4 Sari

  The cloud disappeared and Sara could see if she twisted her head that they were flying into a valley. Mountains came up around them and there was grass below them.

  It was then that she heard the dragon make some kind of noise. The giant lifted Sara with one hand and hung her off the side of the dragon. Before she had a chance to understand what was happening Sara felt the giant let go.

  She fell. Sara started to scream when she hit not the ground but some kind of mire. Mud splashed up around her and even into her mouth. Her scream turned to a gag. She gagged even more when she looked around and realized it wasn’t a slough but a very large pig pen. It was completely fenced in, had shelters, a trough, and a couple of large pigs.

  Sara tried to stand but failed, her legs weak from lack of movement. Then the consistency of the mud caused her to fall couple more times before she resorted to sticking her hands into the mud to help her regain her footing.

  As she stood, she heard what she assumed was the dragon laughing at her. She looked first at the dragon standing on the ground with the giant standing beside him before looking around. Sara took a moment to see where she was and was surprised to see that she stood in what appeared to be a normal farm except for the slightly larger openings. There was a barn, a chicken coup, more than a few goats, what appeared to be a place for servants. What didn’t look like a farm was that they were what appeared to be an enclosed valley with cliffs on all sides and a large cave in one of them.

  Sara wondered what was happening when the giant spoke.

  “I am sorry for your unfortunate landing but my master here,” with that the giant pointed at the dragon. “Insisted that I release you at that location.”

  Sara heard what sounded like a growling sound from the dragon and the giant shook his head and then continued. “He felt it would be good for you to know your place around here.”

  Sara stared, not saying a thing. She couldn’t believe that this creature had the audacity to drop her into a pig pen.

  There was another sound from the dragon and the giant continued to translate, Sara assumed.

  “This magnificent creature you will call Draco as you certainly be unable to pronounce his actual name.”

  Sara on being told she couldn’t do something at once objected, “Of course I can.”

  This caused what looked like a chuckle from the dragon and different one from the giant. The giant stopped and looked at Sara and made a sound like grunts and squeaks which Sara at once knew that she could never repeat.

  Both of Sara’s kidnappers stared at her. Though she couldn’t make out what the dragon was thinking there was a look of almost hope on the giants face as if he was hoping she could repeat the name.

  Sara just stared back, so the giant frowned and then continued.

  “I am called David and as you can see, I am a giant. I ask that you not assume that I am dumb because I do not appreciate being patronized and Draco here is even less tolerant than I am.”

  Sara spit the mud away from her mouth and said, “I am Princess Sara of Rishona and…” before she could say anything more the dragon roared, grunted something, and let out a column of flame into the sky.

  Sara stopped speaking and stared. She realized that this creature didn’t care who she was. The only question left in Sara’s mind was why they had kidnapped her but to her horror she was about to find out.

  David stepped away from the roaring dragon and then looked back at Sara. “Draco says we will not call you that.” The giant paused for just a second and said, “I will call you Sari, and I am to tell you that you are now Draco’s property. You will serve him here as a servant,” the giant stopped after another grunt from the dragon he said, “or as dinner. He does not care.’ The giant looked straight at Sara, “I do not want to see anything bad happen to you so please cooperate.”

  Sara just stared daggers at Draco, but the dragon met her eyes and without breaking contact, growled again.

  “Draco says that you will go over to the servant’s quarters and change into proper clothes equal to your position.” David pointed back toward the quarters that Sara had seen earlier.

  Sara wasn’t going to give this creature the satisfaction so blurted out, “I will do no such thing.”

  To Sara’s surprise the dragon broke eye contact, looked up for a moment then brought his head down to be equal with her. Before Sara could respond, a ribbon of flame shot out of the dragon and caught on her dress. The dress quickly began to ignite, and Sara dropped into the mud and rolled around.

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  When Sara knew the flames were out, she returned to her feet, her dress barely covering her, but mud covering everything.

  Sara could have sworn that the dragon laughed but David just stood there looking away from the now scantily covered princess.

  David moved toward the cave and said, “Sari, you will find water for a bath behind the servant’s quarters and new clothes inside. You will begin work tomorrow.”

  A moment later the dragon turned and followed the giant into the cave.

  Sara stood there for a minute longer and realizing that no one was going to help her. In anger, she turned toward the servant’s quarters. As she walked towards where the water was supposed to be, she looked around and was both amazed and disheartened. It appeared that wherever this was it was in a small valley surrounded by sheer cliffs. She decided to see if there was a way out but for now, she had to wash off whatever might have been in that pig pen. Sara didn’t want to think about it too much as some of it had gotten in her mouth. She also had to put on something other than the torn and burnt rags of what had been her favorite dress.

  Sara was thankful that there was a large water trough behind the house that could be large enough to take a bath. There was water sitting in it and as she looked around, she saw that there were no animals who were using it. She looked in and the water looked clear and when she put her hand in it, it felt warm. When she put her hand it the mud that was on it came off. As much as she just wanted to get in, she knew the amount of mud on her would just make this water so filthy that she wouldn’t have a chance to get clean.

  Sara looked at the cliff wall that stood only twenty feet beyond where she currently stood. Coming out of the cliff about ten feet up was water that came out and down forming a small waterfall. As she walked closer, she saw that the water had fallen into a small stone channel that went out around the end of the valley. She looked around and saw that the house stood between this spot and the cave where the dragon and giant lived. The water fell only a few inches from the cliff and not seeing anything on the cliff she leaned into the waterfall.

  “Oh, oh.” Sara yelled as she pulled away from the water. It was ice cold. She looked back at the trough but looking at the amount of mud on her body she shook her head and turned back to the waterfall. Instead of just sticking her head and body into the water she reached out, taking water into her hand. Bit by bit rinsing what she was thinking of as mud off her hand and arms then out of her hair and finally off the rest of her body.

  She had removed all her clothes but her shift just throwing the remnants into a pile, that she figured would be dealt with later. When she was mostly cleaned off and shivering from the temperature of the water, Sara walked back over to the trough and slid into the water. It wasn’t hot but after the chilling water that came from the cliff, she found it wonderful.

  Sara found a brush and some soap in a bucket next to the trough. After examining it to make sure nothing was in the bristles, she used the brush and soap to scrub herself clean. When she felt that all of the residue of the pig pen was off her body and out of her hair she stood up. There was nothing to dry herself off with, so she stepped out and of the trough and walked to the small house that were the servant’s quarters. Inside there was a small cot with a couple blankets, a chair and small table, some utensils for cooking and a couple of books sitting on a small shelf next to the fireplace and half a dozen pegs on the wall.

  On three of the pegs there was an article of clothing. One held a shift and the other two were very simple dresses. Sara had seen this type clothing only on women out in the fields when she was learning to ride a horse. She walked over to them and saw they were at least clean.

  Sara took off the wet shift she was wearing and hung it on one of the empty pegs. Then she took one of the dresses and dried herself off a bit before hanging it again then put on the shift and dress that were left. Sara thought about refusing to wear them only for a second. The only other choice was to go around without clothing, and she wasn’t about to do that.

  Looking more carefully at the room, Sara realized there was a cloth laying over something on the table. Sara went over and moved the cloth and found a loaf of bread. When she lifted it, her stomach rumbled. Without considering how long it had been there; she tore off a bit with her hand. She looked at it and on not seeing anything moving in the bread began eating it. To her surprise the bread didn’t taste stale. It hadn’t been made today but it had been made in the last couple of days. There was also an earthenware pitcher and cup on the shelf next to the few pots and pans which were there. The pitcher was empty, so Sara went out to the cliff and filled the pitcher with the fresh water coming out of the cliff. It was during this walk that Sara realized she had lost her shoes. Sara had walked barefoot before but not enough that the occasional small stones or sticks didn’t bother her.

  Once back inside, Sara poured herself a cup of water, sat down and considered what she might do as she sipped the cold water, again.

  “I have to find out where I am and how to get home,” Sara told herself. Once her thirst was satisfied, she walked to the door and saw that the sun was starting to set. She wasn’t going to be able to look around tonight for a way to escape.

  Sara turned around and looked inside the cabin again. She saw that there was wood for a fire and a few candles. Sara went over and sat on the plain wooden chair.

  Sara thought she had what she needed to survive but Sara realized she didn’t know how to use anything. She had never made a fire, cooked a meal, or washed her own clothes. She couldn’t take care of herself let alone be a servant. Her destiny was to rule. She was a princess. She had a kingdom.

  Sara was angry that this dragon would try and make her a slave. Yet as the night filled the room and she had no fire, Sara realized that she was helpless and alone.

  Sara went over to the cot, removed her dress, laid down in her shift, and pulled the blankets over herself. Darkness in the house was complete, once the sun was down. Sara didn’t know a lot about the cycles of the moons but did know that tonight there would be no moon in the sky. She had always felt lonely in the castle, but here, away from the castle, it became real. Sara read about friends and growing up she had a couple, but Elaina’s family moved and the others had died in the same epidemic that took her parents. Since then, there was no one. She had a kingdom which would miss their princess but no friends that would weep over her.

  Sara tried to forget the loneliness. She tried instead to get angry at the thought of this, Draco, trying to make her a slave but the silence and the darkness kept the anger away. Sara reached up and felt wetness on her cheeks and with the realization that she was crying the tears began to flow and she cried herself to sleep.