A New Dawn - Chapter 14 (With Friends Like These...)
#15 of Malakye's Story - Part 2 (A New Dawn)
A New Dawn is the sequel to my story 'A Place to Belong'. I hope you enjoy this part as much as the last (if not even more! :-)) and those of you who are late to the party, I recommend that you read the first part. Or don't, it's up to you.
The Encyclopedia I have written detailing places, races and various parts of history will come in handy if you come across a word or phrase with a * at the end of it. This symbol * depicts that there is an entry in the Encyclopedia so you can have a more indepth knowledge on the subject at a moments notice.
This story will have mature and adult rated chapters along the way, if you find yourself unable to find missing chapters please check that your age-rating (or your SFW settings) are set appropriatly so you can view them before notifying me. This happens a lot more than you'd think!
This time round I do not have a proof reader so please let me know via note if there are any glaring (or small) mistakes so that I can fix them. And as always, constructive cristisim is welcome!******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Soon I could see the curtain that hung over the entrance of the rooms where Eric and the others were staying. I made my approach hoping to find someone inside, I wanted to spend some time with them, I hadn't spent much time with them since I arrived due to my harsh training schedule. The only one I had spent any real time with was Cody, and that was mostly sex, it would be nice just to be with everyone again. I was just a few yards away from the curtain when two short, and well endowed dragonesses barred my path.
They both wore tight fitted dresses, one wore a pale blue and white dress while the other wore one with a mixture of greens, they stood before me barring my path. They were a fair bit shorter, and younger than myself, I took a step backward out of uncertainty rather than fear. What did they want and why were they staring at me like that?
"Are you..."
"Lord Anaris's son?" They asked, the one in the green finishing the others question.
"Yes..." I replied, my whole body tensing, not sure what to expect.
"I told you! I told you!" The one in blue whispered excitedly to her companion. They giggled to each other before returning their attention back to me. "We are..."
"Really excited..."
"To meet you!" The one in blue finishing the others statement this time.
From the fluent nature of the act I quickly realised that this was a fairly common occurrence between them. The back and forth between the females was making my head spin. I still didn't know who they were or what the hell they wanted.
"Err... nice to meet you too... ladies." My response seemed to please them, they turned to each other and giggled girlishly before turning back to me. "What..." I didn't know what they wanted, but I didn't want to offend them either. I took a moment to contemplate my words. "Can I help you?" Another girlish giggle.
"Well..."
"If you are offering..." The both stopped to giggle to each other again. "We hoped..."
"That you might..."
"Take us as your wives!"******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
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Chapter 14
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Did they really just ask me to marry them!?! I stumbled back a couple of steps in shock. My reaction didn't seem to phase them, they stared at me expectantly, their smiles never faltering. Was this really happening? Had I fallen and hit my head somewhere back in the caves and this was nothing but a bad dream? Our silent stand off seemed to be never ending, it was obvious that these females weren't going to leave without an answer, or by the intervention of Asurmen* himself.
"Uh..."
"Malakye!" Came a deep gruff voice from behind me.
I looked and saw Aceh, I had never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life. He walked over and glared at the two females who had ambushed me. They visibly flinched when he snorted at them, and after a few tense moments under Aceh glare they ran away with a shriek.
"Thanks for that!" I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come, we train!" He turned and began walking.
I just stood staring at his wide muscular back, my maw slightly agape. Was he for real? Was training all he thought about? I was nearly forced into a double marriage! I sighed... he was my master, he did save me from said marriage. I began to follow him. As we made our way through the crowd on the edge of the marketplace, weaving past the crowds, I began to wonder where Aceh was leading me. We were heading in the wrong direction to be going to my fathers place.
As we stepped through an archway and I felt the familiar breeze of the ventilation ducts. It made me think of my training with Xavier, I felt my nen flutter deep inside me, as if wanting to mingle with the breeze. I was surprised, it felt tingly, just a few short days ago it took nearly all my focus to draw out my nen and here it was wanting to come out on its own.
"Today we run!" Aceh commanded.
I didn't get a chance to react as I watched Aceh take off down the vent. I gave chase, but Aceh was not starting off slow. It would be pointless to complain about not being ready, he would just tell me I should be ready for anything. Aceh was still a few yards ahead of me, I had managed to match his pace, I was having to sprint while he looked like he wasn't even going all out. My lungs began to burn, I focused on my breathing, if I didn't breath properly then I wouldn't have any hope of keeping up with Aceh.
I tried with all my might to keep up, but he was just so fast! We would occasionally pass by a lit entrance where the caverns intersected with the vent, sometimes I would be forced to dodge someone who was passing through, but for the rest of the time it was just me and Aceh, no other distractions. I stared at Aceh's back as he ran ahead of me, he was slowly pulling away and there was nothing I could do to stop that. My lungs were straining with the effort as I ran as fast as I could. I could just barely make out Aceh ahead of me, it was so dark. Each time the vent would branch off Aceh veered off in a direction without hesitation, I only saw the other entrances as I passed through them, I followed him and wondered if he had memorised the route or was simply following his gut. I didn't dwell on the thought, I had enough to focus on as I forced my body to keep going at this insane pace.
I was slowly losing speed. My legs and lungs unable to keep up with the demands of keeping up with my master. How was it possible for him to be able to run like this for so long? I couldn't do it any more! I stopped running and fell to my knees, gasping desperately for air. My legs felt like jelly, I was at my limit. The first thing I was aware of, beyond the painful burning in my lungs, was a pair of white furred foot-paws in front of me. I looked up to see Aceh looking down at me with a scowl, his arms crossed, staring at me silently.
"Sorry!" I managed to mutter between gasps.
"For what?" He asked. There he went again, asking me a question.
"For not... being able... to keep up!"
"You not failed me." He stated. "You failed yourself." His words struck home like a knife to the chest. "In battle, to fall to your knees is to lose! In battle, enemy show no mercy! Learn to push past the pain, learn to push past your limit! Only then can you call yourself strong!"
This was one of his lessons, it was humiliating and yet refreshing at the same time. Like having a bucket of ice cold water thrown in your face. He had set it up for me to fail. While I had began to consider myself strong, the truth was I wasn't. Thinking back to how strong Kassandra had been, I had only won because of a lucky hit, she had slowly worn me down. She had decimated the three dragons I had watched her spar with before our fight, I was strong enough to match her, it was my stamina that had let me down. My last ditch attempt to fight had knocked her down, but it had been done through sheer will power. I had been barely able to stand, let alone throw a punch.
"Training finished." He said and walked past me; towards the exit we had past shortly before I collapsed.
I was surprised at the sudden ending, we hadn't been training for very long. Normally he would order me to stand up and continue. I think the fact he didn't hurt more, like he knew that I couldn't do it no matter how much he pushed me. And it hurt my pride because I knew it to be true as well.
I wanted to follow him, but I didn't trust myself to stand just yet. I sat there in the darkness, the gentle breeze enveloping me in a gentle hug as if it was consoling me. Slowly my sadness turned into anger, I slammed my fist against the ground in frustration, and then my anger changed into determination. I would become strong!
I pushed myself up, staggering a little as my legs still felt numb. I turned and walked in the direction Aceh had gone. I stepped out of the dark vent and back towards the marketplace. This was the place where we had started! I had managed to run a full loop before collapsing, but that still wasn't going to be enough!
I walked back towards the lodging where Cody and the others were staying. It was time to finish what I had come here to do earlier. The crowds had already begun to thin, that meant it was late in the day, I guess I had been sitting moping for longer than I thought. I still felt a little off balance, my legs were still fatigued, my lungs and throat were still a little rough as well. What I really wanted was some water, but that could wait.
As the curtained entrance of my friends lodgings came into view I felt myself slow. I surveyed the area, making sure there were no more dragonesses to ambush me with a marriage proposal. With no sign of anyone waiting in ambush I made my way towards the curtain when I felt a paw grab my arm. I froze and cringed, I hadn't looked behind me when I looked around, they had sneaked up on me. I pulled away and yanked my arm free.
"Whoa! It's just me!" Cody yelped.
"Sorry! Sorry!" I apologised, taking a moment to breath a sigh of relief.
"You okay?"
"Yeah... sorry... it's just been some sort of day."
"I can understand that. So I guess your on your way for lessons with Aceh?" Cody asked.
"No... he kinda cut the lessons short today."
"So you're free?!" He chirped happily, his tail wagging.
"Yeah, I guess I am." I smiled.
"Great! Are you coming for dinner?"
"Uh... sure."
I was fairly certain that we weren't heading back to the Anaris house for dinner, Eric had said something about that last night. So that meant we were going to be going to a tavern or possibly... I shuddered at the thought, Darcy's place. I new that she meant well but she was just a little bit too 'in your face!' Particularly her breasts as memory serves. She had nearly suffocated me with those things!
"So... where are we going for dinner?" I asked as I followed Cody.
He seemed to be walking past Darcy's, I breathed a sigh of relief. I wouldn't have to deal with that tonight, the day had been eventful enough as it is.
"Jason found this place, great food and drink!"
"And lots of males and females to drool over." I chuckled.
"You guessed it!" Cody laughed.
Jason was just too predictable.
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"MALAKYE!" I heard Jason yell over the noise of the room as Cody and I pushed past the curtain into the tavern.
I looked across the room filled with over three dozen dragons to see my friends; they stuck out like a sore thumb since they were the only non-dragons in the room. A long bar with three dragonesses serving sat against the right hand side of the room, while a stage on the left had a group of dragons sitting playing various instruments, beating out a pleasant happy tune that gave the room a nice atmosphere.
I followed Cody as he weaved through the dragons and tables to our friends. Halfway across the room I came muzzle to muzzle with a dragoness wearing a skirt and shawl, she gave me smile and pressed up against me, her paws touching my leg and chest. Her shameless advances made me blush. I stared at her and she stared at me, and I was wondering just what to do here. Another dragon came to my rescue when he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her onto his lap. She gave a playful shriek and laughed, not bothered in the slightest when his paw slipped up under her skirt.
I averted my eyes and blushed harder, willing myself not to get hard, I quickly continued to follow Cody who had already made it to the table where the others were. Jason and Michael raised their tankards in welcome, while Eric bowed his head as he puffed on his pipe. Aceh was there as well, he gave me the usual greeting, a bow of the head in acknowledgement before returning to his usual stoic self. It was hard to tell if he was disappointed in my performance back in the vent or not.
"So I see you got yourself a lady friend over there!" Jason chuckled as I sat down. "I told ya that the ladies would be all over ya!"
"You don't know the half of it!" I groaned, staring at the wooden table as I remembered the the two dragonesses who had ambushed me earlier.
"Ooooo! Do tell!" He snickered.
"Having trouble?" Eric chirped curiously.
"If by trouble you mean having two females ask me to take them as my wives, then yes I am having trouble."
"Ho-ho! Studly here hasn't been in town a week and already has two wives on the books!" Jason bellowed loud enough for anyone in earshot to hear clear as day over the noise of the room. I blushed bright red and looked around to see if anyone was paying attention, or even cared about what Jason was saying.
"Jason! You're embarrassing him!" Michael scolded his partner. "Keep it down!"
"Well are you going to take them as your wives?" Jason asked curiously, ignoring Michael.
His question had taken me off guard. I had thought the idea as ludicrous, but thinking about it I was probably one of the few males my age that didn't have a wife, or at least an arrangement to be married. Back in Rovarian village* some of the wolves had been married after their twelfth winter. It wasn't unusual for their marriages to be arranged the first year of their birth, set for when they came of age. Thinking about it like that made me realise that there was very little stopping me from taking a wife, or wives, the only thing stopping me, was me.
I really needed a drink! I turned and made a bee line for the bar, weaving through the tables and trying not to make eye contact with anyone, particularly feisty dragonesses, I really didn't need the hassle right now. As a pair of dragons, a couple of warriors who were clad in furs, stepped away from the bar I slipped into space they left.
"What can I get for you cutie?" A dragoness with large breasts asked.
"What ever... I just really need a drink!" I muttered, not bothering to look at what they had to sell. I just hoped her calling me cutie was just meant as a greeting, and not some flirting which she hoped would lead to her becoming my wife.
"Tough day huh?" She asked, as she turned away to prepare my drink.
"Yeah." I laughed.
"Well just remember this hun, things always look better in the morning!" She chuckled and handed me a metal tankard filled with draconian ale*.
I sniffed it, the bitterness of the dark liquid stinging my nose, but I wasn't going to complain. I gulped it down, the liquid leaving a tingling sensation in the back of my throat. I gasped for breath and put the empty tankard on the bar. The taste was not the most pleasant, but it was no worse than the draconian ale I had had back in Zangar*. It was very similar, not surprising really.
"You want another drink hun?" The bar maid asked, I nodded.