Free The Roar of a Dragon by Robert Blanchard

fluke,’ I answered honestly. ‘I was on patrol and I heard shouting coming from this — your — house. I heard him threatening them… I had to intervene.’
    Derrick was silent for a moment, then he suddenly put his hand on my shoulder. ‘You are truly the brother I never had.’
    This caught me by surprise, but I was extremely grateful for his compliment. And the more I thought about it, the more I realised that he was like a brother to me as well.
    ‘I’ll be back,’ Derrick said. ‘I need to check on my mother and sister. I’ll have you meet them later, under better circumstances.’
    I nodded in response, then waited outside for a short time until Derrick returned.
    ‘They’re okay,’ Derrick informed me. ‘Just a bit shaken up. He didn’t hurt them.’
    ‘I’m very glad to hear that,’ I responded. ‘What did he want?’
    ‘Coin,’ Derrick answered snidely. ‘He knows I’m part of the White Army, and he thinks because he’s my father, it’s my job to fund his ridiculous habits.’
    He was then quiet for a moment.
    ‘So are you going to tell me what happened?’ I asked him.
    Derrick was silent a moment longer.
    ‘Yes,’ he said finally, ‘and you’ll be the first to know. I would appreciate it if this stayed between us.’
    ‘Of course,’ I responded.
    After a short silence, Derrick started his story, as we began to walk back toward the castle.
    ‘My father is the biggest waste of space I’ve ever seen in my life — emphasis on “biggest.”’ He smiled at his half-hearted joke. ‘As far as I know, he’s never had a real job, yet he always had the coin for his ale. Me, my mother, and my sister starved throughout most of our lives. He bullied us — I can’t tell you the number of times he beat my mother and sister.’
    He paused, and I could see his hands clenching into fists. I put my hand on his shoulder, to remind him that he wasn’t living in that time anymore. Derrick took a breath and continued.
    ‘He beat me too, but not nearly as often as he beat the women. One day, I finally realised that I was bigger than he was — that was about five years ago. I had always been scared to death of my father; he ruled by intimidation. But that day, I lost my temper. I never dreamed that fighting back on him would be so easy; all it took was one punch, and then I threw him outside, much like I did today. I told him never to come back, but he still showed up every now and again for the next three years. He hasn’t shown his piggish face for the past two years — until today. I guess he just got too desperate. Mother said he begged for forgiveness first, then blew up when she wouldn’t give him the coin.’
    I understood Derrick’s anger, could feel it in my heart. I silently thanked the gods that I hadn’t grown up in a situation like that.
    ‘That’s why I crack jokes all the time,’ Derrick continued. ‘I found one day that laughing made me forget about my problems at home, at least temporarily. I started trying to make my mother and sister laugh, and now it’s the way I am. Laughter is the answer to pain.’
    I smiled inwardly — it was something we shared in common. ‘I never thought you could be so philosophical.’
    ‘Don’t tell anybody,’ he replied. ‘I want them to think that I’m stupid.’
    We both smiled.
    After a pause, Derrick went on. ‘I’d never wanted to be in the military, much less be a knight. I joined for the steady income, so I could take care of my mother and sister. Suddenly, it was my career — I don’t really have any other skills, since my father never taught me anything.’
    ‘Is there… something wrong with your sister?’ I asked hesitantly. When Derrick didn’t answer immediately, I quickly added, ‘I’m sorry if that’s too forward — you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.’
    ‘No, no,’ Derrick said, waving his hand in the air. ‘I now consider you a brother, and I don’t mind telling you.’ I smiled