Heart of a warrior

Tiamat stood tall and fearsome, his shoulders were wide, his silver hair seemed to have a touch of lavender in the flickering light of the torch lamps that were lit around the dining area.

His golden tan in comparison to Torque's paleness spoke volumes about the master's vitality and the way he moved with a warrior's determination and pride.

No one could deny Tiamat was a rightful dragon lord but it was not the garments that made him one but his masculine grace that made him outshine even the Duke in such close quarters.

All eyes would have still been on him even if he wasn't handsome; he had a natural commanding presence that compelled people to obey and follow his lead without words being spoken.

Despite his good looks, and even if she had not seen him in action Fiona would have had no doubt that he was a warrior.

This dragon lord never hesitated to make decisions, he wasn't afraid to swing his blade for a cause.

Tiamat never shunned responsibility, in fact he welcomed the burden of the decision as to the welfare of his people, who would live and who would die.

Even as he stood silently over her he did not seem steeped in regrets or failures.

Tonight he wore the opposite of his usual black clothing, his wearing full white accentuated with gold highlights that would have made him seem almost angelic if it wasn't for his piercing dark gaze.

He shone like the moon in the dining room and silence immediately bespelled the room at his seemingly silent and innocuous entrance.

His boots were also a matching white and very high not that he needed the additional height to dominate the room.

Tiamat had a new tabard that he wore with an outline of Thornwyck embellishing his new insignia, it was beautifully stitched with the finest embroidery she had ever seen.

His right hand men flanked him, with Gritzl taking the lead and looking equally resplendent in their usual black and purple garb.

His warriors were all equally as large and fearsome in their expressions but there was no doubt in Fiona's mind as to who was in charge.

All thoughts of Torque were driven out under the overwhelming scrutiny of the Black Flame, his gaze all but scorched through to her very heart and soul.

It was the intensity of his look, the way it was fixed on her that brought to her mind how they first met, that time when in his dragon form he swooped in and scooped her out of the waters, with the predatory instincts of a peregrine.

From the time Tiamat first laid eyes on Fiona his intentions and his gaze had never wavered, he was like a stone cold statue so still that it would seem like his chest did not rise or fall.

Even though Tiamat said nothing Fiona felt an unconscious urge to move her chair even further away from Torque's but she didn't.

She held her ground and did not flinch from Tiamat's intense gaze.

Fiona did not understand why it felt so different with Tiamat, why she felt so comfortable in his presence to not fear him and be able to speak her mind freely.

Tiamat's squire rushed to pull out the chair so the master could be seated, he nearly tripped over his own gangly legs in his rush to complete his task.

Fiona watched as the corner of Tiamat's lips quirked wryly, reminding her that even when he appeared serious he still had a sense of humor.

He did not chastise the boy in front of others, just allowed him to complete his tasks of pulling out the chair and filling his master goblet with wine before he dismissed him.

The fact that he was in such a good mood meant that he had not heard the earlier conversation of the serving wenches but she was sure he must be aware of his reputation.

She had a predicament. Fiona had to suppress the urge to reach out and touch him.

It was like when she was in his presence he made her feel giddy and lightheaded.

Her thoughts became jumbled and her heartbeat raced, of late he had been so busy around the keep that she hardly got to chat with him and with Torque's arrival the gulf between them had only widened.

Yet her awareness of him had not lessened in those last few days, in fact it seemed even more heightened and the last thing she wanted to be was some shy maiden afraid to speak her own thoughts.

Torque's companions laughed loudly and diverted her attention briefly from Tiamat. She was pretty sure that it was somehow about her and she wasn't too keen on knowing the joke.

Tiamat ignored them and knocked his goblet and the first formal dinner affair at Thornwyck began.

It had taken them a few days to decorate the dining room, change out the rushes, set up the tables and chairs and get things dusted and cleaning thoroughly at Fiona's behest.

The maids were lazy and did not want to take orders from Fiona as she wasn't mistress of Thornwyck or any relation to Tiamat, so how dare she boss them around.

It wasn't until Gritzl stepped in and gave them a fierce look that they got busy and did the work.

She thanked Gritzl but he merely shrugged and said, "Tiamat wants to speak with you privately, go now and don't keep him waiting."

Fiona had found him by the stables breaking in a temperamental horse that refused to be ridden after Tiamat was done with him, it became the most docile creature ever.

"I'm sorry that I've been very busy these past few day but Fiona, how are you liking your stay at Thornwyck?"

She said with a smile in her voice, "You have a wonderful place Lord Tiamat, I love it here."

"Have you given any thought to making it permanent?"

"I don't think I belong here in your world besides I do not know how much longer I have left here, perhaps after we have located the chaos orb I shall be returned to my world. Speaking of the chaos orb, any word on it yet?"