Free dragon archives 05 - forever a dragon by linda k hopkins

but habit would not allow him to leave it behind. He took the path to the left, where a small forest lay at the foot of the hill. It was damp in the woods and water dripped from the trees. The flash of crimson holly offered a bright respite from the sea of green, while a stream wound its way between the trees, rushing noisily over stones. Birds flitted silently between the trees as Lleland walked by. The stream finally broke into the open, and Lleland headed up a hill to the next summit. The inn could no longer be seen, hidden behind the gentle slopes.
    When Lleland returned to the inn sometime later, it was to the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. He paused a moment, smiling, then followed the voices to find Mary and Anabel chopping vegetables. She looked up at Lleland as he entered.
    “You’re supposed to be resting,” Lleland scolded as she scraped some peels into a large pail.
    “I can’t just sit around when there is work to be done,” she said. “Besides, I’m keeping Mary company. How was your walk?”
    “Wonderful. You should join me tomorrow.”
    “Yes, I should.”
    Lleland left the two ladies and returned to the hall, where he called for the innkeeper to bring him a mug of ale. He sat next to the fire as his chilled hands began to thaw. Two men entered the hall, calling for drinks, and took a seat near him.
    “Bitter cold, ain’t it?” one of them said. “Spent the day mending a broken fence. Damn bull!” The other man laughed and slapped him on the back.
    “Did you some good,” he said. He looked at Lleland. “Ain’t seen you ’ere before. From the city, are ye?”
    Lleland nodded. “That’s right. Brought my mother here for some rest. Spent the day in the hills.”
    “That right, eh? Well, ain’t much to see around these parts.”
    They chatted some more, and were soon joined by others as the evening passed away. Despite Lleland’s efforts to draw Anabel from the kitchen, she’d waved him off with a laugh. “I’m perfectly happy passing the evening in womanly conversation. Go enjoy the evening with the men. Just don’t drink too much!”
     
    The rings around Anabel’s eyes were starting to fade by the following morning, and her smile came easily when Lleland entered the hall. But when he reminded her of her promise to go walking, the smile quirked guiltily.
    “Oh, dear,” Anabel said. “I’d quite forgotten! I told Mary I’d go with her to the market. She’s taking the horse and cart.”
    “Then you should go, Mother.”
    “But I said I’d go with you!”
    Lleland smiled and patted her hand. “I don’t mind the solitude. Aristotle believed it’s only for gods and wild beasts, so perhaps I have a touch of wild beast about me.”
    Anabel frowned. “The only thing ‘wild’ about you is the beasts you hunt.”
    “Well then, maybe I am a god!” He laughed at Anabel’s look of consternation, and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. “But since I can be quelled by the frown of a mere mortal, I suppose not!” He grinned as Anabel smacked his arm. “Enjoy your trip to market, Mother,” he said.
    With his bow and arrows slung once more across his back, Lleland took the same path as the previous day, but when he reached the summit of the first hill, he turned in the other direction and headed towards the next peak. The cloud that had hung over the hills for the past few days was finally lifting, and Lleland could see the hills stretching into the distance. As he walked, he glimpsed the brook he had seen the previous day, winding between the valleys. It would lead him back to the inn if he lost his bearings.
    His stride lengthened as he hiked deeper over the knolls and through the valleys, and he could feel the prickling of sweat at the base of his neck. A fallen log lay across his path, and using it as a seat, he pulled open the small sack Mary had pressed into his hand that morning. A hunk of bread, some cheese, an apple and a jar of ale had been placed within,