Chapter 16: Taking Charge

Aeris rolled over onto her side and murred softly. Her day with Windor had turned out much different than she expected and ending on a much more pleasant note. His touch had been gentle the entire time, unlike all the others with Master Aaron.

Windor’s smiling face greeted her. “Hello.”

Aeris smiled back. “Hi.” She leaned forward and licked his snout. “I love you.”

Windor licked her snout in return then rolled over and stood up. He yawned and stretched, spreading his wings and flapping them slowly. A cool breeze washed over Aeris’ scales, and she realized how hot she was. After stretching, Windor folded his wings against his body and turned to Aeris. “I have to go to work. Are you going to be okay here alone?”

“Actually, I have to get home,” Aeris replied, standing up as well. “Maggie is probably worried about me.”

“Well, I guess we can walk together then. Here, you’ll need to cover yourself.”

As Windor helped Aeris put her cloak back on, she realized she had no memory of taking it off, but realized it was a good thing. If something had happened to it, she would’ve had to explain it to Maggie later.

The bright afternoon sun made Aeris grateful for the hood of her cloak. There were very little dragons around, but Windor rushed her out of the dragon district. He pushed her away from any dragons in their path and refused to acknowledge anyone who called out to him. It wasn’t until they left the area that Windor spoke again. “Sorry to do this, but I can’t risk the other dragons getting the wrong idea and doing something. You know our kind is famous for their tempers.”

“No, I understand perfectly,” Aeris said. “So, I’ll see you later.”

Windor nodded and walked in the opposite direction. Aeris turned to head home when she heard Cutter’s voice. “Well, you certainly took your sweet time, Snowflake. Judging from your scent, you’ve had a very…fun talk.”

Aeris spun around to see Cutter walking toward her. “Cutter? What are you doing here?”

“Walking of course,” Cutter replied. She chuckled then added, “No, I’m on my way to teach a dumbass some manners.” She motioned for Aeris to follow her. Aeris quickly followed.

“Cutter, I don’t mean to be rude, but I really need to get home.”

“Your master doesn’t get home for a couple of hours; you have plenty of time. Besides, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.” She stared straight ahead, but her expression turned serious. “With this thing you’re doing, you need to make sure these dragons that are going to follow you respect you. If you don’t, you’re gonna have an even bigger problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Aeris asked.

Cutter was silent for a moment. Then she responded, “Respect is everything to our kind. We’d rather die than waste time following some worthless piece of shit. Do you understand? This isn’t going to be dinner and tea parties. You lose these dragons respect, and you’re as good as dead.”

Aeris said nothing. It didn’t make a lot of sense to her as she assumed those dragons wouldn’t follow her if they didn’t have some amicable feelings towards her already, but she chose not to say anything.

Cutter turned to Aeris with a small smile. “You’re gonna be pretty damn dangerous. Just don’t let it go to your head, okay? Too many dragons get arrogant and that’s where they fuck up.” When Aeris nodded, Cutter said, “Good. So long as you want help the dragons, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. Now get going. You have a lot of shit to do.”

Aeris bowed and ran for home. Cutter told her she had plenty of time before Master Aaron came home, but Aeris was cautious all the same. Instead of going straight into her room, she peered through the window to see if anyone was inside. No one was in her room waiting for her, so she quickly entered through the door and pulled her cloak off.

The rest of the day turned out uneventful. Aeris stayed in her room and read until dinner time. Maggie brought her a large roast. After eating, she went back to reading. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt lighter as if a weight had come off her. She felt no anxiety or fear. The wedding didn’t matter, the potential humans and dragons wanting to kill her didn’t matter.

A week passed in a flash and it was time for Reks to visit. It was also the day Aeris was supposed to meet Lanry at Aubrey’s mansion. For the first time in the last week since leaving Windor, she felt anxious. Aubrey had instructed them to keep their heads down and she had done the opposite and invited another dragon into their fold.

After breakfast, she waited patiently for Reks to arrive so they could go to Aubrey’s together. Aeris jogged over to the group of humans and her master, keeping her head high and maintaining eye contact with Mr. Bachmann who leveled a steely gaze at her. Mr. Bachmann broke eye contact first and looked away, clearing his throat. She noticed Master Aaron witnessed the wordless exchange and, judging from the tightness in his jaw, wasn’t happy about it.

But that was fine with her. She turned to Reks and gave him a big, reassuring smile. “Good morning, Reks.”

Since he had been scolded by Aubrey, the Horntail had lost his usual bluster. Staring at the ground, he mumbled, “Good morning.”

“I guess we’ll leave you two alone then,” Master Aaron said. He placed a hand on Mr. Bachmann’s shoulder and steered him away. “Zachery, there is something important I’ve been meaning to discuss with you.”

 "Lord Strauss, I was hoping to have a word with Aeris alone," Mr. Bachmann said, gently pulling away from Master Aaron.

 Aeris looked at Reks, hoping the Horntail could provide some insight into what his master would want to speak with her about. Reks refused to look her way. When he turned his head, Aeris noticed some of the scales on Rek's neck looked discolored. She remembered reading something like that occurred when a dragon was injured and its scales grew back. She dug her claws into the dirt.

“Of course,” Master Aaron said. “You may use the garden. Aeris can show you the way.”

As Aeris led Mr. Bachmann to the gardens, she sensed his anger radiating from him like heat. She fought to keep her composure as well. Reks had told her plenty of stories about his master’s harsh treatments, but he never mentioned being struck by the man. Once they were out of sight, Mr. Bachmann turned to her, waggling a finger in front of her face. “Now listen here, dragon—”

“Have you been beating Reks?” Aeris interjected.

“What I do with my dragon is none of your business!” Mr. Bachmann said, turning red in the face.

Aeris was unfazed by his anger. “He’s my future husband, and as I said before. That makes it my business. Now I’ll ask you again: have you been beating him?”

Mr. Bachmann stared at her, his face growing redder by the second. Aeris didn’t care, nor had she any intention of backing down.

“He’s my dragon and I’ll treat him however I please,” Mr. Bachmann said.

Aeris reacted without thinking, sweeping her tail and knocking Mr. Bachmann’s legs out from under him. With a loud cry, the man fell to the ground. Aeris stood over him, pressing a paw against his chest. He groaned in pain and grabbed her leg, trying to push her off.

She pressed harder, flexing her claws and feeling them puncture his shirt. “After all he’s done for you, that’s how you choose to treat him?”

“There you are, Aeris,” Lilith said.

Aeris’ anger vanished at the sound of the young woman’s voice. She quickly took her paw off Mr. Bachmann’s chest. There were small tears in his shirt and little droplets of blood where her claws just pierced his skin. Fear took over Aeris’ feelings of resentment at what she had done. Unable to look at the man, she turned to Lilith.

 Lilith didn't seem to acknowledge what transpired between them. "Please forgive my intrusion, but I need to discuss with Aeris what she'll be wearing for the wedding. This order must be made well in advance."

Mr. Bachmann slowly stood and brushed himself off though he backed away from Aeris before doing so. “Y-Yes, certainly.” He quickly walked out of the dragon.

Lilith waited until Mr. Bachmann disappeared from view before turning to Aeris with a loud sigh. “You’re lucky I happened to be nearby. What were you thinking? Do you have any idea the trouble you could’ve caused if you killed him?”

Aeris stared at the ground. “I wasn’t thinking. I found he was hurting Reks, and I just lost control.”

“Reks is his dragon.”

“He doesn’t own him!” Aeris quickly recoiled from her outburst. “I-I mean—”

“I know exactly what you mean. I understand why you’re upset. This partially my fault. I told you to be more independent and to stand up for yourself, but I see now that very well may do more harm than good.”

“Excuse me, I have to see Aubrey. She hates when I’m late,” Aeris said. She walked away at a half-trot before Lilith could object. Aeris walked away because she didn’t like where the conversation was going. No way was she going back to letting others walk all over her.

But at what cost? She asked herself. Never had she even thought of attacking a human. Those mercenaries in the woods had attacked her and tried to kill Maggie, but there was no reason to attack Mr. Bachmann. This new change frightened her. If something like that happened while she was out with Master Aaron, it could cause irreparable damage to his reputation.

Reks was waiting for her outside her room. After ensuring her master wasn’t nearby, she and Reks headed toward Aubrey’s mansion. An uncomfortable silence hung between them. Aeris wanted to talk to Reks about his master’s abuse, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. No doubt it had to be a painful memory for him not to mention how difficult it had to be to discuss.

To her surprise, Reks was the one to break the silence. “Hey, I’ve been thinking about what you asked me before. I…I want to go through with it. Kumi means so much to me.”

“Kumi?”

“The dragon I told you about before. The one I…was foolish enough to try to impress.”

“Does she know about me?”

Reks hesitated before answering. When he spoke, his voice was small and difficult to hear. “Yes. She found out about the wedding when she and her master got their invitation. She didn’t take the news well. I still haven’t talked to her yet.”

There was no further discussion until they reached Aubrey’s mansion. Around fifteen dragons of different species stood around on the grass and the path. Aeris thought they had somehow gone to the wrong place or that Aubrey was having a special gathering they didn’t know about. She turned to Reks and saw he looked just as confused.

The moment one of the dragons, a tall Nightstalker, noticed their presence he cried out, “Aeris is here!”

They were immediately swarmed by a ring of scales and bombarded with so many overlapping voices, Aeris couldn’t understand anything being said to her. With all the dragons pressed so close to her, she could barely move.

Aubrey's commanding voice cut through the overlapping sounds of the dragons, "Enough!" All the dragons fell quiet and moved out of the way, leaving a clear path straight to Aubrey who stared at Aeris and Reks with a strong disapproving glare. Aubrey turned and walked toward her mansion. Without looking back, she added brusquely, "You two come with me."

Aeris and Reks followed without hesitation. The other dragons avoided looking their way. They followed Aubrey inside and to the common where Helen sat on the sofa. When she looked at them, there was only sadness in her face.

Aubrey walked to the far side of the room before turning to face them. Her tail slapped against the wall. “Which one of you is responsible for those dragons out there?”

“I don’t know where they came from,” Aeris said. “I only told Lanry to meet me here.”

Aubrey’s tail slammed against the wall hard enough to knock several pictures to the floor and cause a large crack to form. Everyone flinched at her anger. “What part of we cannot afford to draw attention to ourselves did you not hear?”

“I’m sorry!” Aeris cried. “But Lanry said he needed my help. And I didn’t tell him to bring these other dragons. I don’t know where they came from.”

“What does it matter where they came from?” Aubrey spat. “They’re all here for the same thing and there’s no way we can keep this quiet.” She began pacing and mumbling to herself. Aeris was grateful she couldn’t understand the angry rant.

“Lady Aubrey, getting upset with Aeris will not change things,” Helen said in a soothing voice. “Just like you didn’t turn away those dragons when they showed up at your door. You wish to help them just as much as Aeris does.”

Aubrey stopped pacing long enough to throw a disapproving glare in the woman’s direction. “That is not the point. She’s not understanding there are consequences to this sort of thing, and it’s forcing my hand. We can’t make a move this early.”

Helen’s expression remained neutral. “But I believe Reks had already started the avalanche.” Reks dropped his head at her statement, but she smiled warmly at him and continued. “This sort of thing was inevitable. Perhaps it’s better that this is happening sooner rather than later.”

Aubrey paced for a little while longer before she stopped and sighed, the anger draining from her face. “You’re right, Helen. The number of dragons out there is proof just how serious they are to learn.”

Aeris mouthed “thank you” to Helen who winked in response.

“I hope you’re ready, Aeris,” Aubrey said. “These dragons will be relying on you and anything that happens to them will be our responsibility.”

Aeris nodded in understanding and Aubrey led everyone back outside. All the dragons turned to them the moment they opened the door. Lanry stood at the head of the crowd, smiling and wagging his tail. Aeris never felt so nervous. Being around dragons was nothing new, but this time all of their attention was focused on her. Helen gently nudged her and smiled.

Aubrey stepped forward and cleared her throat. “Hello, everyone. My name is Aubrey. Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me that—”

“Is it true Aeris taught you how to read?” a dragon shouted.

Aubrey stopped and Aeris heard a low growl emanating from the Ravager. “Yes, she did,” Aubrey said. “Now I just want to say—”

“Is she going to teach us?” another dragon added.

Aubrey’s claws scraped the ground as she tensed. “That is up to her.”

A gentle push from Helen urged Aeris to step forward. “Um, yes, I-I am going to teach you.”

The dragons began chattering excitedly, a few even stamping the ground in excitement. Aubrey cleared her throat and the crowd fell silent again. “Before we begin anything, we need to establish some rules. First, Aeris will only be teaching the dragons who are here now. You are not to tell other dragons or bring any humans with you.”

“But why not?” the first dragon asked.

“Ain’t it obvious? My master would skin me if she found out I was learning to read,” a third dragon chimed in.

“That is correct,” Aubrey said. “A lot of humans will not like the idea of what we are doing here. It’s important we keep this quiet for as long as possible at least until we have enough standing to go public and protect ourselves from retaliation.”

A murmur of unease moved through the crowd and many of the dragons no longer looked as confident or excited.

Aubrey was quick to speak up again. “Now, now. There’s no reason to be afraid. But for those of you who are having doubts, I’m afraid you’ve already made your decision. There is no turning back for you.”

The tension increased. Some of the dragons looked scared. Lanry was the only one who wore a smile on his face.

Aeris quickly addressed the group. “As Aubrey said, what we’re doing is dangerous. I’m sure you all understand that there are humans who wouldn’t like what we’re doing. We can’t afford to make mistakes. If you have doubts, or you’re afraid, now is the time to leave. No one will stop you, and no one will judge you.”

That seemed to calm the other dragons down. A few still looked uncomfortable, but no one left the group.

“Very nice, Aeris. You have the makings of a good Matriarch,” Helen whispered. Aeris was stunned by the compliment. In a loud voice, Helen addressed the group. “Does anyone have any questions before we begin?”

“Is it true you and Reks are getting married?” Lanry asked.

Aeris wished Helen had never said anything. This was not how she wanted Aubrey to find out about the wedding. She slowly turned to Aubrey.

Aubrey’s face was neutral, but Aeris could sense the anger coming from her. “I believe he asked you a question,” Aubrey said. If there was any doubt about how Aubrey felt, the anger in her voice put those doubts to rest.

Aeris ducked her head and meekly said, “Yes.”

“They can’t hear you,” Aubrey said icily.

“Yes, it’s true,” Aeris said louder. “Reks and I are going to be married.”

Aubrey quickly spoke up. “If that’s everything, please follow Helen to the yard so that we may begin.”

Whether it was from the news or Aubrey’s no-nonsense tone, Aeris didn’t know, but the dragons fell silent and followed Helen around the side of the mansion.

“Just so you know, I was already aware of the wedding,” Aubrey said. “Though I am disappointed you were hiding it from me.”

“I’m sorry,” Aeris replied. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“We can discuss it later. For now, we must focus on the task before us.”

 There weren't enough books for all the dragons there, so the first reading lesson was very awkward. While Aubrey had an extensive library, most of the books were too difficult for someone just learning to read. Aeris learned early on that her usual approach wouldn't work with such a large group. Instead, she tried paring the dragons into smaller groups with a single book amongst them. Aeris, Aubrey, Reks, and Helen went from group to group, helping the dragons to make sense of the books.

 Aeris was more than glad when the day ended. All that explaining and re-explaining the same words and concepts over and over was exhausting. But she was happy with the result. Only two dragons had a fit, which resulted in one of the books being burned, but they were able to quickly re-establish order.

 “Thank you all for coming,” Aeris said. There was a small throb in her temple, but she couldn’t help but smile. “I know we didn’t make much progress, but I promise you that will change in the coming weeks. So I’ll see you all back here next week.”

Aeris watched the dragons leave. It was getting late, so she needed to head home as well, but she also didn’t want to leave it up to Helen and Aubrey to clean up. It seemed Reks had the same idea as he also remained where he was.

After all the dragons were gone, Aubrey approached them. “Aeris, Reks, may I have a word?” Without waiting for a reply, she began talking. “When were you planning on telling me about this wedding?”

Aeris ducked her head. “It was my idea. I didn’t mean to hide it from you, but I was worried you would be upset and call off the deal with my caretaker.”

“You’re still worrying about that man,” Aubrey replied with an angry huff. She turned to Reks and asked in the same abrasive tone, “And what of you?”

“I-I was afraid of getting any further on your bad side,” Reks said meekly. “I know I messed up starting the rumor in the first place.”

Aubrey sighed and sat on the grass. The fury drained out of her face as she shook her head. “This is exactly the sort of weakness I was afraid of. Do the two of you even wish to be married?”

That was the question Aeris was dreading. She knew lying to Aubrey was out of the question, but telling the truth wouldn’t end much better. Bracing herself for the worst, Aeris shook her head.

“And no one is forcing you into this?”

“No,” Aeris said quickly.

“N-No,” Reks said.

Aubrey didn't explode into a fit of rage and instead sighed again, looking more tired and older than ever. "Then I guess there's nothing more to say. I don't know what your caretakers hope to gain from this, but this arrangement is not purely for your benefit—if at all. But that's enough of that. The two of you should get going; I'm sure your caretakers are missing you."

“They might, but I want to help you clean up first,” Aeris said. She resumed helping gather the dishes from their lunch off the ground. Reks helped as well. While she cleaned up, she noticed Aubrey smiling

Aeris didn’t say anything, but she had another motive for agreeing to the wedding now. If she married Reks, she could make a case to her master to let Reks live with her. If she did that, Mr. Bachmann wouldn’t be able to abuse him anymore. It wasn’t a perfect method, but it would be enough to help him.