Chapter 07

As they traversed the village, she couldn't help but notice the significant changes that had occurred overnight. The elves moved quietly, hurrying from one place to another, assisting dragons in settling down. Some were collecting water from a nearby creek, while others toiled in the fields. Arlena made her way toward the residential tree, which had transformed into a bustling kitchen overnight, to see what was going on there.

"High priestess," Arlena bowed to an elf beside one of the boiling vats. The priestess, with furrowed brows and a veil of concern over her eyes, immediately took Arlena by the hand and led her away from the vat.

"You shouldn't be here, child," the priestess cautioned.

Arlena, unable to tear her eyes away from the kitchen, asked, "Are they using fire to cook their food?” The heat and aroma that were coming from this place felt unfamiliar to her.

"Yes," the priestess replied quietly, glancing at Bortrad. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm alright," Arlena reassured the priestess quickly. "I want to visit my father, and later I'll come here to help."

"No," the priestess's tone grew firm. "We have enough elves here. Just go visit your father."

“Well, maybe I can help with anything else?” Arlena’s heart sank; She couldn’t just stand aside while everyone else was working hard.

“Just go; we can talk later.” The priestess touched her cheek.

Bortrad, equally eager to keep Arlena focused, gently nudged her forward, leaving her with no option but to comply.

By the time they reached the healer’s tree, she could sense that the willingness to help dragons had dwindled despite the elves' hospitable nature. All elves looked exhausted and confused. Their homes were now occupied by strangers, and she could see that some families had to spend this night outside their houses; the food was also running low, and some were praying for faster growth, which was naive even for an elf because you can’t rush nature. But that was nothing else but a sign of desperation.

“Arlena!” Aron sat up on his bed the moment he noticed her silhouette at the entrance.

“Father!” she ran to him and embraced him as hard as she could. “How do you feel?”

"All good, all good," he said and cupped her face in his palms. “Are you okay? Arden told me the dragons took you. Did they hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” she smiled softly. “They treated me well.”

“That’s a surprise,” Arden’s voice interrupted them. He stood by Aron’s bed, but Arlena didn’t notice him initially; she was way too excited to see her father feeling better.

Immediately, Arden’s attention switched to the heavy Bortrad’s figure in the room. “You can go now,” he said firmly.

“I’ll take her back,” Bortrad replied no less firmly, and both of them frowned, looking each other in the eye.

“It’s fine,” Arlena hastened to ease the tension in the room. She put her hand on Arden’s arm soothingly. “I’m just helping them…” she hesitated to continue. Sharing a bed with other elves was a common practice. Arlena herself often slept in her father’s bed when she didn’t feel well, was scared during a big storm, or was cold during the rain. But Boren was not an elf, and the way he touched her was far from the usual manner of elves, even Arden. Anyway, she didn’t want to cause more worry than necessary. “It’s fine,” she said eventually.

But Arden didn’t feel better at all. He knew from numerous stories that dragons don’t deserve trust. Taking Arlena by the hand, he said, “Let's have a conversation.” He led her to another room, keeping a watchful eye on Bortrad to ensure he wouldn't follow them. “Are you sure you're alright?” Arden asked her again when they stopped far enough for the dragon not to hear them. He turned her around and carefully examined every inch of her body to ensure she hadn’t been wounded.

“I am,” once again Arlena reassured him and backed away a bit.

“I know you spent the night with him,” he said quietly. Most importantly, he wanted to ask her what they were doing, but his throat tightened, rendering him speechless.

“Yes,” she said, clearly not understanding his concern.

“Did you?” the lump in Arden’s throat tightened. “Did he?”

“What?”

“You know, you can’t share a bed with other men, right?”

Arlena looked at him in bewilderment, “What do you mean?” she asked.

“The marriage bed,” he clarified himself in a slightly louder tone.

Immediately, her face caught on fire, either from the nature of the discussion or from the mere thought of sharing a marriage bed with Boren. She did find the courage to shake her head, though.

“Did he try to force you?” Her answer was clearly not enough for Arden to let the topic go. “I will understand if he did.”

Only now, she noticed how different Arden’s face was. His eyes appeared sunken, shadowed by dark circles beneath them, and his skin held a pallor as if drained of colour. When his hair appeared tangled, and lips dry, and his jaw visibly tensed.

“He didn’t do anything,” she replied.

Finally, Arden seemed to accept her answer and exhaled as if lifting a heavy burden from his shoulders. "Do you think you can sneak out tonight? Me and some other elves are planning to leave the valley. I've heard from the dragon's conversations that there’s a rebel camp in the mountains, formed by survivors from other cities and villages overtaken by the dragons. If we leave, we can join the fight and resist them."

“But,” Arlena couldn’t believe what he was saying. “It’s our home.”

“Not anymore.”

“And my father… How can I just leave?”

“I already talked to him, and he agreed that this is the right decision; he won't be able to handle the road now, but he might follow us when he feels better.”

Arlena got frozen in place. She had never left the valley, and also, who would help the other elves? They already didn’t have many hands, and now, when some will leave. “I…” she started but felt a lack of words.

“You have to follow me,” a glimpse of light touched his eyes in a way she had never seen before. “You were promised to me by the willow tree.”

“We were promised to each other,” she corrected him. “Why wouldn’t you stay here with me and help to find a balance? I know, the dragons are different from elves, I can see it now, but we can teach them our way, we can explain everything, show.”

His jaw tightened as he did something he had never done before. Arden put his hand on her neck and caressed the thin skin on her chin with his thumb. “You can’t teach them. The dragons are savages —beasts. And if you don’t come with me, I guarantee you, they will hurt you. —I can't protect you here.”

In vain, she tried to loosen herself from his grip, but he held her very tight, causing a sharp pain in her neck. “They’re not savages,” Arlena replied, as confident as she could, even though the memory of a dragon who hunted a northern bear was fresh in her mind. “And you’re the one who’s hurting me right now.”

“I’m sorry,” Arden let her go, still looking closely into her eyes.

“I know, everything has changed,” she said. “I know the dragons are different from elves in many ways. But I don’t think fighting is a solution.”

“What are you saying?”

“It’s our home, Arden; we can’t just run and leave everything and everyone behind. If you really want to help, then help to grow more houses and more food.”

Arden touched her cheek and smiled softly. “You still keep thinking about them as if they were elves. —None of the dragons will understand anything more complicated but violence. Ask your father.”

Her heart ached, and she backed away from him. “I’m sure it was an accident; besides, you can’t judge all dragons by the behavior of one. —I’m not going anywhere.” She finished firmly and was about to leave the room when he grabbed her by the hand.

“You’re mine, and as your future husband, I demand you to leave with me!” he growled at her.