Chapter 30

Here Beginith Book XII

In Which the Humble Author is Valiantly Rescued by Prince Orin After Falling Down a Hole

The great plains stretched ever onwards, and the lazy dragon Snult could not bear us any further. He set us down in a mud trap and it was not long before I began to sink desperately into the mud. A valiant attempt to grab me was made by Prince Orin, and with no thought of his own safety, he dived in head first to rescue me.
As luck would have it, the sink hole emptied into a cavern where we came upon the strangest sight. There stood a man who claimed no less than to be Squire Masonae’s father. He had, in fact been sent by Great Mage Lasser to assist Orin in his quest. Malek, a servant of Master Lasser fed us a delicious meal and then guided us to the cave of the Dragoness Cunegunde, a black dragon with an enormity of presence. The fearful dragon Snult.
“If you write one more word of that manure, I will personally burn your little hands off,” Snult said as he stared over the shoulder of Brother Hricks. Prince Orin looked up from his sewing. He had been trying to repair some of the frazzled embroidery on his jacket.
“I am a scribe. It’s what I do.”
“It’s tripe. Absolute rubbish.”
“Well, you don’t have to read it. It’s for the history books.”
The smell of roasted feather permeated the air.
“Hey! Your Highness!” Brother Hricks held out the feather that had been burned down to the nub. “He burnt my quill!”
“I’m about to burn your parchments too.”
Brother Hricks gathered up his belongings and scuttled over to the prince’s side. He looked about ready to cry. Prince Orin cast the dragon a disapproving look and held his hand out for the book.
“Let me see.” Hricks handed the book over to Orin as if it were a baby. The print was quite neat and very small, as if he took great care in using all available surfaces. As Orin began to read, the dragon went to go sulk in the fire.
As Orin read, his body felt heavier and heavier. Any spirit he’d gained from getting the map and about to begin his journey leaked out of him as he turned each page.
“This is all wrong.”
“What?” Hrick’s eyes got very wide.
“I didn’t do any of this.”
“Of course you did. I was there, remember?”
“I did not single handedly kill a nest of dragons. I ran and fell off my horse.”
“Your Highness—”
“And I didn’t rescue you. I followed Masonae. And I didn’t save us from Cunegunde. Masonae’s mother did all of that. In fact, I haven’t done one useful thing on this quest. I don’t deserve to win the crown. People are doing everything for me. I’m just following along!”
“But that’s not true! You…” Hricks tried to think.
“I haven’t done anything to merit being a hero. I might as well admit, that I’m a hero, not a follower.”
“Of course, you’re not. I follow you.”
“Go to sleep, Hricks.”
Prince Orin turned around and laid back in the bunch of pillows he was calling a bed tonight. He’d not made a single right decision on his own the whole trip, and he was never the one to get them out of danger. He might as well go back and tell Brother Valdin that he was a fraud.
It was imagining the smug look on Valdin’s face that planted the seed of an idea in his head. It would be simple really. He had to find a way to make himself useful.
Orin waited until he heard snores all the way around the campfire before sitting up and tiptoeing over to where their supplies laid. He took one pack and carefully lifted the dragon’s map from beside the sleeping Mitty and Malek.
He breathed a sigh of relief and padded his way softly past the rest of the party and towards the tunnel that lead to the surface. He’d be forced to lead himself now. No one could stop him from doing things on his own.
The night air was crisp, but the skies were clear. It felt good to be breathing the fresh air that didn’t have the slight tint of dragon smoke to it. Orin walked along through at a brisk pace, carefully avoiding any suspicious looking mud piles that might pull him down to the underground caverns.
The excitement to finally be on his own bubbled up within him as he watched the sun rise slowly over the plain of grass. Consulting the map, he took a direct route towards the center of the circle. It would be a long walk, but it would definitely be worth it to prove himself a king.
The grass crackled behind him. His hand went to the hilt of his sword, and turned swiftly, drawing the blade as he went. Pylon did not look amused in the least.
“What are you doing here? Shoo. Go away.” Pylon sat back on his haunches and made no indication that he had the intention of moving. Prince Orin walked a few yards forward and turned around. The cat followed.
“You’re going to lead them right to me,” he said, frustrated.
“It’s a little late for that,” Masonae said as he appeared through the grass.
“Well, go back where you came from,” Prince Orin said as he turned and stomped forward through the grass. Masonae was still following him. “This is my quest, you know. Not yours… or your mothers.”
“I figured that much, but that doesn’t mean you have to go alone.”
“Why do you want to follow me? Why don’t you just go out and find everything yourself?”
“Because you’ve got the only map. Besides, if I really wanted to take over, I would have woke everyone up. Instead, it’s just me and Pylon. And the secret weapon.”
“Secret weapon?”
“Don’t go getting all weepy, kid. I’d rather be painted pink than spend another minute in those caverns.” Snult said as he poked his head out of Masonae’s pocket.
“I don’t need help.”
“How do you plan to get there. You’ve got three days food, max, and it’s a three day walk. Water is scarce and so’s firewood. You have no idea how to find that strange moss that they were burning in the cavern fires. And you’ve got the fate of Galadin in your hands. Surely that deserves a squire.”
Prince Orin considered. He really didn’t have enough food, but that didn’t mean he was incapable of finding more… actually, that was rather untrue. He hadn’t a clue how to find anything to eat. And Snult could get them there faster. Master Lasser had given him the dragon for a reason. And even the lowliest lordlings had a squire.
“I’m in charge,” he warned. “And you’ll do what I say, and not the other way around.” Masonae nodded. Orin sighed. “I suppose you can join me then, but I plan to kick you off my quest if you try to make a decision.” Orin held out his hand and Masonae accepted it. They shook firmly.
“Won’t your parents be worried about you?”
“Probably… but I left them a note.”