Free The Dragon in the Stone by Doris O'Connor

to contain
his dragon. Any rational person ought to have been frightened, but Rhonda
seemed to have lost all sense completely, because she found herself wishing he
would change.
    She’d been too out of it to appreciate his
transformation from dragon to man last time he’d changed. The crowd in the hall
thinned, several of them taking off through the open doors at the back, while
the rest drew back. Strangely enough the young couple and the old man didn’t
move. Rhonda did wonder why they didn’t seem afraid of Drorgan ,
before his deep voice bellowed through the air. It held the growl of his
dragon, raspy and far too arousing for Rhonda’s peace of mind, as her body
responded to the deep command in that rough timbre like a puppet on a string.
    “ Owed
to you, you say. You forget yourself, steward. I pay you well for your services.
I don’t owe you anything.”
    The steward looked as though he wanted to protest,
but then thought better of it, and sheathed his sword. Bowing his head, he
dropped to one knee.
    “ Forgive
me, my lord. I chose unwise words. I merely meant that—”
    “ I
know full well what you meant, as do all of those here assembled, Johannes.”
Drorgan interrupted the man again, and Rhonda had to smile at the goldfish
impressions this Johannes was now making, as Drorgan stepped off his dais and
approached the young couple.
    “ What’s
your name, sweet thing?” he asked the young woman. She blushed a deep crimson
and dropped a curtsy while her lover’s hand tightened on his dagger.
    “ Lucinda,
my lord,” she whispered, and Drorgan smiled, while placing his hand on the
young man’s arm.
    “ That’s
a pretty name for someone as fair as you.”
    If that was possible she blushed more, while
throwing a worried looking glance toward her intended.
    Johannes, meantime, smirked, some of his superior
air returning to his stance, and Rhonda didn’t dare breathe.
    Surely
Drorgan wouldn’t…
    Looking between Johannes and Drorgan brought her no
clues, especially as sweat broke out on the young man’s brow, and he staggered
as though he was in pain. Drorgan didn’t act as
though he had a particularly strong hold on the other man’s wrist, but, then
again, his dragon’s strength far exceeded that of any mere human, so who knew
what he was doing to the man.
    After what seemed an interminably long time, but
could have only been seconds in reality, the white knuckled grip the farmer’s
son had on his dagger eased, and Drorgan turned his attention to the lad and
nodded.
    “ That’s
better. Relax, son of Duncan. I have no intention of invoking the lord’s claim
on this young lady, and you should know better than to try to draw your dagger
on your Lord.”
    “ My
lord, please, he didn’t mean anything. The lad is in love and…”
    Duncan’s hoarse plea on behalf of his son petered
out as Drorgan held out his hand to stop him, and he shook his head.
    “ Ah
yes, love makes fools of us all.” Drorgan glanced Rhonda’s way, and her heart
turned into a jackhammer at the odd expression that softened his fierce face
for the length of one heartbeat before he turned back to the couple.
    “ Tell
me, son of Duncan James, are you in a position to look after my steward’s daughter
in the manner she is accustomed to?”
    The young man’s face fell, and he shook his head.
    “ No,
my lord, but I can offer her my heart, my hard work, and my devotion ‘til the
day that I die.”
    Rhonda blinked back tears at the wealth of emotion
behind those words, and Drorgan nodded again.
    “ And
you, Lucinda, what say you to this young man’s proposal?”
    “ I
say yes. I love him, my lord.” Her father swore under his breath, but Lucinda
paid him no heed. She clung onto her young man’s arm instead, and Duncan cleared
his throat.
    “ It
will be a hard life we’re offering the lass, for sure, but my son is a good
man, and he will do the best he can for any wife of his. Rest assured on that,
my lord.”
    Silence fell