FA+
Shop
279
Views
Views
1
Favorites
Favorites
Category
Story / Fantasy
Species Unicorn
Size 96 x 120
File Size 30.4 kB
Report this content
More from Jasnake
Listed in Folders
Miranda woke slowly raising herself up “Ow” she put her hand to her throbbing head as she lay back down. “Not gonna try that again for awhile,” she thought as she looked up at the crystal above to her bed “why does my head hurt so much?” she thought back to last night “I remember the ball, and then me and Derrick talking, what were we talking about? Oh yeah, how the rock-slide that killed my parents also killed his; after that everything is blurry, why is that? Must have been the wine, I guess it hit me harder than I thought.” “Burtrum?”
“Yes” Burtrum replied as the bedroom began to light up
“Could you keep the lights off” she said quickly “and maybe talk a little softer?”
“Of course” he said as the lights dimmed
“Thanks, could you tell me what happened last night after all the guests left?”
“Certainly after the guests left you and Master Derrick shared stories about your families with each other while partaking in more than a few glasses of wine, after that you tried to retire but you had some difficulty walking so Master Derrick carried you to your room.”
“He carried me?” a faint blush spread across her face “are you sure?”
“Yes, quite sure, I have last night recorded, would you like me to show it to you?”
“It would be easier than trying to remember through this haze” she thought “That would be nice if it wouldn’t be too much trouble”
“No trouble at all” the crystal in front of her began glowing softly, after a couple seconds the crystal showed an image like it had been doing last night, only this time the image was a recording of herself and Derrick in the dining hall. Miranda had changed seats since they began drinking and was now sitting next to Derrick, there were four large bottles of wine on the table three were empty and the other was about half full.
“Burtrum, do you record everything you see?”
“No Miss Lummi, I usually only do this when Master Derrick requests is or if he's inebriated”
The image began playing
“Your parents sound like they were very nice” Derrick said woozily “I wish I could have met them.”
“The same goes for your parents” Miranda said putting her hand on Derricks shoulder while her other hand still held her glass
“That may not have been a good thing, my parents didn’t exactly take kindly to uninvited guests”
“Well I’m glad you did” she said reaching for the bottle “if you hadn’t I wouldn’t be here right now”
Derrick reached out and snatched the bottle away before she could get it “Do you really think another glass is a good idea?”
“Hey” she said as she began to get up “I’m fine, I can ho” she was cut off as she suddenly lost her balance and fell backwards onto the rug, she looked around for a moment “Maybe I should call it a night.”
“That’s what I thought, do you need a hand?”
After tying and failing to get up a few times “I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of a little help”
Derrick got up and walked over to where she was sitting, he bent down and offered her a hand, she took it and he pulled her up but she quickly lost her balance again and fell forward wrapping her arms around Derrick’s chest to stay upright
Derrick froze as she rested against him for a moment
“Uh, Miranda.....your horn”
She looked up to see her horn at his throat “Sorry” she answered moving her head away from his chest, Derrick grabbed her sides and held her upright, then in one swift motion he hoisted her up and slung her over his shoulder making her let out a small “eep.”
“Would you like to sleep in your original room” he asked as they walked out to the main hall “or would you like to stay in the elite room?”
“As I already told Burtrum I'll be staying in the be staying in the bigger room from now on, and do you think you could carry me in a way that doesn’t make me feel like a sack of potatoes?”
“Not without dropping you” Derrick responded as he headed down the bedroom hallway “were, *gulp* almost there anyways”
“Wait a minute” Miranda said as she watched the projection “Burtrum, can you make the picture bigger around Derrick's head and play from where he enters the hallway again?”
“Certainly” the image cut back to an enlarged picture of Derricks head as he entered the hallway
“Not without dropping you” he said again “Were, *gulp* almost there”
“Play from where he said, We're almost there, again, and can you do it slowly?” she said
“W-e-r-e”
“Stop it right there! And switch to a crystal that’s in front of us”; the projection stopped and cut to their front “I knew it! Now play it forward slowly” Derrick had glanced to his right and was staring, mouth slightly agape, directly at her rear, after a few seconds he quickly looked the other way with a nervous expression. “That bid scaly perv!” She yelled before remembering her hangover
“What do you mean?” Burtrum asked
“He was staring right at my....place he has no business starting, I would have expected him to have more manners than that.”
“In all fairness the master was rather drunk and you were staring at the Master’s posterior nearly the entire trip back to your room.”
Miranda thought back “That’s different” she said as the blush on her face deepened “That was because of the way he was carrying me”
“And I‘m sure he could make the same argument”
“Yeah, whatever.....where is he now?”
“After he made sure you were in your bed the Master returned to the dining hall it would seem that he’s still there.”
“Still!? Is he still drinking?”
“Fortunately no, the Master passed out after the last bottle of wine you were sharing was empty.”
“That’s a relief, does this sort of thing happen often?”
“Just after large events, the Master spends most of his time alone, so I think he’s rather off put by large crowds.”
“It’s funny” Miranda said with a bit of a chuckle “Before I came here I though dragons were all terrible monsters that just pillaged and destroyed all day long but after last night, seeing that they can be nice, gentle, smitten, jealous and even drunk they just seem, I dunno, a lot more real; if that makes any sense.”
“It is much easier to simplify the unknown than it is to see it as real, complicated, being.....Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Do you think you could bring down some food?”
“That may be a problem, it would seem that you and the Master aren’t the only ones feeling backlash from last night; my ability to produce golems right now are very limited, my apologies.”
“Not a problem, the best cure for a hangover is to walk it off right?.....Yeah sure, I'll go with that, all the food is still in the kitchen right?”
“Yes Ms. Lummi, again I apologize for this inconvenience”
Miranda slowly rose from her bed “just keep the lights low and I’ll be fine” she said as she shuffled towards the door. She couldn’t move faster than a slow walk without setting off the throbbing in her head but that was fine, she was in no hurry today.
It seemed like ages before she reached the dining hall “Finally” she thought as she pushed open the doors; just as Burtrum had said Derrick was passed out at the end of the table with the last bottle of wine, now empty, still clutched in his hand. Miranda slowly walked over to him “Is he still breathing?” she thought as she hesitantly reached out her hand and softly placed it on his back “Good” she thought as she felt his back slowly rise and fall “Now then, let’s see what’s left after last night.”
Miranda entered the kitchen; it was a little shorter than the dining hall and about as wide but with much less, elegant décor. There were ledges jutting from the walls with a few small bowl like indents and some runes carved into the wall above the counter in a couple places. The middle of the room had three large tables, each holding a large selection of knives, wooden bowls and other utensils, on the opposite side of the room was another door that was made of wood and had a cloth like material completely sealing the edges of the door.
“Now if I remember correctly” she thought as she hobbled towards the second door “all the food should be in that room” Miranda had to use a bit of force as the door was tightly wedged into place. When the door finally budged she immediately felt a blast of cold air wash over her “Ah” she yelped “That’ll wake you up” She proceeded into the cavern, which was just a large dimly lit cave with sacs and barrels here and there, “Burtrum?”
“Yes Ms. Lummi”
“Could you tell me where a few ingredients are?”
…......................................
About half an hour later Miranda emerged from the kitchen with two plates fresh pancakes “If he’s like most other men this should wake him right up” she walked over to the table and put her plate down a few chairs away from Derrick “Lets hope he can eat something other than meat”.
Miranda put the second plate in front of Derrick; she just barely noticed his nostrils flaring as his head began moving towards the stack, when his nose bumped into the pancakes he let out a soft “Mmmmmm” and slowly opened his eyes “That smells good Burtrum”
“Not quite” Miranda answered cheerfully
“What” he asked groggily as he turned his head towards her “Oh, Ms. Lummi, did you make this?”
“I thought it would be a good Idea” she answered as she walked to her plate and sat down “Burtrum couldn’t make anything so I decided to and when I was done I had enough left over for another batch”
“Thanks” Derrick said pushing himself up “and can I ask, batches of what?”
“Um...pancakes?”
“Pan, cakes?” he said, lifting the first one on his stack and examining the underside
“Yeah” she responded after swallowing her first bite “it’s nothing to fancy, just sweet bread with slices of apple and cinnamon, it’s an old recipe that my parents taught me.”
“Oh, okay.” Derrick said as he lifted the first pancake off of the plate and took a bite out of it.
Miranda giggled a little bit at the sight of Derrick trying to figure out how to eat the cakes while dealing with the hangover from last night “So Derrick” she said a little more seriously “how much do you remember form last night?”
Derrick stopped half way through trying to shove an entire pancake in his mouth. After a couple of seconds he managed to swallow it and say “Not much, I remember talking about our families but after that everything is hazy”
“That’s good” she thought “at least that means he doesn’t remember carrying me to my room like a sack of fruit” “you’re not missing much, after we talked I left for my room and I guess you stayed here.”
“Ms. Lummi, thank you for not letting me drink by myself last night”
Miranda was a little taken aback by his gratitude “Um, you’re welcome” she finally managed to say “and you can stop calling me Ms. Lummi, Miranda will do just fine”
“So Miranda Lummi is it?” came a loud voice from the other side of the door leading to the ballroom
“It’s a bit of an unorthodox name” said a second voice as the doors opened revealing Derrick's Aunt Serena and Uncle Charles “but as good a name as any for the girl who finally” she stopped mid sentence when she saw Miranda, her and Derrick both looked like rabbits staring down a lion at the pair that had just entered
“Um, Dear?” Charles asked “Is, that a unicorn?”
“I believe she is Dear” Serena responded “and she just cooked Derrick breakfast after they spent the night drinking together”
“Aunt Serena, Uncle Charles” Derrick said nervously as he stood up, having to support himself on the table “wha, what are you doing back here?”
“At the ball Burtrum told us that the after the last ball you hosted you spent three days in a drunken stupor” Serena answered “We decided to hold up in the stables over night and come check on you in the morning”
“And it’s a good thing we did” Charles chimed in “if we hadn’t we would be none the wiser about your, guest”
“Now I know what this looks like, but I have an explanation”
“And that would be?” Serena asked
Derrick paused for a few seconds “Well.....you see”
“About a month ago I climbed up here looking for any treasure or valuables I could use to save my home from destruction” Miranda said confidently as she stood from her chair “When I got here I had a bit of a fall, but thanks to Derrick, and Burtrum’s healing magic, I survived; since then Derrick has been kind enough to allow me to stay here until I fully heal.”
The room was silent “Is that true?” Serena asked as she looked toward Derrick
Derrick looked back and forth from his aunt and uncle to Miranda with an exasperated look on his face; finally he sighed and said “Yes.”
Serena and Charles looked at each other for a second “Derrick” Serena said as she and Charles began walking towards the pair “We really want to believe you but after leaving this detail out at the ball I have to be sure you’re not doing anything that would breach the pact.”
Miranda lost a lot of her previous bravado as Serena and Charles began approaching but felt a little better when Derrick rushed between her and the advancing pair “I have nothing to hide” Derrick said confidently “but I must demand that you leave Ms. Lu, Miranda, alone.”
“That’s fine” Serena said continuing to advance as Charles walked to the side and stopped “I’ll only need to check you to find out if you’re telling the truth” She stopped right in front of Derrick “Have you done anything to break your pact of solitude with the other houses?”
“No, I have not.”
Serena moved her snout closer to Derrick’s neck and began flaring her nostrils rapidly as she swayed her head back and forth.
“Um, what are you doing?” Miranda asked timidly
“She’s reading his scent” Charles answered “Broad noses like Derrick and my wife have very acute senses of smell, some can even tell if someone is lying based on subtle changes in their scent.”
“Interesting, what do you mean broad nose?”
“Just what it sounds like” he answered walking over to her calmly “A dragon with a broader snout, because of their larger snouts they can pick up scents more accurately”
“What about dragons like you with narrower snouts” Miranda asked as she mentally cursed herself for letting her curiosity get the better of her
“Were referred to as slender snouts, no one’s really sure but it’s thought that our ancestors gave up a more sensitive sense of smell for a larger field of vision.”
“Well you’re not lying” Serena said as she brought her head back up “but I do have another question.”
“What would that be?” Derrick asked
“I would like to know why exactly you seem to be covered in her scent” Serena said slyly as she motioned toward Miranda
“Um” Derrick said hesitantly “you see”
Miranda was about to answer but she stopped when she felt Charles’s hand on her shoulder “I believe she wants him to answer”
Normally having a strange dragon put a hand on her shoulder would scare her but something about Charles was just comforting.
“Last night, as you overheard, Miranda and myself did a little drinking, by the time she decided to go to bed she was too drunk to walk so I carried her to her room.”
“You said you didn’t remember anything from last night!” Miranda yelled in surprise and embarrassment
“Well I lied, I thought what happened last night would be better left forgotten.”
“Well since you remember I expect an apology”
“Apology? For what?”
“If you remember then you know what” She responded walking towards him
“It was an accident alright, I didn’t mean to it was just sort of, there”
“Well you didn’t have to stare at it” she was now face to face with him
“I was drunk, I couldn’t help myself.”
“I would expe”
“BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA” Charles bellowed holding his sides as Miranda and Derrick both looked at him in confusion “I’m sorry” he said recovering quickly “It’s just that the way you two argue reminds me of how I first met Serena” The two looked back at each other but quickly looked away
“Miranda was it?” Serena asked
“Um, yes” Miranda responded hesitantly “Miss…”
“Serena will be fine dear, would you come take a walk with me?”
Surprised by the request Miranda looked over at Derrick, he was about to say something but before he could she agreed and walked with Serena out of the kitchen and down the stairs.
“So Miranda” Serena said making Miranda jump a little “you said you came up here to try and save your home, I would like to hear about that if you don’t mind.”
“Oh” Miranda said a little bit relieved that that’s all she wanted to know “Sure. A little while ago I was...informed that I would be wed to a noble, I turned him down but then the little creep told me that if I didn’t agree to marry him he would tear down my families temple. So rather than just sit there and accept my fate I decided to try coming up here; at the time I thought that any dragon that had lived here had either moved away or was long dead so at most I expected a few pieces of treasure that may have been left behind.”
Serena looked at her for a bit and then began moving her head closer to hers “Um, what are you doing?” Miranda asked leaning back
“As Charles explained before I’m Checking your scent, I have to be sure your telling the truth after all.”
Miranda tried to relax a little, the fact that there was a dragon’s muzzle a few inches away from her didn’t exactly help. After a few seconds she pulled her head back and smiled at her “Thankfully you’re not lying” she began walking again
“What would happen if I was” Miranda asked as she began to follow
“Let’s just say that it wouldn’t be good, but that’s nothing you need to worry about.”
Miranda gulped a little “Good”
“So tell me, what do you think of Derrick?”
“Derrick? Well.....at first he seemed very, cold and distant but I'm getting the feeling, especially after last night, that it's just an act and that he’s very kind and gentle, if not a little awkward, when he’s not trying to convince others of his strength.”
“That sounds about right, Derrick’s always been better at acting like he’s showing emotions than he has been at actually showing, he’s been that way since he lost his parents.”
“He told me about what happened last night before we started drinking.”
Serena stopped and looked over at her quickly “He told you about his parents, before, he started drinking?”
“Well he had just started on his first glass but yeah, he told me about the accident after I told him that my parents also died in a rockslide, it turns out that the rockslide that took my parents happened at the same time as the cave in that took his”
Serena was a little stunned at hearing that “Well” she finally managed to say “It’s no wonder he’s so fond of you then.”
“Fond? With all the yelling we were just doing I would hardly describe his feelings toward me as fond.”
“The fact that he’s showing any emotion at all means that he trusts you”
Miranda looked down for a second “She has a point” she thought “compared to the way he acted when I first got here even anger is an improvement”
“Is it really so hard to believe that someone likes you?”
“I” she responded hesitantly “I guess not; It’s just that, I’m used to people not liking me.”
Serena pondered for a second “Somehow I doubt that?”
“What’s that suppose to mean?”
“You seem very nice, easy to talk with and you’re rather pretty so, in my opinion at least, it’s less that people don’t like you and more that you won’t give people the opportunity to like you.”
“What makes you think that?” Miranda said getting a little defensive
“Because that’s the same thing that Derrick does, you both loved your parents very much, and then that love was ripped away from the both of you so now, rather than taking the risk of being hurt again you just keep others away.”
Miranda was stunned for a “Is that true?” she thought remembering the few relationships she’d been in “I guess some kinds say I'm cold but that doesn't mean I'm pushing others away, and sure whenever I've met someone I usually act the way I think they would like but that's normal right? Thats …….just like Derrick.”
“If you want my opinion” Serena said after a few moments of letting Miranda think “I’d say that your presence here will help Derrick a lot and that maybe Derrick can help you in the same way, just so long as your honest with each other.”
Miranda looked up “Thank you....for your opinion”
“You’re welcome, now shall we see how the boys are doing?” Miranda quickly realized that the two had already walked around the entire ballroom and circled back to the stair case.
Almost on cue the dining room doors were pushed open by Derrick and Charles “So Darling” Charles said as the two continued down the stairs “how was your chat?”
“Very informative, and yours?”
“The same” he answered as he reached the bottom of the stairs “I think everything’s in order here”
“I can agree with that” the two began walking away towards the lift door “Shall we take our leave?”
“I think we’ve bothered these two enough for now. So are we to let ourselves out?”
“Oh” Derrick said quickly as he and Miranda began fallowing the two “sorry”
………………………………………………………………………………..
The group was silent on the ride up to the platform, when they finally got there Miranda was hesitant to approach the large wyvren that was laying on the platform “Don’t be scarred” Serena said putting her hand on Miranda’s back and slightly pushing her forward “Sibery may look scary but she’s really a big softy.”
The wyvren sat up and looked over at the group, immediately staring at Miranda “Sibery” Charles Said sternly “This” he put his hand on Miranda’s shoulder “is Miranda, she is a, friend, okay?” The wyvren shook it’s head up and down and began walking over to the group. Every instinct in Miranda’s body told her to run as the huge reptile approached but the hand on her back eased her mind a little bit; Sibery lowered its head, which was easily bigger than her, so that it was looking right at her, Miranda could feel the air rush by her as she sniffed at her a couple times. She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt something grab her hand, when she looked over it was just Derrick, he guided her hand up to gently touch the wyvren's snout and then took his hand away allowing her to rub it gently.
After about a minute of the wyvren nuzzling Miranda’s palm Serena and Charles announced that they should be going, they said there good buys and boarded Sibery, just as they were about to take off Serena leaned over the side and said “It was very nice to meat you Miranda, I look forward to seeing you at the exposition” But before Miranda asked what she meant she was off.
“Um Derrick?”
“Yes”
“What did she mean by, the exposition?”
“Yes” Burtrum replied as the bedroom began to light up
“Could you keep the lights off” she said quickly “and maybe talk a little softer?”
“Of course” he said as the lights dimmed
“Thanks, could you tell me what happened last night after all the guests left?”
“Certainly after the guests left you and Master Derrick shared stories about your families with each other while partaking in more than a few glasses of wine, after that you tried to retire but you had some difficulty walking so Master Derrick carried you to your room.”
“He carried me?” a faint blush spread across her face “are you sure?”
“Yes, quite sure, I have last night recorded, would you like me to show it to you?”
“It would be easier than trying to remember through this haze” she thought “That would be nice if it wouldn’t be too much trouble”
“No trouble at all” the crystal in front of her began glowing softly, after a couple seconds the crystal showed an image like it had been doing last night, only this time the image was a recording of herself and Derrick in the dining hall. Miranda had changed seats since they began drinking and was now sitting next to Derrick, there were four large bottles of wine on the table three were empty and the other was about half full.
“Burtrum, do you record everything you see?”
“No Miss Lummi, I usually only do this when Master Derrick requests is or if he's inebriated”
The image began playing
“Your parents sound like they were very nice” Derrick said woozily “I wish I could have met them.”
“The same goes for your parents” Miranda said putting her hand on Derricks shoulder while her other hand still held her glass
“That may not have been a good thing, my parents didn’t exactly take kindly to uninvited guests”
“Well I’m glad you did” she said reaching for the bottle “if you hadn’t I wouldn’t be here right now”
Derrick reached out and snatched the bottle away before she could get it “Do you really think another glass is a good idea?”
“Hey” she said as she began to get up “I’m fine, I can ho” she was cut off as she suddenly lost her balance and fell backwards onto the rug, she looked around for a moment “Maybe I should call it a night.”
“That’s what I thought, do you need a hand?”
After tying and failing to get up a few times “I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of a little help”
Derrick got up and walked over to where she was sitting, he bent down and offered her a hand, she took it and he pulled her up but she quickly lost her balance again and fell forward wrapping her arms around Derrick’s chest to stay upright
Derrick froze as she rested against him for a moment
“Uh, Miranda.....your horn”
She looked up to see her horn at his throat “Sorry” she answered moving her head away from his chest, Derrick grabbed her sides and held her upright, then in one swift motion he hoisted her up and slung her over his shoulder making her let out a small “eep.”
“Would you like to sleep in your original room” he asked as they walked out to the main hall “or would you like to stay in the elite room?”
“As I already told Burtrum I'll be staying in the be staying in the bigger room from now on, and do you think you could carry me in a way that doesn’t make me feel like a sack of potatoes?”
“Not without dropping you” Derrick responded as he headed down the bedroom hallway “were, *gulp* almost there anyways”
“Wait a minute” Miranda said as she watched the projection “Burtrum, can you make the picture bigger around Derrick's head and play from where he enters the hallway again?”
“Certainly” the image cut back to an enlarged picture of Derricks head as he entered the hallway
“Not without dropping you” he said again “Were, *gulp* almost there”
“Play from where he said, We're almost there, again, and can you do it slowly?” she said
“W-e-r-e”
“Stop it right there! And switch to a crystal that’s in front of us”; the projection stopped and cut to their front “I knew it! Now play it forward slowly” Derrick had glanced to his right and was staring, mouth slightly agape, directly at her rear, after a few seconds he quickly looked the other way with a nervous expression. “That bid scaly perv!” She yelled before remembering her hangover
“What do you mean?” Burtrum asked
“He was staring right at my....place he has no business starting, I would have expected him to have more manners than that.”
“In all fairness the master was rather drunk and you were staring at the Master’s posterior nearly the entire trip back to your room.”
Miranda thought back “That’s different” she said as the blush on her face deepened “That was because of the way he was carrying me”
“And I‘m sure he could make the same argument”
“Yeah, whatever.....where is he now?”
“After he made sure you were in your bed the Master returned to the dining hall it would seem that he’s still there.”
“Still!? Is he still drinking?”
“Fortunately no, the Master passed out after the last bottle of wine you were sharing was empty.”
“That’s a relief, does this sort of thing happen often?”
“Just after large events, the Master spends most of his time alone, so I think he’s rather off put by large crowds.”
“It’s funny” Miranda said with a bit of a chuckle “Before I came here I though dragons were all terrible monsters that just pillaged and destroyed all day long but after last night, seeing that they can be nice, gentle, smitten, jealous and even drunk they just seem, I dunno, a lot more real; if that makes any sense.”
“It is much easier to simplify the unknown than it is to see it as real, complicated, being.....Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Do you think you could bring down some food?”
“That may be a problem, it would seem that you and the Master aren’t the only ones feeling backlash from last night; my ability to produce golems right now are very limited, my apologies.”
“Not a problem, the best cure for a hangover is to walk it off right?.....Yeah sure, I'll go with that, all the food is still in the kitchen right?”
“Yes Ms. Lummi, again I apologize for this inconvenience”
Miranda slowly rose from her bed “just keep the lights low and I’ll be fine” she said as she shuffled towards the door. She couldn’t move faster than a slow walk without setting off the throbbing in her head but that was fine, she was in no hurry today.
It seemed like ages before she reached the dining hall “Finally” she thought as she pushed open the doors; just as Burtrum had said Derrick was passed out at the end of the table with the last bottle of wine, now empty, still clutched in his hand. Miranda slowly walked over to him “Is he still breathing?” she thought as she hesitantly reached out her hand and softly placed it on his back “Good” she thought as she felt his back slowly rise and fall “Now then, let’s see what’s left after last night.”
Miranda entered the kitchen; it was a little shorter than the dining hall and about as wide but with much less, elegant décor. There were ledges jutting from the walls with a few small bowl like indents and some runes carved into the wall above the counter in a couple places. The middle of the room had three large tables, each holding a large selection of knives, wooden bowls and other utensils, on the opposite side of the room was another door that was made of wood and had a cloth like material completely sealing the edges of the door.
“Now if I remember correctly” she thought as she hobbled towards the second door “all the food should be in that room” Miranda had to use a bit of force as the door was tightly wedged into place. When the door finally budged she immediately felt a blast of cold air wash over her “Ah” she yelped “That’ll wake you up” She proceeded into the cavern, which was just a large dimly lit cave with sacs and barrels here and there, “Burtrum?”
“Yes Ms. Lummi”
“Could you tell me where a few ingredients are?”
…......................................
About half an hour later Miranda emerged from the kitchen with two plates fresh pancakes “If he’s like most other men this should wake him right up” she walked over to the table and put her plate down a few chairs away from Derrick “Lets hope he can eat something other than meat”.
Miranda put the second plate in front of Derrick; she just barely noticed his nostrils flaring as his head began moving towards the stack, when his nose bumped into the pancakes he let out a soft “Mmmmmm” and slowly opened his eyes “That smells good Burtrum”
“Not quite” Miranda answered cheerfully
“What” he asked groggily as he turned his head towards her “Oh, Ms. Lummi, did you make this?”
“I thought it would be a good Idea” she answered as she walked to her plate and sat down “Burtrum couldn’t make anything so I decided to and when I was done I had enough left over for another batch”
“Thanks” Derrick said pushing himself up “and can I ask, batches of what?”
“Um...pancakes?”
“Pan, cakes?” he said, lifting the first one on his stack and examining the underside
“Yeah” she responded after swallowing her first bite “it’s nothing to fancy, just sweet bread with slices of apple and cinnamon, it’s an old recipe that my parents taught me.”
“Oh, okay.” Derrick said as he lifted the first pancake off of the plate and took a bite out of it.
Miranda giggled a little bit at the sight of Derrick trying to figure out how to eat the cakes while dealing with the hangover from last night “So Derrick” she said a little more seriously “how much do you remember form last night?”
Derrick stopped half way through trying to shove an entire pancake in his mouth. After a couple of seconds he managed to swallow it and say “Not much, I remember talking about our families but after that everything is hazy”
“That’s good” she thought “at least that means he doesn’t remember carrying me to my room like a sack of fruit” “you’re not missing much, after we talked I left for my room and I guess you stayed here.”
“Ms. Lummi, thank you for not letting me drink by myself last night”
Miranda was a little taken aback by his gratitude “Um, you’re welcome” she finally managed to say “and you can stop calling me Ms. Lummi, Miranda will do just fine”
“So Miranda Lummi is it?” came a loud voice from the other side of the door leading to the ballroom
“It’s a bit of an unorthodox name” said a second voice as the doors opened revealing Derrick's Aunt Serena and Uncle Charles “but as good a name as any for the girl who finally” she stopped mid sentence when she saw Miranda, her and Derrick both looked like rabbits staring down a lion at the pair that had just entered
“Um, Dear?” Charles asked “Is, that a unicorn?”
“I believe she is Dear” Serena responded “and she just cooked Derrick breakfast after they spent the night drinking together”
“Aunt Serena, Uncle Charles” Derrick said nervously as he stood up, having to support himself on the table “wha, what are you doing back here?”
“At the ball Burtrum told us that the after the last ball you hosted you spent three days in a drunken stupor” Serena answered “We decided to hold up in the stables over night and come check on you in the morning”
“And it’s a good thing we did” Charles chimed in “if we hadn’t we would be none the wiser about your, guest”
“Now I know what this looks like, but I have an explanation”
“And that would be?” Serena asked
Derrick paused for a few seconds “Well.....you see”
“About a month ago I climbed up here looking for any treasure or valuables I could use to save my home from destruction” Miranda said confidently as she stood from her chair “When I got here I had a bit of a fall, but thanks to Derrick, and Burtrum’s healing magic, I survived; since then Derrick has been kind enough to allow me to stay here until I fully heal.”
The room was silent “Is that true?” Serena asked as she looked toward Derrick
Derrick looked back and forth from his aunt and uncle to Miranda with an exasperated look on his face; finally he sighed and said “Yes.”
Serena and Charles looked at each other for a second “Derrick” Serena said as she and Charles began walking towards the pair “We really want to believe you but after leaving this detail out at the ball I have to be sure you’re not doing anything that would breach the pact.”
Miranda lost a lot of her previous bravado as Serena and Charles began approaching but felt a little better when Derrick rushed between her and the advancing pair “I have nothing to hide” Derrick said confidently “but I must demand that you leave Ms. Lu, Miranda, alone.”
“That’s fine” Serena said continuing to advance as Charles walked to the side and stopped “I’ll only need to check you to find out if you’re telling the truth” She stopped right in front of Derrick “Have you done anything to break your pact of solitude with the other houses?”
“No, I have not.”
Serena moved her snout closer to Derrick’s neck and began flaring her nostrils rapidly as she swayed her head back and forth.
“Um, what are you doing?” Miranda asked timidly
“She’s reading his scent” Charles answered “Broad noses like Derrick and my wife have very acute senses of smell, some can even tell if someone is lying based on subtle changes in their scent.”
“Interesting, what do you mean broad nose?”
“Just what it sounds like” he answered walking over to her calmly “A dragon with a broader snout, because of their larger snouts they can pick up scents more accurately”
“What about dragons like you with narrower snouts” Miranda asked as she mentally cursed herself for letting her curiosity get the better of her
“Were referred to as slender snouts, no one’s really sure but it’s thought that our ancestors gave up a more sensitive sense of smell for a larger field of vision.”
“Well you’re not lying” Serena said as she brought her head back up “but I do have another question.”
“What would that be?” Derrick asked
“I would like to know why exactly you seem to be covered in her scent” Serena said slyly as she motioned toward Miranda
“Um” Derrick said hesitantly “you see”
Miranda was about to answer but she stopped when she felt Charles’s hand on her shoulder “I believe she wants him to answer”
Normally having a strange dragon put a hand on her shoulder would scare her but something about Charles was just comforting.
“Last night, as you overheard, Miranda and myself did a little drinking, by the time she decided to go to bed she was too drunk to walk so I carried her to her room.”
“You said you didn’t remember anything from last night!” Miranda yelled in surprise and embarrassment
“Well I lied, I thought what happened last night would be better left forgotten.”
“Well since you remember I expect an apology”
“Apology? For what?”
“If you remember then you know what” She responded walking towards him
“It was an accident alright, I didn’t mean to it was just sort of, there”
“Well you didn’t have to stare at it” she was now face to face with him
“I was drunk, I couldn’t help myself.”
“I would expe”
“BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA” Charles bellowed holding his sides as Miranda and Derrick both looked at him in confusion “I’m sorry” he said recovering quickly “It’s just that the way you two argue reminds me of how I first met Serena” The two looked back at each other but quickly looked away
“Miranda was it?” Serena asked
“Um, yes” Miranda responded hesitantly “Miss…”
“Serena will be fine dear, would you come take a walk with me?”
Surprised by the request Miranda looked over at Derrick, he was about to say something but before he could she agreed and walked with Serena out of the kitchen and down the stairs.
“So Miranda” Serena said making Miranda jump a little “you said you came up here to try and save your home, I would like to hear about that if you don’t mind.”
“Oh” Miranda said a little bit relieved that that’s all she wanted to know “Sure. A little while ago I was...informed that I would be wed to a noble, I turned him down but then the little creep told me that if I didn’t agree to marry him he would tear down my families temple. So rather than just sit there and accept my fate I decided to try coming up here; at the time I thought that any dragon that had lived here had either moved away or was long dead so at most I expected a few pieces of treasure that may have been left behind.”
Serena looked at her for a bit and then began moving her head closer to hers “Um, what are you doing?” Miranda asked leaning back
“As Charles explained before I’m Checking your scent, I have to be sure your telling the truth after all.”
Miranda tried to relax a little, the fact that there was a dragon’s muzzle a few inches away from her didn’t exactly help. After a few seconds she pulled her head back and smiled at her “Thankfully you’re not lying” she began walking again
“What would happen if I was” Miranda asked as she began to follow
“Let’s just say that it wouldn’t be good, but that’s nothing you need to worry about.”
Miranda gulped a little “Good”
“So tell me, what do you think of Derrick?”
“Derrick? Well.....at first he seemed very, cold and distant but I'm getting the feeling, especially after last night, that it's just an act and that he’s very kind and gentle, if not a little awkward, when he’s not trying to convince others of his strength.”
“That sounds about right, Derrick’s always been better at acting like he’s showing emotions than he has been at actually showing, he’s been that way since he lost his parents.”
“He told me about what happened last night before we started drinking.”
Serena stopped and looked over at her quickly “He told you about his parents, before, he started drinking?”
“Well he had just started on his first glass but yeah, he told me about the accident after I told him that my parents also died in a rockslide, it turns out that the rockslide that took my parents happened at the same time as the cave in that took his”
Serena was a little stunned at hearing that “Well” she finally managed to say “It’s no wonder he’s so fond of you then.”
“Fond? With all the yelling we were just doing I would hardly describe his feelings toward me as fond.”
“The fact that he’s showing any emotion at all means that he trusts you”
Miranda looked down for a second “She has a point” she thought “compared to the way he acted when I first got here even anger is an improvement”
“Is it really so hard to believe that someone likes you?”
“I” she responded hesitantly “I guess not; It’s just that, I’m used to people not liking me.”
Serena pondered for a second “Somehow I doubt that?”
“What’s that suppose to mean?”
“You seem very nice, easy to talk with and you’re rather pretty so, in my opinion at least, it’s less that people don’t like you and more that you won’t give people the opportunity to like you.”
“What makes you think that?” Miranda said getting a little defensive
“Because that’s the same thing that Derrick does, you both loved your parents very much, and then that love was ripped away from the both of you so now, rather than taking the risk of being hurt again you just keep others away.”
Miranda was stunned for a “Is that true?” she thought remembering the few relationships she’d been in “I guess some kinds say I'm cold but that doesn't mean I'm pushing others away, and sure whenever I've met someone I usually act the way I think they would like but that's normal right? Thats …….just like Derrick.”
“If you want my opinion” Serena said after a few moments of letting Miranda think “I’d say that your presence here will help Derrick a lot and that maybe Derrick can help you in the same way, just so long as your honest with each other.”
Miranda looked up “Thank you....for your opinion”
“You’re welcome, now shall we see how the boys are doing?” Miranda quickly realized that the two had already walked around the entire ballroom and circled back to the stair case.
Almost on cue the dining room doors were pushed open by Derrick and Charles “So Darling” Charles said as the two continued down the stairs “how was your chat?”
“Very informative, and yours?”
“The same” he answered as he reached the bottom of the stairs “I think everything’s in order here”
“I can agree with that” the two began walking away towards the lift door “Shall we take our leave?”
“I think we’ve bothered these two enough for now. So are we to let ourselves out?”
“Oh” Derrick said quickly as he and Miranda began fallowing the two “sorry”
………………………………………………………………………………..
The group was silent on the ride up to the platform, when they finally got there Miranda was hesitant to approach the large wyvren that was laying on the platform “Don’t be scarred” Serena said putting her hand on Miranda’s back and slightly pushing her forward “Sibery may look scary but she’s really a big softy.”
The wyvren sat up and looked over at the group, immediately staring at Miranda “Sibery” Charles Said sternly “This” he put his hand on Miranda’s shoulder “is Miranda, she is a, friend, okay?” The wyvren shook it’s head up and down and began walking over to the group. Every instinct in Miranda’s body told her to run as the huge reptile approached but the hand on her back eased her mind a little bit; Sibery lowered its head, which was easily bigger than her, so that it was looking right at her, Miranda could feel the air rush by her as she sniffed at her a couple times. She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt something grab her hand, when she looked over it was just Derrick, he guided her hand up to gently touch the wyvren's snout and then took his hand away allowing her to rub it gently.
After about a minute of the wyvren nuzzling Miranda’s palm Serena and Charles announced that they should be going, they said there good buys and boarded Sibery, just as they were about to take off Serena leaned over the side and said “It was very nice to meat you Miranda, I look forward to seeing you at the exposition” But before Miranda asked what she meant she was off.
“Um Derrick?”
“Yes”
“What did she mean by, the exposition?”
Category Story / Fantasy
Species Unicorn
Size 96 x 120px
File Size 30.4 kB
Comments