Chapter 3: Virlane

Virlane sat quietly in his study, slowly he went over to a special bookshelf and took down a large old dusty book, flipping through it he finally came to the page he wanted, he reread the spell several times until he was satisfied it would work. He set the book aside and made a list of the things he would need for this adventure. One that just might be the most important thing he had ever done in his long life. But first things first, Bitsy! Virlane adjusted his size for the dimensions of the tower room, as he appeared without a sound. He looked towards the fireplace and saw the casket sitting just where he had been told it would be, he walked over to it not making a sound and quietly lifted the lid. Hearing the lid open, Bitsy had tried to hide under the shawl, she didn't move a muscle, hoping whoever had opened the lid would close it and go about their business. With a talon, Virlane lifted the shawl off of Bitsy, she looked up in terror then suddenly cried out, "Virlane, oh Virlane, I'm so happy to see you." Virlane motioned her to be quiet and gently lifted her out of the casket, cradling her in the palm of his paw, he proceeded to use his magic to mend her injuries. Bitsy flew into the air, then hugged Virlane "We have to leave here, Virlane, you don't know the evil, we have to leave and right away. If they catch us we are done for, come on, Virlane." She tugged at his wing, trying to get him to move, but he was looking at the figure laying on the floor next to the bed. Sometime during the night MiLady had tried to reach the bed but had collapsed next to it, she had managed to pull the coverlet off the bed and over herself, but had gotten no further as the events of the day finally caught up with her. Bitsy saw Virlane looking at the lady, and with another tug at his wing said, "take her with us, Virlane, you can make her all better, later at your lair. Come on Virlane get her and lets go."

Virlane ignored the tug on his wing and walked over to look down at MiLady, he gently reached for her and picked her up. For a moment her eye's flicked open and she looked at the dragon. "You are real after all," she said, barely above a whisper, her shackled hands reached out and touched his arm, he felt warm and smooth like soft leather, not the rough, hard, scales she had expected. MiLady smiled softly as her eyes closed once more into an exhausted sleep. Virlane snarled as he saw the shackles, he raised an eyeridge and they fell from her wrists to the floor. Bitsy, who had been tugging violently at Virlane's wing upon hearing the snarl was so startled she let loose at full tug and went somersaulting through the air, hitting the wall with a very unladylike ooofffhh she slide down to the floor. She muttered things about dragons not warning a girl about snarling and flew back to where Virlane still stood and to Bitsy's eye's seemed to be cuddling the lady.

As he stood holding the lady in his arms, his thoughts went back to other times, he had watched her grow up, dancing through the forest and meadows. He smiled as he remembered the time she had fallen out of a tree and with the wind knocked out of her and her hair full of leaves and twigs, he had almost gone to her then, but she had gotten up with a giggle and gone running off to her papa. As the years went by he continued to watch her, it had become almost a ritual. Then the day had come when she was no longer a gangly girl child, but had budding breasts and the indent of a waist, Virlane had chuckled then and thought to himself, our little one is growing up. One afternoon during an extremely long hot summer, she had, as always come to her special place, but this time she slipped out of her dress and lay in the brook, to cool off. As Virlane watched she played in the water and with a sudden jolt of realization, he felt his shaft slipping from its sheath within his body. He shook with the need to possess her, as she stepped out of the brook, his talon's curled as he resisted the urge to go to her and lick the drops of water off her body. He watched her use her scarf of green and gold to dry off her body, imagining his paws in its place, he groaned. After she had left the small glen, he saw she had dropped the scarf and picking it up had smelled deeply inhaling her scent, committing it to memory he closed his eye's and crooned for her and his need. He never went back to the glen when she was there, simply watched from a distance, but the ache for her never went away. The idea that somewhere in her mind she had been aware of him, had felt his presence made the love in his heart stronger.

He felt a tugging at his ear an Bitsy fussing at him. "What's the matter Virlane, are you all right? we have to go now, Virlane, lets go!" He flicked his ear sending Bitsy flying off. She came flying back, fluttering around his head. Bitsy looked at Virlane and didn't understand the look on his face. She fluttered around him trying to get his attention not paying attention to where she was going she flew into the bedpost with a thump she landed on the bed. Virlane looked down at her with a startled look on his face. Bitsy stood up rubbing her head, then put her hands on her hips, "ya well, so I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, it happens, ok!" Realizing it was almost dawn, Virlane gently lay the lady down on the bed and covered her carefully with the blankets. His paw touched her, as softly as a butterflies wing. He saw a tear slip down her cheek and leaning down licked it gently from her face. Bitsy stood on the bed watching with a stunned look on her face "your not taking her with us are you? Virlane" Virlane reached out and wrapped a paw around Bitsy, he suddenly had the urge to stuff a gag in her mouth, instead he just shook his head and the two of them vanished from the tower room. Virlane gently set Bitsy down in front of her parents and the fairies that had gathered waiting for her return. He sat back watching the hugging and rejoicing, then slowly turned to leave, he felt a tugging on his ear and chuckled, Bitsy fluttered around his head and giggling kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, for helping me, of course I would have been perfectly fine in a few days and been home in a flash, but it was very nice of you to come for me." Looking at Bitsy's parents he winked and started to laugh as he waved goodbye and headed for his lair. He stopped and turned about, "will you send Trink to me please" then he was gone.

As the keep started to wake, Mary slipped into the Kitchen and smiled at Harriett. then started to help prepare the morning meal, the two of them would glance at each other and chuckle from time to time. Mary and the other girls carried the food out to the soldiers as they filed in. Dame Agnes sat in the mistress's chair and drummed her fingers on the table. Her face scrunched up as a small cramp hit her stomach, she yelled at Mary, "hurry up, girl my stomach is empty and needs filling." Mary set a bowl of gruel and a pitcher of mead in front of Dame Agnes and with a small curtsey backed away. Kurlew and Bruce joined Dame Agnes at the table, they both had a sheen of sweat on their faces and looked a bit off color. Never dainty in her eating, Dame Agnes began spooning the gruel into her pursed mouth and looked at the two men "if you didn't guzzle your drink and wench the night away, you would be in better health" she commented as she made slurping noise's drinking her mead. With a pained look on her face, Dame Agnes suddenly stood up, her hands clutching her stomach. She tried to leave with haughty dignity but with each step she moved a little faster, every eye in the room was turned watching her, for with each step she took another loud fart was heard. She suddenly picked up her skirts and tried to run from the room, the cheeks of her ass clinched tight. Unfortunately Dame Agnes didn't make it to the jax on time and soiled herself terribly. She heard the loud laughter from the dining hall and swore viciously as her stomach knotted again. Kurlew sneered at Bruce, intending to make a comment when he doubled over grabbing his stomach, he moaned and yelled, "Harriett, you bitch, you've served us spoiled meat, you'll pay for this, mark my word on that!" He pounded his tankard of mead on the table but couldn't say another word as he quickly stumbled out of the hall making for the jax. A wide stain spreading on the seat of his breeches. Bruce hadn't even heard Kurlew, he had been to busy rushing out of the room, shoving other's aside, fighting to get the door of the jax. As he was shoved to the back of the line, he bolted out the side door running around a corner, dropping his drawers as he ran.