erik saw that someone had made quick work of the creatures already. The slices were clean like a swords slice. With a quick check around the place he saw it was abandoned now. It didn’t appear as though anyone had been taken prisoner so he could only guess the survivors had left to find help or hide.

Making his way back to Mina, the knight easily pulled himself up into the saddle and nodded his head.

“Let’s go girl.”

Mina bent her powerful legs, stretched out her massive wings and leapt into the air flapping her wings to gain height so she could let the natural wind currents take over. Once airborne, the dragon began a circling pattern starting out small then working her grid wider until she caught sight of what they were looking for.

~I don’t see where they went, Erik…..~

”It’s OK, Mina….maybe they made it to that village.”

Mina took to the air a little higher once more and started her gliding on the air currents once more. Erik looked out over the horizon letting the full moon illuminate the ground for him. Between Mina’s excellent eye sight and other senses coupled with his own eagle like eyesight, Erik didn’t worry about not seeing anything he needed to see.

By the time the sun rose, Erik and Mina were getting ready to head back to their base of operations when Mina picked up on something below.

~Erik….Lizonians below….moving in on a lone rider.~

Before Erik even got the words all the way out of his mouth, Mina was rolling to her left and tucking her wings for another descent.

Unknown to the rider and her four legged companions, a group of Lizonians had picked up on the scent of the horse and were moving in from three sides to force her to the edge of a waterfall cliff. By the time Erik and Mina moved in closer, the rider’s horse had finally picked up o the scent of the Lizonians and snorted alerting the rider to the danger that now existed.

The rider thought to first stand her ground but when she saw the number of Lizonians around her; she knew she was far outnumbered. There was but one thing to do. Run. Putting her heels into the horses sides, the horse took off like a shot. The rider leaned close to the horses neck to aid in the flight and the dog ran alongside and kept up with the horse and rider.

As Erik and Mina made the first pass to assess the situation and allow Erik to fire off a few bolts at the Lizonians, another issue came to light. The rider was headed straight for Drakkar Falls. A 300 foot drop into jagged rocks below. As Mina quickly pulled up and turned to make another pass, Erik realized the Lizonians were purposely forcing the rider in that direction. The realization of what they were doing caught the knight by surprise.

”I’ll be damned…”

As Mina came by for the second pass, the Lizonians were ready for her and threw some spears and got off a few arrows at her but they did no damage to the hard, scaled hide. As she pulled up for her third pass, she saw how close the rider was to the falls.

~The Falls are too close….the rider won’t have time to rein the horse in.~

Erik saw what Mina was talking about.

”Well then….there’s only one thing for us to do, isn’t there?”

~Last time we did that we both got an earful fro the Commander.~

Erik furrowed his brows.

”Then I suppose we’ll get another ear full from him. We don’t have a choice, Mina….”

Mina made a wide sweep to her left and descended even lower. This would bring her in from the right of the falls and to the right of the rider. Knowing their timing had to be just right; Mina adjusted her air speed so she wasn’t too slow or too fast.

As the rider approached the falls, she didn’t realize just how close she was and before she knew what was happening, her horse leapt off the cliff side and started the sheer drop down, her dog following along for the death leap.

The next thing the rider knew was that she landed with a rather bone jarring thud and her left forearm being held in the tight grip of the dragon riders right hand as he grimaced to hold onto her and not let her go. As she looked around she realized she was now on the back of the dragon with the rider. Regaining her senses, she quickly scrambled to right herself on the back of the dragon behind the rider.

On the other side of the expanse of water the falls dropped into, the dragon found a clearing and landed. Erik quickly released his legs from the special stirrups and slid off Mina’s back then reached up to help the woman down.

”Sorry about that. Are you alright Miss?”

Behind the dragon the woman’s horse and dog came scurrying looking like they were frightened beyond words. Mina looked down at the woman then back to her four legged companions then back to the woman.

~Do tell her I was most gentle with her animals. She looks a bit….upset.~

Erik looked up at Mina and instead of using his voice to talk to her, used is mind causing his eyes to glow a soft, light blue color.

~I will….I just hope she isn’t that mad at us.~

Mina bowed her head in response to the woman’s heart felt thank you then settled down for a quick rest. On the other hand, Erik thought the woman had hit her head or something as she spoke of the rider form her vision. While Erik knew there were such things that existed, he didn’t take them too seriously since most of the times the ones who spoke of them were half out of their mind.

But this woman seemed to have all of her faculties about her and here she was speaking of a vision. He listened to her explain her vision and merely nodded his head. He didn’t believe in such things but if it made her feel better, he would allow her to think what she wanted. But he knew what she meant about being the riders aid. He was about the only one that DIDN’T have one yet. While he knew they were a huge asset o the ground, he also knew they could be problematic as well. Not to mention he liked being a solo act. And why did he have to have a female one?

“Well…I’m Erik Jordon and this here is Mina. We were just on our way back to our base when we saw what was happening back there. That’s the first time I’ve seen them organize like that. We’ve got about another three miles before we get there. You wanna cover that one foot right now or you wanna hitch a ride with us?”

Mina looked down at Erik and his eyes glowed that same soft blue when she spoke to his mind.

~I don’t think the animals would appreciate that.~

Erik gave Mina a look that spoke volumes as he spoke back to her mind.

~Do YOU want to wait for her to get there or do you want to go back to your cave and get some sleep as soon as we get there? Don’t know about you but I’m very ready for my bed.~

Mina looked over at Shiloh and the animals then nodded.

~Good point.~

The massive dragon stood up them and prepared to take off either way. Erik looked back at Shiloh then and gave a charming smile waiting for her answer.

Erik nodded and walked back to Mina, easily climbing into the saddle. As Mina crouched down, she leapt into the air and flapped her large, leathery wings to gain altitude. Once she was on the air currents, she glided along doing lazy circle patterns in the air. Erik let the dragon glide along at her own pace and when she would bank to make her turn he would look down to see Shiloh and her animal companions below.

~She’s very pretty, Erik. Don’t you think?~

Erik furrowed his brow.

“I suppose.”

~You’re upset about the fact your aid is female? You shouldn’t let that bother you. Many riders have female aids.~

“Yeah….I know…I guess I just wasn’t expecting to have an aid yet…and I was sort of hoping not to get a female one. They tend to need to talk a lot. I don’t like to talk.”

~You talk to me.~

“Well yeah….”

~So what’s the difference?

“Well, for starters, I’ve known you just about all my life and all of yours. It’s different with you. I mean, you’re Mina….a dragon. She’s a human….female….I would actually have to talk to her about things other than what we talk about.”

~We talk about everything.

Erik’s frown deepened then.

“You’re supposed to be on my side, Mina.”

~I AM on your side, Erik. There is more to life than strategic planning, weapons practice and reading. Now you have no choice but to interact with another human being on a regular basis. You need to work with her to teach her everything she will need to learn. And her animal companions will need to learn not to fear my scent. Or presence. Yes…..I foresee many hours of practice ahead of both of you. I’m quite delighted indeed.~

Erik muttered under his breath.

“Glad one of us is.”

The base command came into view and Mina began to make her approach. Tucking her wings, the dragon descended and spread her wings at the last moment then landed gently on the ground. Laying her massive form on the ground to allow Erik to dismount, she rose back up to a seated position and turned her head to see Shiloh coming into view.

Erik unstrapped his saddle from Mina’s body and glanced over at Shiloh as she came into camp. Pulling the saddle free from Mina’s body, he began walking over to a small building that had a crest over the door that matched the crest on the saddle he was carrying.

Mina looked over at Erik and if a dragon could have smiled, she would have been. As she spoke to Erik, the man’s eyes glowed that soft blue color once more, matching the same glow from Mina’s eyes.

~Remember, she’s here to aid you so do be nice to her.~

With that, the dragon once more took to the air and headed to the mountain to the east then disappeared over a ridge as she returned to her lair. Erik watched her leave, never taking his eyes off the dragon until he disappeared. When he turned back around to look at Shiloh, he was still wearing that hard look he had when he looked at Mina.

“Welcome to home sweet home. I’ll put this saddle up and I’ll show you to your quarters.”

Kicking the door to the building open, Erik walked inside and set the saddle down on a brace. The building was small, about 10X10 and contained his saddle and many different weapons within. All of the metal weapons sparkled, indicating they were indeed cleaned and had been put away neatly. When he came out of the building, he closed the door behind him then gestured for Shiloh to follow him. As she moved along with him, he explained the camp to her.

The base command camp was exactly what the name implied. A tall stone wall enclosed the camp from the wide open area of the valley they were in. Where Erik’s building was located there were 49 more just like them, each containing a different crest over the door. Behind the individual buildings were a pair a two story stone building where the riders were housed. One was for males and one for females. Each rider had their own living quarters, each having three separate rooms. A den, a study and a bedroom. Within the bedroom was a large tub off to the far side and a fire place in each room with the exception of the bedroom. There were two fire places in that room. One next to the tub and the other on the opposite wall. The riders quarters was set up close to their weapons shed so they could easily collect them in the event of an emergency on their way to their dragon who would be waiting for them.

The camp itself was rather large as it needed to have enough area of 200 yards X 200 yards for the dragons to land to collect their riders. On the other side of the landing area for the dragons was a series of larger buildings. One was obviously the dining hall. The smoke that billowed from the chimney and the wonderful smells of cooking food that drifted their way were dead give a ways.

As Erik showed Shiloh around, several of the other riders would stop and grin as they walked by. Some would give Erik a thumbs up sign, others would raise their brows then wink at Erik as they nodded. To say the least it was irritating the man to no end. Had they never seen a woman before? The more they did that, the more aggravated Erik was becoming.

One building was larger than the riders quarters but had the same basic design. Erik explained this was where the officers were kept. On the opposite side of the dining hall were two similar buildings like the riders quarters with a stable between the buildings. One building was for the female aids and one was for the male aids. Their horses were housed in the stable between the two buildings.

Once Erik helped Shiloh get her horse squared away in an empty stall, he walked her to the female aid quarters and stopped at the door.

“No males are permitted past the door. Same goes for the females at the male’s quarters. If you need to talk to someone of the opposite sex in one of those buildings, get a fellow male aid or rider to get the person for you. The officers are strict about no fraternization between the males and females. It makes things too complicated and causes problems. Get yourself squared away in your room. Mrs. Winston is the dorm manager. She’ll show you to your room. Tell her you are my new aid. I’ve been on patrol all night and I need to get some rest. I’ll come get you at dusk. Mina and I do night patrols and we’ll begin training tonight.”

With that, Erik turned on his heel and strode away leaving Shiloh to her own devices. While he wasn’t out right rude, he wasn’t exactly accommodating either. Luckily for him he could blame it on being tired but what about when he comes to get her tonight? Bah…he’d cross that bridge when he got there. Right now all he had on his mind was getting out of this armor, soaking in a hot bath then burying himself under the soft sheets of his bed and passing out for the next few hours.

And that’s just exactly what he did.

Shiloh and Sampson walked into the female aids's quarters and looked around. It wasn't very femimine, but that was okay. It looked homey enough. A day room off to the left with places to sit, books to read, puzzles to work. She went on down the hall and saw that further on down was the dining area. It was small, but clean. She went around the corner to the kitchen, smelling something cooking. Her stomach rumbled. That was she heard the screach.

"WHAT IS THAT BEAST DOING IN MY HOUSE?!" Shiloh turned around to see an older woman of about 50, plump, graying hair pulled back into a severe bun, her mouth was a hard line and her hands, more like fists, were on her ample hips. She stalked towards Shiloh and Sampson, her glaring gaze darting back and forth between the two of them.

"That beast is not staying in this house, young lady! It can sleep outside with the rest of the filthy beasts, aid or not." Mrs. Winston gaze dared Shiloh to say something.

Shiloh's gray eyes turned a stormy gray as she glared back at woman. She tried to be nice and took a couple of deep breaths, calming herself. "Mrs. Winston, Sampson has been with me since he was a pup and sleeps with me. If he's not welcome here, then I would assume that neither am I."

Mrs. Winston harrumphed at both of them. "Then you assume correctly if you think that I am going to allow that beast and it's fleas to set one foot into this dwelling. If you must, then sleep outside with it, for it will not sleep in here."

"He doesn't have fleas!," Shiloh exclaimed back. She couldn't believe this woman. "And he's not an 'it', he's a dog and his name is Sampson!" Shiloh was becoming angry now and decided that maybe it would be best if she just went and got RainStorm and the three of them slept outside, together.

"I'm sorry that he's not acceptable to you, Mrs. Winston. We will leave your home and find accomodations elsewhere." With that, she and Sampson, who bared his teeth at the older woman, causing her to take step back, fanning herself, walked back down the hallway past the audience of other aids who were all grining and sneering at her. ~Great, just great. Now I'm the laughing stock of the place and I haven't even been for a full day.~

She made it to the stables, had another argument with the stablemaster, but finally got RainStorm out with her tack and rode out to the forest, just beyond the gates. She found a small stream to make camp by and prepared to settled down for a bit. She wasn't about to go to Eric and act like a whining woman. Besides, he had been exhausted and he'd made it clear in the way he'd spoke to her as well as his actions that he didn't truly want an aid. By the time he'd left her at the female aid's quarters, she'd felt as if she was more of a nuisance to him then anything.

Sighing, she made sure that RainStorm and Sampson were okay where they were and sat, leaning up against a tree, thinking about Mrs. Winston. The only thing that had kept her from verbally tearing into her was what her father and instilled in her. Respect your elders, especially in their homes.

Thinking about her father, she became homesick, thinking of him and her friend, Sheala. She wondered how they were doing. Whether or not Sheala and her father were going to make it back to their home.

She closed her eyes leaning up against the tree, wondering what in the hell she was going to do now.

The next thing Shiloh knew she was being awakened by a shake of her shoulder. When she opened her eyes, she realized two things: It was dusk and Erik was kneeling beside her with a deep frown creasing his forehead and causing his lips to droop.

”Imagine my surprise when I heard my new aid left to seek shelter out in the woods. The most dangerous place she could go. And when I found you, you were so sound asleep a Lizonian could have easily come upon you and slit your throat before you could have drawn a weapon.”

Standing up, he rose to his full 6’5” height and looked around. Giving a disapproving grunt, he looked back down at her, crossing his arms over his chest.

”Get up and get your things. Get back to the base camp and secure your things in your room as I instructed you to do earlier.”

When he saw her open her mouth to say something, he held his hand up to stop her.

”I don’t want to hear it. I’ve already spoken to Mrs. Winston. Apparently she has an issue with your dog. Leave him in the stable with your horse. He will be well taken care of. Those are the rules. If you don’t like them, you’re free to leave any time you wish. Trust me, I won’t be upset.”

He turned to leave and took a few steps before he turned back around.

”I’ll wait for you in the clearing on the other side of these trees. If I hear you head for the camp, I’ll know you’ve decided to stick it out. If I hear you go in the opposite direction, Mina and I will make sure you get back home safely.”

When he walked away this time, his foot falls were heavy indicating he was not the least bit happy over what happened. When he reached Mina, he paced back and forth to try and vent the anger he felt. His eyes glowed that soft blue as he spoke with Mina using his mind.

~How the hell could she have been so stupid, Mina? She knows how dangerous it is out here. I think this is a bad idea, having her as my aid. Obviously she doesn’t know the rules of being an aid. If she did, she would have stayed within the walls of the camp. Dammit….why do I have to suffer with a stubborn female aid?~

Mina sat patiently and watched Erik pace back and forth. Her massive head would slowly turn left then right as her companion moved back and forth before her. Hearing him vent his frustration, she couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

~Her animal companions are more than pets to her, Erik. Surely you can relate. You don’t think of me as an animal OR a pet. Thank goodness. But still…her bond with her animals are no less than the bond we share. And she is no more stubborn than you are.~

Erik stopped his pacing and turned to face the dragon with a look of aggravation on his face again. Before he could say anything, Mina spoke again.

~You need to explain things to her. She’s not going to know everything she needs to know with the snap of a finger. You didn’t. She’s no different. Work with her. Teach her the rules. It’s the only way she will learn and the only way she will be as good at what she does as you are.~

Erik stood there and glared at Mina curling his hands into fists and relaxing his fingers over and over. Finally he threw his hands up in the air in utter defeat.

”Gods I wish I had a male dragon right now!”

Mina threw her head back and laughed causing the ground the rumble and the air to be filled with a growl.

~But you don’t and that’s what makes this so much fun.~

”Fine. We’ll wait to see what she decides. If she decides to come back, we’ll start at the beginning.

Resolving himself to having Shiloh as his aid, Erik climbed into the saddle and waited to see what the young woman was going to do.

Shiloh sat there, listening to Erik reprimand her, rather harshly, she thought. When he told her he didn't want to hear her side of the story, she began to get angry.

As he walked away, Shiloh didn't know whether or not to rant or cry. She was hurt, angry, homesick, and humiliated all at once. She'd been raised to overcome such emotions, but so many bombarding her at one time made it difficult. Sampson whined at her, his wet nose nudging her arm as RainStorm nibbled at her hair, both animals giving her comfort.

She finally rose, gathered her things and walked towards Erik and Mina. Seeing him sitting astride Mina his face still angry, she faltered. ~To think, I thought him handsome~, she thought to herself. She didn't know what to do. Sampson had never been away from her since she'd raised him from a pup and he wasn't going to be now.

She walked up to the dragon and rider, her eyes shining with unshed tears at everything that had happened so far, but a hard glint was in them, as well.

"Now, rider," she says with a sneer, "let me tell you my rules where my companions are concerned, and believe me when I tell you that they are my companions, not my pets." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I understand that RainStorm has to sleep in the stables, he's simply too big to stay in my room with me." Her gray eyes stared into Erik's. When he went to speak, it was her turn to hold up her hand to him, "You will give me the same courtesy I gave you and allow me to finish." She lowered her hand, "But, Sampson is small enough to sleep with me, in my room as he has done every night since he was five weeks old. If this is unacceptable, then fine, I will sleep with my companions in RainStorms stable. And, it this is not even acceptable, then I will leave, but it is not home I will go to, it will be my own journey. Those are MY rules where MY companions are concerned." She laid her hand on top of Sampson's head as RainStorm stood behind her, both animals glaring at Erik as if they knew who had caused their mistress to become upset and angry. "By the way, Sampson has never had fleas nor ticks for that matter. I put a special herb in his food every day specifically to repel the fleas and ticks from the inside out."

She stood there, seeing the anger turning his face red, but she stayed her ground, as she'd been taught to do, waiting to see what he would say.

Erik had never had a woman talk to him like this before. At first, he was utterly taken aback by her actions let alone the way she talked to him. If she thought he was angry before, it was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. The more she made her demands, the more his face showed his emotion. By the time she was done, he was seething and quite ready to jump down off Mina and turn her over his knee to show her just exactly what he thought of her rules. Just as he made the decision to do just that, Mina stood up making the distance between himself and the ground a long jump, even for him. His eyes glowed as Mina began communicating with him.

~No, Erik. I will not let you touch this woman. What she said is nothing short of what you ordered her to do. I told you her animals are more than mere pets and you should honor that fact. Allow some compromise to this or I will take her away from here and you will not be worried by her again. And I don’t think you want to tell the commander why your dragon took your aid to an undisclosed location.~

Erik clenched his jaw hard causing the muscles to bulge as he glared down at Shiloh. Why or WHY was he strapped with this unruly woman and her damn animals. There was no doubt he was seriously debating what ever it was Mina had told him as he sat there, hands curled into tight fists. Finally he relaxed his jaw and nodded as his eyes began to glow once more.

~Fine. I won’t lay a hand on her. And I will give some compromise to her rules. THIS time.~

Mina nodded her head and slowly eased back down to her relaxed state allowing Erik to slide easily out of the saddle and down to the ground to stand in front of Shiloh. Using his size to intimidate her, he walked up so he was looking almost directly down on her making her tilt her head back to look up at him.

”Fine. You want to be my aid with your own rules, then we’ll play it your way. I’ll speak to Mrs. Winston about the dog. But in return, you will not let him wonder around the dorm unattended. He must be with you all the time. If he is seen without you, you forfeit your room in the dorms and take up residency with the rest of the animals in the stable.”

Turning, he walked back to Mina then looked over at Shiloh as he readied to mount the dragon.

“You have 5 minutes to secure your things and get back to camp. The darker it gets the more threat the Lizonians make. I don’t want to explain to my commander why my aid was killed just outside the gates of the camp. In the meantime, I will speak to Mrs. Winston and let her know what is to happen. When I get done with her, it’s time for us to start our training. Be ready.”

With that, Erik easily climbed into the saddle again and nodded to Mina. The dragon looked down at Shiloh for a moment then leapt into the air. The sound of her wide, leathery wings filled the air then faded away leaving Shiloh alone with her thoughts.

Back at the camp, Mina landed and Erik slid from her saddle once more marching his way over to the female aid dorms and banging on the door then calling for Mrs. Winston. The woman came to the door yelling at who ever it was to hold their horses. As soon as she opened the door and saw the look on Erik’s face, she furrowed her brow.

”No. I told you, no flea bitten mongrel will be allowed in my house as long as I a….”

Before she could finish, Erik cut her off.

”Sampson is no flea bitten mongrel. He has no fleas as Shiloh adds a special herb to his food to prevent the varmints from attaching themselves to him. He will accompany my aid to her room and stay by her side at all times. If he should ever be seen alone in the dorms, she forfeits her room.”

Mrs. Winston swelled up like a bull frog and her face turned several shades of red.

”Now listen here….”

Erik had enough of this bickering and closed the door using his booming, angry voice causing Mrs. Winston to startle and look up at him wide eyed. Placing her hand on the top of her chest, she closed her mouth before she irked the knight any more.

”Enough woman! I’ve heard enough from both of you on this matter! Shiloh is my aid and you will afford her this.”

Lowering his voice he spoke so only Mrs. Winston could hear him.

”I will take full responsibility for her actions, Mrs. Winston. If she so much as lets her room get one head hair out of place, report it to me and I will deal with her directly. Agreed?”

The woman stood there glaring up at the young man but finally she relented with a curt nod of her head. Erik gave her a charming smile and stepped back already seemingly in a much better mood.

”Very well. I’m glad we could come to this understanding, Mrs. Winston. As always, you are the most precious gem in this camp and I am eternally grateful for your presence.”

As he began to take a few steps backwards, Erik gave the elderly woman a deep bow then winked at her as he stood back up. Already he could see the woman’s cheeks color and she fanned herself as she felt her heart flutter. By the time he turned around to look for Shiloh his look had changed to one of a more serious nature.

Her five minutes were up. So where the hell was she? Furrowing his brow Erik scanned the encampment for her to see if she was there and ready to go. An unpleasent thought was already planting itself in his mind and he didn't like how it was taking root and gorwing. Had the Lizonians pulled a surprise attack on Shiloh? As his worry quickly grew, he walked slowly towards Mina as his eyes continued to scan the area for the young woman.

Shiloh was making sure she had everything when a low growl came from Sampson. He was staring at something in the trees. She looked to RainStorm, her father having taught her how to utilize the animals natural instincts for her own safety. The horse was uneasy, stomping his foreleg into the grassy ground, his hears laid back. He was concentrating on the area that Sampson was growling at.

Pulling her sword from it's sheath, she was seriously beginning to thing that the Gods had chosen wrong when they'd chosen her to be Erik's aid. The man didn't like her, the others already thought she was a joke, and Mrs. Winston hated her. Now, it looked as if she was up against something in the forest and she'd hadn't even made it back to the base. Erik was going to be so pissed at her.

Keeping her sword close, she tossed her lightweight bag over the pommel of the saddle and quietly whistled for Sampson. The dog trotted over to her as she mounted RainStorm and turned him in the direction of the base.

Next thing she knew, she was being hit hard square in the chest, knocked off RainStorm and hitting the ground hard. Sampson was growling and snarling at something, but she couldn't see what just yet. She saw RainStorm's front legs leave the ground as he reared up, whinnying in anger, lashing out at something. Looking up, trying to catch her breath, she looked directly into the face of the ugliest Lizonian she'd ever seen.

His head was squared, not round like most Lizonians, his teeth were completely pointed and his skin had a red hue to it instead of a greenish-blue. His eyes was what scared her the most. They were gold rimmed in a thick red circle, the pupils thin slits.

She fumbled for her dagger as she'd lost her sword when the lizard had knocked her off of her horse. As she pulled it from her boot sheath, he sank his sharp teeth into her left shoulder. She screamed as Sampson leapt at him, knocking him off of her.

Rising, she fought the urge to vomit from the pain, knowing that the saliva of some Lizonians was toxic, causing horrible infections. The severe burning sensation in her shoulder told her that this strange Lizonian was no different.

She watched as Sampson and RainStorm battled the three other Lizonians as she faced the strange one, dagger in her hand. He had to be something one of the sorcerers possibly created.

"You are ssssstrong, girl. But, not ssssstrong enough for me." The Lizonian could speak, fluently which was also amazing. Most Lizonians could speak, but it was speaking to one who was all brawns and little brains. It was why the were so easily controlled by the sorcerers. This one though, had brains and brawn, not a good combination.

The thing leapt for her again and she swiped at him with her right hand, the dagger's sharp blade cutting deep into the side of his face. He yelled in pain, greenish blood seeping from the deep gash. His drew his thin lips back away from his teeth, his hands coming up with one inch long claws, their tips sharp like razors. He lashed out and Shiloh jumped back, but the pain in her shoulder made her falter and his claws raked along her stomach, drawing blood. The furrows weren't deep, but they were painful.

She was weakening, but she wouldn't go down. She glanced at the dog and horse and saw that they had dispatched the others. One was laying on the ground, his throat ripped out while the others had been trampled to death. Both animals turned simutaneously to her and her opponent.

The reddish Lizonian sensed that he was now outnumbered and gave Shiloh a grin that told her it wasn't over. She had the feeling that she'd been singled out for some odd reason.

As he fled into the trees, Shiloh sank to the ground, her shoulder bleeding heavily from the tear in it, infection already setting in. As she succumbed to the blackness, her last thought was ~Great, now I've really done it. I've failed as an aid and haven't even begun training yet.~ Then, she let the blackness take her, feeling Sampson lay down beside her as RainStorm stood guard.

Erik and Mina had taken to the sky as soon as they heard the shriek from the forest in the direction Shiloh had been left. Several guards were already on the wall and preparing to attack but they couldn’t see anything. In the blink of an eye, Mina landed near the make shift camp Shiloh had made and as she spotted the lone Lizonian scampering away, she roared viciously then took a deep breath and heaved a huge path of fire in his direction.

While Mina held the Lizonian at bay, Erik easily slid from her back and ran to Shiloh. He could see the greenish saliva in her shoulder and cursed knowing the bite was tainted with the poison Lizonians naturally have so that meant there was precious little time to get her the antitoxin. As he slid his arms under her to scoop her up he saw the slash marks on her torso then and cursed again.

”Dammit……I KNEW it…”

As he carefully but quickly made his way over to Mina once more, he gently laid her on Mina’s back then climbed into the saddle cradling her unconscious form. Looking over at the horse and dog, he talked to them like he did Mina.

”Get inside the camp. Now. You’ll meet your mistress there.”

Mina leapt into the sky and headed for the camp.

~She’s growing weaker, Erik. I can feel her heart beat growing slower and fainter.~

”Just get me to the infirmary, Mina.”

Within a matter of a minute, Mina landed gently a few feet from the infirmary and lowered her neck so Erik could easily slide form her back with Shiloh in his arms. As soon as his feet hit the ground he headed for the building and practically kicked the door open. The surprised staff looked at him then looked at Shiloh and quickly set to work.

The doctor gestured for him to bring her into a separate room and lie her on a cloth covered table. Erik did as he was ordered and stepped back to watch. The doctor and his aids quickly assessed her condition and knew it was grave. Barking orders left and right, they worked like a well oiled machine to get everything they would need to get the woman back from the brink of death, if they could.

One of the aids came over to Erik and told him he had to leave since they had to strip the woman down and tend to her wounds. Erik didn’t want to leave her alone right now but knew he had no choice. Walking out into the main room, he ran his hands through his hair and paced back and forth.

Mina, who was still outside, leaned her head down to look into the door and saw her rider pacing back and forth.

~Will she be OK, Erik?~

Erik stopped pacing and looked out at the dragon and shrugged.

[color:edbc=white~I don’t know Mina. The doctor says it could go either way.

He stared at the dragon for a moment then walked out to climb onto her saddle. Mina instantly took to the air and headed for the forest once more to search for the Lizonian responsible for this attack. The dragon glided just over the tree tops in search of the beast but he was long gone by now and she knew Erik wasn’t ready to begin his patrol yet.

Heading back to the encampment, she landed once more near the infirmary and Erik slid from her back. He was just about to enter the infirmary when he heard his name barked and he flinched knowing exactly who it was.

”Jordon! My office. Now!”

Erik stood board straight and nodded, cursing under his breath as he waited for the man to pass and fall in step behind him. Commander Kryton was not a man you wanted angry at you. He was a fair man but when he was angry, he wasn’t easily placated. And right now, he was rather pissed.

As Erik entered the Commander’s office the man told him to close the door. As soon as Erik closed it, Kryton lit in to him without hesitation.

”Have you lost your ever loving mind?! That woman was your responsibility. You should have stayed with her until she returned to camp. Now, because you didn’t, she may loose her life. The doctor already says he’s not sure about her arm. Why weren’t you with her?!”

Erik knew this would be the part he wouldn’t like. But, he also knew there was nothing gained by shirking his responsibilities and owning up to his mistake was the only way he could keep his honor.

”Sir, I was upset with her for going out into the forest to begin with. We had an argument over her housing arrangement and I was angry.”

Kryton stood there seething and took several deep breaths before he spoke. When he did finally speak, it was through a clenched jaw and gnashed teeth.

”So because a woman argued with you over trivial matters, you left her alone, at this time of the evening, resulting in her being attacked and damn near KILLED?! Pull your head out of your ass! You have an aid now. A female one. Deal with it. The others have. Why should you be any different? Get your ass out on patrol. And don’t come back before morning!”

Erik snapped to attention then turned on his heel and left Kryton’s office leaving the door open. Heading out to where Mina waited, he looked to the infirmary and was about to head in there when Mina quickly caught him.

~Don’t disobey his orders, Erik. You will regret it.~

Erik stopped and looked from Mina to the infirmary door. Cursing under his breath he walked over to the dragon and climbed into the saddle.

”Fine….let’s go.”

Mina leapt into the air and headed for their normal patrolling area leaving Erik to stew about his mistake and the regret he now felt for leaving Shiloh alone like that. If she died, her death would be his fault and he knew that. Hopefully the Gods would look down kindly upon her and spare her life. If they did, he promised them he would not be so hard on her.

Silently Erik let his gaze sweep the sky as Mina moved over the air currents. Shiloh had frustrated him to no end, but he had to admit, much of it was caused by his own actions and her reaction to them. He would not have reacted any differently if the shoe were on the other foot.

It certainly gave the young knight something to ponder.

The following morning, Shiloh woke to pain, praying that the Gods would see fit to kill her. Her shoulder burned as did her arm. She tried to move it, but cried out in pain instead. Opening her eyes, she looked up into light brown ones of the healer.

"Good, you're awake. Let's get you sitting up and see what damage was done to your arm, shall we."

Shiloh grimaced as a nurse came in and got her sitting up. She was tired, so tired after just that.

"Lift your arm, please. Now, make a fist. Rotate your wrist. Shrug your shoulder."

She did all of these, biting her lower lip to keep from yelling at him on how bad it hurt. Then he poked and prodded the healing wound and she glared at him, her grey eyes shooting sparks.

"You'll be okay, but you will have to take it easy with that shoulder for the next two days. This poultice will speed the healing, but you're on bed rest for those two days, young lady. We almost lost you more than once yesterday. As soon as your rider gets here, I'll release you into his care."

Shiloh groaned at that thought. Erik was the last person whe wanted to see as she knew he was probably furious with her. She pleaded with the healer to release right then and there and she would go to her room at the female aids quarters and stay there, but he wouldn't allow it, no matter how prettily she begged.

Braum and [/url] Temetarie stood on the ledge at the mouth of the cave, watched as the sun slowly sank in the east and dusk enveloped the valley below. Braum stiffened slightly as he peered down off the mountain side. He then spoke to Temetarie with his mind "Temetarie, it is time that we put into practice what we have been rehearsing for months. The time has come for us to venture off this mountain and see what evil has encompassed the lands below. This shall be a journey of reconnoaissance only, we shall nor seek evil out but we shall not run from it either. Should it wish to engage we shall show evil that we are a force to be reckoned with. What say you Draconius Temetaire?" Temetarie spoke to Braum with her mind "I am ready and would expect nothing less from my rider, that is why I chose you, Braum." With that she sat back on her hind legs, spread her wings, extended her neck, took in a deep breath, and roared, exhaling a torrent of flame from her nostrils into the darkening dusk sky. Then she knelt so that Braum could step on her knee, then to the rippled muscle of her shoulder and slip into the black and silver saddle upon her back. He slipped his legs into the leather straps, sinched them tight as his booted feet rested in the silver stirrups. Temetarie then extended her two hundred foot leathery wing span and leapt off the ledge, catching the thermals that rose from the valley floor. Slowly she cirled gliding down then slowly flaped her wings heading west staying above the scattered clouds. Braum and Temeraire scanned the valley below. Her with her sight of an eagle and Braum reaching out with his magic. They had seen the carcassus of several Lizonians and the shadowy forms of Sorcerers moving about the carcusses. After several hours as dawn was begining to reveal itself in the west, Temeraire dove out of the clouds and just below them was another Dragon and rider. "Braum look another Dragonrider." Temeraire said to Braum's mind.

Braum looked and said to Temeraire's mind "Quick back into the clouds and home. I do not wish for us to be discovered yet. We do not know if this young rider is in the service of evil or not. We have seen what we need to this night and dawn is near."

Temeraire and Braum then turned a flew back to their cave, along the way they climbed, banked, dove, barrel rolled, looped and circled. Skimming their way along mountain sides and low across mountain meadows an lakes. Once Temeraire grabbed a couple of deer as they ran across a meadow with her claws. Practicing mock battles in the air, until they arrived back at their lair. Temeraire glided down and hovered just above the ledge as dropped the deer. Then she slowly stepped down, folded her wings to he sides and walked onto the caver. There she knelt as Braum unstraped his legs and climbed out o fthe saddle and onto the floor of the cave. Returning to the mouth of the cave he carried the deer carcusses into the cave. Temeraire gulped them both down with one bite. Then together they walked back into its recesses and down onto a great cavern. There among walls of sparkeling gems and mighty stalgtimes and stalagmites, Braum ate some deer jerky, cheese and bread. Refreshed they both rested and discussed what the presence of the dragon rider, the slain Lizonians and the shadowy forms of Sorcerers moving about might mean.

Miranda and Satin kept going, following the stream for the better part of the day. At dusk, she knew she had to find shelter before it got dark for the Lizonians would be out and about.

She spotted a cave and luckily it was in a place where Satin could also get to it. Dismounting, she made her way up the loose rock about 50 feet up at about a 35 degree angle. She threw rocks into it, making sure it was empty. It was.

Heading back down to collect Satin, a large shadow passed over them. Satin whinnied in nervousness as Miranda looked up to see a rider and his dragon heading higher up the mountain only to disappear.

She had no idea who it was, but she thought that it might be best if her and Satin left the mountain in the morning.

Heading into the cave, she made sure that Satin had plenty to eat and drink and hobbled her between where she would be sleeping on further back in the cave, and the entrance. This way, Satin's superior sense of hearing and smell would alert Miranda of anything malevolent coming.

She prepared herself her piece of meat jerky and water, ate, drank, cleaned up after Satin when she defecated and urinated, prepared her bedroll and lay down to sleep. Sleep was a long time coming as she was alert to the rider and dragon she'd seen, but eventually, exhaustion took over and she slept.

Erik and Mina patrolled the area with a renowned sense of duty. One of their own had been attacked by the Lizonians and they weren’t about to let the overgrown lizards get away with it. As Mina moved over the air currents with graceful ease, Erik’s mind kept wondering to the way Shiloh looked the last time he saw her. Her face was extremely pale and blood flowed easily from her wounds and all he cold keep doing was pray to what ever God would hear him to spare her life.

Over the course of the night he and Mina came in contact with several Lizonian patrols and engaged with them. A couple of time Mina landed to allow Erik the chance to engage hand to hand with the creatures and let the dragon use her abilities as well.

By the time Erik and Mina were headed back to the encampment, he happened to glance up and saw another dragon with a rider strapped to her back. While the moment was short lived as the dragon quickly slipped back into the clouds, Erik had seen enough to know he wasn’t seeing things. Even Mina had seen them.

~Erik! Another dragon and rider!~

"I saw! Let’s see who our mystery rider is, shall we?”

Mina rolled to her side and made a sharp to follow the mysterious dragon and rider but they were too swift and cunning for the pair to keep up. The fact they used the clouds as cover and were deliberately avoiding Mina and Erik didn’t settle well with either of them. If they were allies why were they being so evasive? Needless to say, Erik didn’t like how all of this felt.

After an hour of fruitless searching, Erik and Mina headed back for the base camp. By now the daylight patrol was already in the area. Erik gave him a tired wave and gestured for him to land. Once on the ground, Erik and the fellow rider could discuss the mysterious pair Erik and Mina had come across, or to be more specific, had come across them. With a word of caution, Erik once more climbed into his saddle on Mina’s back and took off for the base camp while the other rider started his patrol.

Finally reaching the encampment, Erik dismounted and pulled the saddle off Mina, releasing her from her duty. The dragon lifted into the air and headed for her lair in he mountains. Once he secured his saddle in his shed, he went to report what happened to Commander Kryton. After debriefing the officers on what happened and showing them the location on the map where he encountered the dragon and rider and what direction he and Mina pursued them in, he was told to go to the infirmary.

Dreading the worst, Erik slowly made his way to the infirmary to hear the bad news about Shiloh. When he entered the place he dared not look at the room he’d last seen her in for fear he would see the sheet shrouded, lifeless body waiting for him to return her to her home for proper burial by her family.

He was exhausted, to say the least, and knew that when he received the news from the doctor he would take a long, hard drink alcohol in his room then gladly pass out after his bath with dreamless sleep. The healer looked up when Erik came in and blinked then stood up and smiled.

“Ah…good day Sir Jordon….I was wondering when you would return. Right this way.”

Erik thought he had a strange sense of humor. That or death had made him a bit callous to the feelings of others. As the little man ambled over to the room, he rattled on about this or that but Erik wasn’t listening. All he knew was that when the door was opened, he’d feel even worse than he did now.

When the healer opened the door and stepped in gesturing for Erik to do the same, Erik slid in and took a deep breath, steeling himself for the sight he really didn’t want to see. But when he saw Shiloh sitting there, awake and bandaged, he blinked and couldn’t hide the shock he felt. Blinking again, he looked at the doctor.

“She…She’s…alive.”

The healer gave Erik a confused look.

“Well, yes….I told you that just a moment ago. Along with the fact she will need complete bed rest for the next few days and total immobility of her shoulder. That’s why she has to be turned over to your care.”

Erik blinked again and looked utterly horrified.

“MY CARE?! What am I supposed to do for her?”

The healer frowned.

“Make sure she doesn’t get out of bed unless it’s absolutely necessary and make sure she doesn’t use her arm.”

Erik still looked like a deer in the headlights.

“But…I have patrol.”

The healer shook his head then walked back out the door talking as he went.

“Not for the next few days, you don’t. Commander Kryton has arranged for her to be housed in the vacant room next to yours during her convalescence. It’s at the end of the hall and no chance of he other men having access to the room without coming through you first.”

When the healer left Erik and Shiloh alone, an awkward silence shrouded the room. Finally Erik took a deep breath and ran his hand through his blond hair then sat down heavily in the chair next to the bed. When he sat down, he looked down at his armor and saw that it was smeared with her now dried blood along with some Lizonian green ooze that splattered the normally clean metal. Glancing up at her and giving a sheepish look, he apologized the best he could.

“Sorry…I didn’t expect to find you awake.”

Alive was the real word he was looking for but he didn’t want to actually say that to her.

“MY CARE?! What am I supposed to do for her?”

Shiloh had heard Erik's exclamation about him caring for her and knew then that she'd been right earlier. She was nothing more than a nuisance to him. The Gods sure did have a warped sense of humor. Her face fell, even the sheepish grin he gave her didn't lift her spirits.

"Erik, I'm sorry I've caused you all of this trouble. It wasn't my intent. Maybe the Gods made a mistake in my vision. Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll get ready to leave here. Once I'm healed, I'll leave." She looked down, fidgeting with the sheet, before looking back up again, "How are Sampson and RainStorm? Are they okay?"

She called for the nurse, asking her to help her dress when the nurse told her that her clothes had been ruined and they had to be burned for the toxin from the Lizonian's saliva. "If you could send someone for my bag that is with my horse, I have a change of clothes in it." The nurse scampered off to send someone for the bag.

"Erik, I know you don't want me here, I finally get that. In my excitement at finding you so soon, I didn't even think about you and how you would feel. My father raised me to be better than that, and I apologize. I meant what I said about leaving. I don't want to be a nuisance to you or to Mina. And I know that the last thing you want to do is care for me and miss your patrols."

She felt like crying, but she wouldn't. She was stronger than that and she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

The nurse returned with her bag and informed her that RainStorm was kicking at his stall and the dog was crazed, having constantly tried to get into the infirmary, growling and snapping at people so the guards had to capture him and chain him in the stables.

Shiloh gave a cry at the news. She turned to Erik, "Unless you want to see me in all my glory, I'd suggest that you leave for I am getting dressed and going to the stables to collect Sampson." Her eyes became hard as ice. "He will be staying with me or I will leave today."

Not waiting for his reply or to see if he was leaving, she began to rise out of the bed, the nurse was besides herself at seeing that Shiloh meant what she said about dressing whether he was there or not.

As Erik heard Shiloh talk, he realized how harsh his words had been to her and about her. It was never his intent to make her feel unwelcome and he was only thinking about himself when he thought about the whole aid thing. She had an obligation as well and now, because of his wounded pride, she was paying the price for everything.

He deserved more than what she gave him and it was he who should have been apologizing. And by the time the nurse returned with her clothes, Erik was on his feet and letting Shiloh know, in no uncertain terms, exactly what she was going to do and leaving was not an option.

“Look…Shiloh….just hold on a second here. We got off on the wrong foot. Both of us. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. I was a complete ass the way I treated you. And I should have never left you alone outside the walls. When I saw you were awake and doing well when I came in, it was more of a shock to me than you’ll ever know. You don’t have to leave. What I need to do is get used to the fact I have an aid now. One that needs my help right now. I’ll take care of Sampson and RainStorm for you but you’re under strict orders to stay abed and I have to insist that you do.”

When the nurse handed Shiloh her clothes, Erik took them from both women’s grasp. Seeing the utter shock on the nurses face and the heated glare he received from Shiloh he held his hand out to stop all protests.

”Look…your shoulder was ripped up pretty good. If you move it trying to get dressed, you’ll do more harm than good and then your future as my aid or any ones aid is sunk like a rock in a stream.”

Looking at the nurse, he gestured with his hand.

”Just…find something for her she can be well covered in, modestly, that doesn’t require a lot of moving with that arm.”

Looking back to Shiloh, he let his blue eyes settle on her grey one.

”I’m gonna go check on Sampson and RainStorm. When I come back, I’ll get you then take you to the dorms to get you settled into your room next to mine.”

He saw the look in her eyes and knew he was going to have to work at this.

”Give me a chance to make up for what I’ve done and some how redeem myself with you. If after you’ve healed you don’t think things will work you between us, I’ll take you where ever you want to go. Please?”

Shiloh, still glaring at him, did listen to him and what he said.

"Fine, but I want Sampson with me. He has to get used to you IF I decide to stay."

She sat back down, noticing how badly her shoulder was beginning to ache just from her moving around this little bit. She watched as he walked out of the room and the nurse went and got her a large gown that would indeed cover her from neck to toe and it was big enough that she wouldn't have to put her left arm through the sleeve. It was ugly as hell, but she could always work on changing once she got to her room.

Once the nurse was done helping her, she felt as if she'd been enshrouded in an oversized sheet.

As Erik left Shiloh in the nurses care, he slipped into the stable and found Sampson chained to the stall RainStorm occupied and frowned deeply. The horse was making quite a ruckus and Sampson was trying his hardest to get off the chain that secured him. The stable hands were trying to calm the animals but coming at a chained dog with a pitch fork and an upset horse with a dark blanket wasn’t working. Obviously. Erik’s booming voice brought the entire chaos to a sudden halt.

”ENOUGH!”

The stable hands startled and quickly stopped. RainStorm tried to jerk his head around to see the person the voice belonged to and Sampson took a defensive stance and growled. Erik waved his hand at the stable hands and tried to keep his temper in check.

”Leave now….”

The one stable hand tried to argue.

”We was just tryin…”

Erik repeated his words again, this time through a clenched jaw.

”I said leave now.”

The stable hands quickly vacated the area. Using a soft but firm voice, Erik slowly approached Sampson. Keeping his eyes averted from the dogs, he reached out his hand to the dog all the while talking soothingly to him.

”There now, Sampson. It’s alright boy. Your mistress is doing just fine. We just need to get her back on her feet when she’s well again. What say you and I make sure we get her taken care of, huh?”

The dog was a little leery of the tall man and as Erik approached then knelt down, Sampson gave a couple of more growls before he cautiously approached and sniffed Erik’s hand. Erik never moved his hand the entire time the dog sniffed and when he finally saw the hairs on the back of the dog lay down, he gently rubbed his hand over the dogs head.

”That’s a boy. Let’s get this thing off you.”

Reaching up and unhooking the chain from around the dogs neck, Sampson shook then started for the door but was halted by Erik’s commanding voice.

”No Sampson. You can’t go see her right now and if you don’t want to end up back on this chain, I suggest you stay with me.“

Sampson looked at Erik, looked at the door, looked back at Erik then walked slowly over to stand next to the man. Erik smiled and gave the dog another pat on the head before standing up and slowly approaching RainStorm. Like with Sampson, he used a soothing voice and slowly approached the horse to make sure he understood Erik was not there to hurt him in any way.

When Erik reached the front of the stall, RainStorms eyes were still wild looking but Erik could tell he was already starting to calm down. After a few moments, he picked up a brush and started brushing the horse down. By the time he was done, RainStorm had settled nicely and was munching from the bag of oats on the side of the stall. Erik ran his hand over the horses flanks one last time then gave him an affectionate pat on the hind quarters before slipping out.

Sampson walked along beside Erik as he walked back to the infirmary. When he reached for the door, Sampson tried to force his way inside but Erik quickly closed the door. When Sampson looked up at him, Erik frowned and shook his head.

”I know this is difficult for you right now, but you gotta trust me. Wait here and I’ll be right back with Shiloh. K?”

The dog sat down then and Erik smiled before he opened the door and walked in. When he returned to Shiloh, he looked even more exhausted but he gave her a smile all the same. Seeing that she had been dressed in the night gown, he was satisfied that would do just fine. Seeing the look on her face he knew she was in pain and worried about her companions.

”Come on….let’s get you out of here.”

As Shiloh got out of bed, Erik was there to help support her on her good arm. His one arm draped around the small of her back while the other rested easy on her shoulder nearest him, he guided her out of the infirmary and she was greeted by a jubilant Sampson that Erik had to make understand his mistress was not in the best of health yet.

Instead of walking her straight to the dorms across the compound, he escorted her to the stables and directly to RainStorm. Leaving her alone with the horse, he told her not to move and that he would come get her directly. A couple of minutes later, Erik returned as promised and after she said her goodbye to the horse, guided her to a waiting wagon. Without asking, he scooped her up and set her in the seat taking care not to jolt her injured arm. Once she was in the seat, he climbed up in it as well and picked up the reins to snap them gently over the horse.

Sampson jumped up into the back and rode along as they made their way across the expanse to the riders dorms. Pulling the wagon up in front of his dorms, he jumped off the seat and walked around to help her down. Like before, he scooped her up and instead of setting her on her feet, he proceeded to carry her into the vacant room next to his, setting her down on the soft bed, Sampson following close behind.

The room was identical to his with the only difference of a door in the wall connecting the two. Making sure she had fresh water and a glass to drink from, he stifled a yawn as best he could and looked down at her with a tired smile.

”If you’re good to go for now, I’d like to get a couple hours shut eye. If you need anything, just yell. I’ll leave the door open between the rooms. Of course you could always send Sampson in to me as well.”

"Thank you, Erik." Shiloh reached down and patted Sampson's head who promptly jumped up onto the bed and snuggled in close to Shiloh on her uninjured side.

Seeing Erik yawn, her gray eyes softened. "Go, lay down, sleep. I will be fine and I'll probably take a nap as well. Thank you again, Erik."

Shiloh got comfortable, settling in next to Sampson and quickly drifted off, her breathing much stronger than the night before. Sampson raised his head and his soft brown eyes stared into Erik's blue ones. He gave a soft 'woof' before laying his head down next to Shiloh's.

There was no doubt Erik could have slept a few more hours but he also knew Shiloh needed tending to. Forcing himself out of his comfortable bed a few hours after he had exhaustedly fallen into it, he rose and washed his face before tussling his blond hair to make it look not so unruly. He then dressed in a blue tunic with a wide, leather belt, leaving the neck untied and pair of brown, well fitting trousers tucked into a pair of soft boots that wrapped around his calves and tied at the top.

Hoping he didn’t look too tired, he walked from his bedroom into the main room and over to the door that separated his room from Shiloh’s. Staying well on his side of the wall, he knocked on the door frame and waited for an answer. When he didn’t receive one right away, he dared to peek inside and saw that Sampson was laying next to Shiloh with his head raised and his ears alert. Erik’s gaze shifted to the woman still sleeping in the bed next to the dog. Letting his eyes take in her features for the first time he wondered why he didn’t realize how beautiful she was. He’d seen her malevolent eyes turn from a soft grey to stormy in no time flat but other than that, he’d never really paid much attention to her . He surmised it was due to the fact he was too upset by hr sudden presence and proclamation of being his aid. Something he hoped he would never have to deal with.

But now he did and he had to resign himself to that fact. And he might as well get to like it. It wasn’t like he was the only one that had an aid. In fact, Erik was the last one to get one. He thought for the longest time he wasn’t going to have one. And by a strange twist of fate, she literally dropped into his world.

With a deep sigh, he turned on his heel and shook his head to clear his thoughts. His stomach reminded him he hadn’t eaten in a few hours and he slipped out of his room to get some food for both of them. Not sure what Shiloh liked to eat, he gathered up the same thing for her he got for himself. A bowl of hearty venison stew with fresh vegetables. A loaf of fresh baked, wheat bread. A small bowl of butter a bottle of red wine and two goblets. Getting the stuff situated on a large tray, he carefully made his way back to his room and set the tray down on a table in the far corner near the window.

Getting everything off the tray and setting the table properly, even taking the time to pour the wine in the glasses to let it breathe, he made sure Shiloh’s chair was pulled out for her before he walked back over to the door that separated their rooms. Once more he knocked and this time he heard her invite him in. Straightening his back and squaring his shoulders he stepped through the doorway and into her room. She was sitting back against her pillow and he felt a pang of guilt wash over him again for seeing her invalid like she was right now.

”I took the liberty of getting us both some food. I hope you like venison stew. I have it set up in my room. I know how tiresome laying around all day in bed can be and was thinking you might like to sit up long enough to eat dinner as well as stretch your legs.”

Giving her an easy smile, he raised both brows.

”What do ya say? Join me for dinner?”