The First Cost Of The Deal (Part 2)

Closer the great bellows came, gaining in volume with each passing second. Even though Hett had thought it impossible, the fog seemed to grow thicker with the approach of the dragon. Time passed quickly though and before long, the massive impact of the dragon landing from flight came to Hett's ears. Unlike their previous meeting, the dragon seemed to forgo the blood curdling shriek that announced its arrival.

Lumbering footsteps then began to approach where Hett was waiting. It seemed they were a little faster than last time to him. Hett wondered if the dragon could actually be impatient. Abruptly, all thoughts were dismissed as the dragon began to appear through the thickening fog. Hett could not help but be in awe of the magnificent creature as it approached. If anything, the dragon seemed even more amazing to him than when they first met. He knew he was irrevocably linked to this creature until the end of his days, but just now, Hett could actually revel in the fact that the creature was also bound to him. He had not forgotten the lessons quickly learned in his first and only meeting with the dragon though, and dropped to one knee before he could make eye contact with the beast lumbering gracefully towards the fire.

“Well met lordling, it is good to see you have not forgotten the lessons from our previous encounter.” The dragon's voice made Hett's skin crawl, it still sounded like a rusty blade being slowly ground down on stone. It was even more unnerving now as the dragon seemed to chuckle to itself at its own personal joke. Hett waited though, letting nothing throw off his concentration. “Yes, a good student indeed,” the dragon crooned. “Well done, now rise lordling. I would have you on your feet to conduct our business tonight.”

Hett rose to his feet carefully, not letting the dragon and its mood disturb his focus now. He had a task to complete tonight and he would see it through with as much dignity as he could. The dragon it seemed, wanted to toy with him a little though. “So young lordling, how are you this fine evening?”

Hett dared to look the dragon in the eye and replied, “I am as well as I can be Lord.”
“Ah, that is to be expected,” the dragon replied with what seemed to be a knowing expression.
Hett lost a little of his control for a brief instant, anger making him ask, “Exactly how is it to be expected Lord?”
“Temper temper young lordling. I am patient tonight, fortunately. Besides, I know that the last few days have been difficult for you.”
Hett regained his composure quickly.“I apologise Lord, truly, but how could you possibly know the last few days have been hard for me?”
“I know a great many more things than you could possibly think lordling. For now though, I shall prove it by telling you something that no-one else but you knows yet. You killed your wife last night.”

Hett was stunned. There was no-one that yet knew of his wife's death. The household thought she was in bed sick and resting, not to be disturbed. Hett had even taken meals up to the room to “eat” with her to keep up the pretence today. In reality all he had done was eat with her corpse still on the bed while trying to keep his daughter quiet until tonight. He was certain not one member of his household was a spy, his precious gift had seen to that. He looked up at the dragon again, certain his disbelief was showing openly on his face. The dragon was smug and certain, completely enjoying the fact that Hett was so uncomfortable. Now Hett was again not so enamoured with the idea of being tied to this being until the end of his days.

The dragon began to make an eerie noise that seemed to be laughter. “Oh young lordling, if you could only see your face, perhaps you could find this moment as humorous as I do.” The laughter going out of the dragon it said, “Think on it openly for just a moment lordling, it really is not so hard to understand how I can know this. Think on all the changes that have come to you over the past ten years, then think of what gave you those changes. Once you realise that your new found gifts come directly from me, you should be a little less shocked at what I know. All you are, all you possess on this night, you owe to me.”
“Even being the killer of the woman I loved?” Hett interrupted, incredulous.
“Yes lordling.” There was no mirth in the dragon now. “Truth to tell, you were capable of that act before you agreed to our bargain. You are now truly more yourself than you realise. All you will yet be, you will owe in no small part to me. Quiet your anger lordling and learn to appreciate what I have done for you. You are angry and hurting this night, but you shall see soon enough that I have opened more doors for you than you can yet see. Your dreams can truly come to be your reality, I have made that possible for you. Personally, I have very high hopes for you lordling, but we have an agreement to see to yes?”

Hett looked down at the tiny bundle still resting in his arms. Ashel was blissfully still, sound asleep. His emotions tried a feeble rebellion against the hardness inside him but he cast it aside with no more effort than shooing away a fly. Slowly, very gently, he walked around the fire pit and stood before the dragon. An unusual smell came to Hett as he came almost right up to the dragon, a peculiar mix of a steel foundry and rotting flesh. It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but it was an assault on his heightened senses. As gently as he could, Hett raised the warmly wrapped bundle up towards the dragon. He had one final, almost overwhelming impulse to pull his arms back towards him and run from the dragon as fast as he could, but his arms remained extended above him and he stood still. Hett looked up at the dragon and said, “Here you are Lord, the first daughter of my line. I give her to you to do with as you wish, as we agreed.”

The dragon looked down on Hett, its unreadable expression seemingly etched in stone. Time stretched out for Hett as he stood there holding his daughter up in presentation to the dragon. His arms grew tired and he began to doubt whether the dragon would actually accept its part of the bargain when suddenly it bent its head down to sniff at the baby. It drew in a deep breath, Hett could see and hear the dragons chest filling with air. Then the dragon pulled its head back and looked down on Hett, its obsidian eyes seeming to sparkle with joy. “You have done very well lordling, I am impressed. I accept your first daughter and I look forward to many more to come.”

Hett looked up at the dragon as it took Ashel into its scaly arms, a new coldness took hold inside him and asked, “Many more Lord? I have my doubts, I killed my wife and I have no desire to take another woman as my wife.”
“You do not need a wife to have children lordling,” the dragon said, seeming well pleased and more than a little amused. You will see, I am quite certain you will have more daughters to pass on to me.”
“And will I kill again as I did last night for this deal of ours dragon?” Hett was beginning to raise his voice, his control was beginning to slip again. “If I had known then that it would cost my wife as well as my daughter, I do not think I would have accepted this bargain. I wonder Lord, you seem to know many things and are so certain of things to come. Did you know this would happen? Did you know I would kill the one I love above all others?” The last was a furious shout from Hett. The dragon was impassive, staring at Hett, but the daughter that he would never know wailed suddenly, awoken by his yelling.

Hett felt the last warmth he had in his heart flow out of him as he watched the dragon bend its head over the wailing baby and appear to gently breathe over her. Immediately she quieted and the only sound that was present was the roaring of the fire. “Have care lordling, now you are testing my patience. If I have to quiet the babe once more I shall be very, very angry. You do not want me to be angry with you lordling, believe me.”

Hett was suddenly cold and rung out, spent mentally and emotionally. He knew with a sudden, piercing insight, that he would never be the same after this night and the change that would come would be much more severe than the ones he had already gone through. Something had completely broken inside him the very moment he handed over his daughter to the dragon. The last day or so seemed to have conspired to take away all his softer feelings, burning them out and replacing them with cold emptiness. He ached for his lost wife and daughter, but the ache was barely even a little throb in his heart. He knew it should have been much stronger, but it wasn't. Hett knew, in the deepest and darkest parts of his mind, he was becoming less human. Something critical yet unexplainable was lost to him now and there was nothing he could do about it. His course was decided ten years ago when he agreed to a price that now seemed far too high. Still, he needed to know, so he asked again, “Lord, did you know?”

The dragon looked down on him without even the slightest bit of apparent sympathy. “As I told you lordling, you are now more yourself than you know. You are becoming the most honest version of yourself, the version of yourself that you most wanted to keep hidden from the entire world. I will not apologise for making you into what you truly are, nor will I apologise for your actions. I did not know for certain that you would kill your wife, but I did know you would be capable of the rage you demonstrated last night. What you would do with it, will always be up to you. So, if I were you, I'd stop wasting time trying to blame me when you know in yourself the truth. I did not make you desperate enough to take the deal I offered you years ago. If I were you, I'd be more worried about them than me. The reasons you took my offered deal are still there, they have not gone away. So, why waste time on hating me? I know your pain, but it will pass soon enough. What will not pass is why you accepted my offer in the first place. You know what I am talking about lordling.”

Hett knew all too well. “The Matriarchs,” he stated. They had been a perpetual thorn in his side since he had come to power in his household. They had all refused to acknowledge Hett and the other three Lords that had come into power. Traditionally, power fell to the first born daughter in the ruling families. Through an unusual twist of fate, he and three other Lords had risen to power at the same time, an event unprecedented in the history of his people. For reasons Hett and the other Lords had not been able to find out as yet, the Matriarchs refused to accept them as rulers. They had been unable to trade in any way with them and had perpetually been on the brink of war since the first days any of them had come to power. Hett was certain, if it were not for them, he would not have felt the need to take the deal offered to him by the dragon. He would not be where he stood right this very moment.

“The Matriarchs,” the dragon repeated. “So, if you know the real problem, the only question left is this. What are you going to do about them?”
“Oh, I have my plans for them and they are actually coming along nicely Lord,” Hett replied with just a hint of sarcasm. His temper flaring slightly again he looked the dragon in the eye as he said, “However Lord, I have to ask, when are any of your so called weapons going to make an appearance? You have your first part of the bargain, I too have waited ten long years to see the fruits of our deal come to yield. Now, I have paid a much higher price than I expected and I have nothing to show for it! So, Lord, when will I see the fruits of my labour?”

Hett's voice had progressively risen in volume and scorn had begun to drip into his tone. The dragon looked more than a little unamused and once he realised it, Hett quickly tried to regain his composure. “You are grieving and that makes you upset lordling,” the dragon intoned. “But do not let grief and anger lead you to do anything rash that you may regret. You will mind your tone with me and show respect as is my due. Your question is fair and you are not quite yourself this evening so I will let you get away with your temper for now, but make no mistake, if you cannot keep your place with me then you and all you love shall be destroyed. Do you think you understand?”

The question asked of Hett was like a bucket of ice water thrown over him. It brought him back to the first time he had heard that question. He truly had thought he understood then but he wasn't so sure any more. It eroded his anger and resolve in an instant and he almost felt like crying again but there had been enough tears already. What was done was done and he had to move forward. His dreams were all that mattered now. All he had to do was make them come true.

“Honestly, I used to think so but now I am not so sure Lord,” Hett stammered.
“Ah, then you may be closer to truly understanding than I had previously thought lordling, there may be hope for you yet,” the dragon replied.
“Lord please, I must know. When will any of the weapons you promised arrive? Ten years means more to me than it does to you, that much is obvious. I will live a much shorter span of years and so I need to press whatever advantage I can get as soon as I can. I mean no disrespect Lord, I truly do just need to know.”
“Lordling, it is good to see you regain your composure. I understand your impatience but you are wrong about two things. The first being that ten years means less to me. Ten years is a long time and each day that passes is one less day that I have to accomplish my goals. The second is about your span of years left to you. You have longer than you think lordling, much longer. You shall see. Patience lordling and you will not be disappointed. Truth be told, I am not far away from sending you the first of potentially many weapons.”
“I am deeply grateful Lord.” Hett truly was, if he could get some of these weapons together then he could best plan out how to destroy his closest rival and make a statement to all the other Matriarchs at the same time. He could be patient, the possibility of his dreams coming true was always the one way to keep him in line, make him plan out things and wait for the right moment. The dragon had said soon, which was already much better than purely within twenty years as he had been promised last time they had met.
“Remember lordling,” the dragon interrupted his reverie, “the weapons are to be treated as such. Do not treat them as anything other than weapons no matter how they may appear otherwise. Fail in this and you could be in grave danger. Do you think you understand?”
This time, Hett was much more sure of himself. “On this point I can be more sure Lord. Whatever you send me, even if it were my wife brought back somehow from the dead, it must be treated as a weapon, nothing more and nothing less. To do anything other would be folly and beyond any risk I should be willing to take. Do I understand Lord?” Hett was bold enough to ask and was confident this would be recognised.
“I think you may just have the understanding required on this lordling, you just may. I will know for sure when you actually receive your weapons. I do have hope for you though lordling, much more hope than I had a few moments ago. Your ability to recover your wits is a credit to you and your house. You may just do well after all.”
“Lord, you truly are too kind.” The words stung Hett but he had to admit, to himself if no-one else, that the dragon was being more kind to him than he had any right to expect.
“Perhaps I am lordling,” the dragon mused quietly. “We shall both have to wait and see what comes of it. Remember my warning lordling, remember it well. All your dreams depend upon it.”
“I shall Lord, you will see.”
“Yes, I will,” the dragon said distractedly. “I must leave and attend to what you have given me this night. Pay attention lordling to all that has happened between us, it will help you in the time to come. Look for my weapons to arrive soon. Remember my warnings and use them well.”
“Yes Lord.”
“I bid you farewell then lordling, I am sure we will meet again and I dare say that will happen sooner than you think.”

Suddenly, without hesitation, the dragon launched itself into the air and it was all Hett could do to stay on his feet after being buffeted by the wind thrown at him from the wings of the great beast. Hett stared after the dragon, watching it fly away for as long as he could see it, thinking back on what had occurred tonight. When he could no longer see the dragon, Hett stared into the raging fire and remembered his daughter. The pain he had thought he would feel was not present. There was a dull ache inside him now, the loss of his daughter and wife in such an incredibly short amount of time seemed to have taken its toll on Hett. Again, he knew he should be devastated, but all he had was a poor remnant of that pain. It was easy enough to forget the tiny knot of in his heart, all he had to do was think of his plans and dreams and everything seemed much better than it had seemed in quite some time. For quite some time Hett watched the fire rage and finally begin to burn itself out. He made, discarded and re-made many plans in his mind for the first of his rivals that he intended to see fall. He had plans for what he had at his disposal to use against her now, but he would be patient. The weapons he had been promised could very well change the coming conflict from being something of brute slaughter to something a little cleaner. He would wait, be patient and strike when the time was right. It would be a battle the likes of which had not been seen within his homeland in centuries.

The sun began to rise finally and the fire had almost burned itself completely out when Hett began to make his way back towards his keep. His plans for the future were perpetually turning over in his mind but there was now one more much more immediate concern occupying awareness. He had to explain the grisly death of his wife. Then like a rogue bolt of lightning suddenly splitting a sunlit and cloud free sky, Hett had the perfect way to resolve all of the issues that he was to face upon his return. A bigger smile than he had smiled in years now worked its way across his face, splitting his face from ear to ear. He even began to whistle to himself a little as he walked along. Hett picked up his pace, a new spring in his step as he finalised his plan, his wife and daughter now merely pawns in his latest strategy. He discreetly made his way into his keep, being sure no-one saw him and began to set his plan into action.

The dragon was flying back to his den, more than a little happy with his latest acquisition. The new addition to his stock that he now held wrapped quite warmly against the cold was sorely needed. He was impatient to get to his home and begin setting everything into motion, but he flew safely, unwilling to risk the health of the babe he held so carefully. Out of the four Lords that had agreed to his terms, Hett was easily the most advanced on the path that the dragon had set him upon. He truly did have high hopes for that temperamental lordling, high enough hopes that he let things slide he would normally kill for when dealing with these pathetic humans. Besides, Hett was the first to make good on his side of the bargain. He now had the first baby girl, the first of many he was sure. The success he had craved for the last ten years made him happier than he had been in a very, very long time. He wanted to roar and let the world know of his success, but that would wake the baby. Instead, the dragon quietly flew home to set the next phase of his plan into action. When he arrived home with the new addition to his belongings, his joyous mood surprised his other possessions. The dragon paid them no mind, he just went into the depths of his home and began the process of readying his new stock for its life ahead.