The mountains before them held Rhiannon transfixed. This must have been her first time seeing such majestic peaks up close. Even miles off on the horizon, the mountains towered over them and the shaggy pony Rhiannon rode. Once they’d found someone to fix its thrown shoe, their steed had been right as rain.
Taliesin found the craggy, imposing landscape comforting, like coming home. He smiled to himself as he smelled the familiar air, thinking of the crystal-clear waterfalls and streams, then launched into another tale he thought might bolster Rhiannon’s mood.
Eventually the passersby, already few and far between, dwindled to nothing, and Rhiannon felt the need to ask, “Do people not travel through the Storm Bearer’s Pass?”
“Ever since those rumors of the dragon that lives here got out, people try to avoid it if they can. Going by sea takes longer, but it’s far less harrowing than the mountains in winter.” Taliesin looked at her with some concern. “Will you and your gentleman friend be all right? While we’ve had a mild winter, even I dare not pass through until the spring rains have finished.”
“I’ll be fine.” The reassurance came out uncertain.
Taliesin noted the singular rather than plural. He let it slide for now. He’d suspected for some time that this lover of hers didn’t exist. When they arrived at the pass, he would offer to escort her through, and then to anywhere she wanted to go on the other side of the mountains. If she had no destination in mind, well, that suited his life of wandering just as well. And even if she had a place to settle, he’d be happy to remain at her side. From the beginning, he’d wanted to stay with her until he knew her to be truly safe, and now...
Now his heart ached at the thought of being without her.
This pang of sadness was a new feeling. Taliesin had been a lone traveler for so long, enjoying the brief connections he found in each town and city he passed through. The thought of abandoning his solitude on the open road should’ve shocked him.
Yet traveling with “Sofia” was different, somehow. Despite the trials and looming dangers, he’d enjoyed having her at his side, being the first to wish him a good morning and the last to tell him good night. Banter felt natural, and their companionable silences comfortable. He admired her bravery and determination. Her presence didn’t tire him the way his many friendly acquaintances and family could. The thought of losing that—of losing her—stung more than he’d expected.
Rhiannon dismounted as soon as they reached the foothills, rousing Taliesin from his distracted thoughts. With a curtsy, she said, “You’ve done more than enough for me. I can make it the rest of the way on my own.”
“I must politely decline,” Taliesin replied. “I will deliver you either into your lover’s hands or through the pass. Between the outlaws and animals that call these mountains home, it’s too dangerous for a lovely maiden on her own. I can’t in good conscience allow you to make the journey without someone there with you.”
Rhiannon shook her head. “You can’t come with me. You’ll get hurt.”
“I promised you that I would keep you from harm,” he reminded her. “I am a man of my word, fairy tongue or no.”
“You said only until we reach the pass. We’re here. You are freed from your promise. I release you.”
He bowed. “Then I will remain by your side until I know you are safe entirely of my own free will. Please, Miss Sofia. Allow me to escort you safely through the pass.”
“I’m not going through Storm Bearer’s Pass!”
His head jerked up. “You’re not? But I thought—”
“I lied.” She trembled under his steady gaze. “I never intended to go through the pass. It’s true that I came here to meet a prior fiancé, but they aren’t human. The dragon—”
Taliesin stopped her there. Finally, it all came together. He’d suspected after her interest in his mother’s collection... No, if he were being honest, he’d wondered even before that. He looked her in the eye and finally said the realization he’d been avoiding for so long.
“You’re the princess, aren’t you? Princess Rhiannon, the one promised to marry the dragon of Storm Bearer’s Peak.”
Her voice nearly failed her. “Yes.”
Why was he so pleased to hear that there was no other lover waiting for her? He shouldn’t be. He shouldn’t feel anything for her at all. And yet...he shook his head. “Then I have some news that might make you feel better.”
“What is that?”
He swept into the deep, dramatic bow of a professional performer. “I am the dragon of these mountains.”