the self proclaimed prince spread his wet cloak out in front of the meager kitchen fire. he took his hat off and took a small sword, little more than a knife, off his belt and placed them both on the table in front of him.
without his heavy cloak and wide hat he was a much less imposing figure, almost scrawny looking.
despite his starved appearance, he wrinkled his nose at the steaming broth zucky ladled out in front of him.
“it’s not much, master, but it is what we will be having ourselves”, zucky told him, taking a bit of pity on him as he beheld the loathsome concoction.
“and i thank you for it,” he managed to reply.
alexa took a seat across from the prince, and zucky filled her bowl .
zucky filled a bowl for herself and took a seat on the prince’s right, facing the fire.
“you will excuse us, my friend, if we eat with some haste,” said alexa. “but we want to get out and salvage what we can from your horse, before any - rivals - get there. rivals from the skies and the swamp, “she added,” no humans that we know of.”
“you are welcome to accompany us,” zucky added, “if the prospect of butchering the faithful beast does not distress you unduly.”
“of course you can stay here and dry out,” alexa said. “if you wish.”
the prince nodded, after managing to swallow a mouthful of the slimy broth. “i think i will do that” he said. “i think i will go upstairs and pay my respects to your invalid - the dragon. it seems the polite thing to do.”
“suit yourself,” zucky told him, “you are not likely to find him very communicative.”
“you can find your own way,” alexa added. “trust us, he is beyond the niceties, and will not know a proper introduction if we were to make one.”
with that the trio fell silent, with the prince sipping hesitantly from his bowl and the two girls attacking theirs with gusto.
*
when the girls had bundled themselves up on heavy rags, and left the house armed with a couple of wooden buckets and two fearful butcher knives, the prince found himself alone.
what i would give for a glass of wine, he thought, but the girls had not mentioned wine, and he had thought it rude to ask.
perhaps when they returned, he might find a way to broach the subject.
he got up from the kitchen table and went in search of the dragon.
when he got upstairs to the ground floor, he suddenly felt an overpowering tiredness.
i will just sit down for a minute, he thought, if i can find a comfortable chair.
he found himself in the library.
he found a wide chair, not quite a sofa, and collapsing into it, fell fast asleep…
the deck of cards alexa had given zucky was on a small table in front of the chair, but he did notice it.
*
he dreamed, as he often did, that he was a stable boy at an inn, on a long dark road in the middle of nowhere.
st christopher, who had retired from his occupation as a ferryman, was the innkeeper.
mary magdalen, still a beauty, though a shrew, was the saint's wife.
he, the prince, was looking out of the single small window in his room above the stables when he saw a lone rider appear out of the darkness…
19. the rider's dream, continued
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