Ardaik 15th - Southern Wilds, Serellia

When Rowan opened his eyes that morning, it was the first time since being on the ships that he hadn't woken up hungry or thirsty.

Kamuhr was an excellent fisherman and hunter, and they'd both gone to bed stuffed. But he felt even better than that like a weight had been lifted off of him. He might have thought that he was dreaming if it wasn't for the stiff pain in his back from sleeping on the rocky ground.

What didn't hurt were his injuries which, true to the white dragon's word, had all healed except for his rolled ankle. Now, he only had scars from the bites on his wrist and leg.

Unlike the last time that she'd healed him, this time, Rowan had seen how she'd done it. The trick was in her blood, and anywhere it had mingled with, his wounds had healed unbelievably fast. Rowan suspected it was that very ability that had allowed her to outlive most of her kind. A gift and a curse sort of thing.

Thinking about it prompted him to start scanning the area for Kamuhr. It didn't take his gaze long to pick out the giant white dragon, who'd wadded into the river just under the waterfall and was busy dunking her head into the rushing water. She then sprayed it along her back and wings, flapping and shaking a little before doing it again, similar to a goose or another type of bird, only...much bigger.

"Good Morning!" called Rowan as he hobbled down to the river shore, being careful of his ankle, and found a rock to sit on.

The white dragon paused in her bathing and started over toward him, releasing a gentle, rolling chuckle.

"Good morning, Rowan." She laid down next to the shore and, in doing so, dammed up half the river, forcing the water to rush the long way around her. "How is your leg?"

"Still a little sore, but it'll be fine. I was thinking Malton would be our next stop."

"Back to Lorellia," Kam clarified in a thoughtful manner that felt rather reluctant, in Rowan's opinion, or perhaps he was just reading too much into it.

"Is that a problem?"

"It could be... Lorellia is not very fond of dragons."

"Right," Rowan said, unable to keep his disappointment from bleeding into his words.

"But...I may be able to get you close enough to walk to Malton without being noticed," Kamuhr added.

Rowan's expression lifted instantly into excitement. "That's all I need," he said, pushing up onto his feet.

"Alright, give me a moment to get ready," said Kamuhr, and Rowan was so eager that he didn't even bother to wonder why.

Instead, he passed the time looking for a good walking stick. He would need it if he were going to avoid injuring himself any further.

When Kam rejoined him, she set down the same old cloth with the pieces of armor that he'd thrown away yesterday.

A sigh left him, and he rolled his eyes while slinging the bundle onto his back, trudging off to find someplace in the trees where he could change. He still didn't like the idea of wearing some dead dragon slayer's armor, but if the alternative were being killed, well...he'd rather be alive.

A few minutes later, Rowan reemerged from his forest dressing room in almost a complete set of slayer's armor. The only piece missing was the chest and back plates, which were too heavy and unruly for him to get on without assistance, but everything else was still more protection than he'd had before.

The white dragon stared in astonishment.

Rowan's undeniably Lorellian features, coupled with the armor, stirred up more memories than Kamuhr had been expecting. He looked so much like him and yet, so different at the same time that she was unsure of how to feel.

"Kam?" Rowan asked, pulling the dragon free from her thoughts.

"Hm?"

"How's it look?" Rowan asked again.

"Like...it was meant for you," Kamuhr said softly before shaking and kneeling down so that he could climb onto her back. "Shall we?"

This time Rowan did so without any hesitation and didn't close his eyes as the white dragon climbed straight up the cliff and then jumped into the air, opening her wings. Within a few powerful beats, she was able to catch a draft strong enough to push them up above the clouds.

Rowan found that when he allowed himself to look, it was actually quite beautiful. The glitter of the sun raced across the rapids in the river below, jumping and dancing through the waves. He witnessed a bear wading through the river with a freshly caught fish breakfast. Then Kam leaned into the current and began to pull them more east.

The forest-covered hills were broken up by blotches of meadows where deer and elk moved in massive herds. He knew, however, the moment that they had passed out of the wilds and back into the Lorellian countryside.

The endless forests were gone, replaced by fields and pastures. Herds of cattle and sheep replaced the deer and elk. Woods were relegated to tiny patches between farmlands and settlements. He even noticed the carts and horses of the towns folk below panic as Kamuhr's ominous shadow passed over them. Just below flew a flock of geese in formation. Though seemingly unaware of them, they did begin to adjust their course away from the dragon until they'd diverged onto an alternate route entirely.

It was hard for Rowan to describe the feeling that settled on him as they drew closer to Malton. What would he say to Artus? Should he just come clean about taking the relic from him? What if Sebastien had told him what had happened on the Rose? It would be entirely understandable for the prince to be upset with him. Rowan knew that, but he wasn't prepared for the possibility that Artus might hate him for it.

Despite his mother's warnings, Rowan had genuinely come to think of Artus as a friend, and the kiss they'd shared had only made things worse by adding the idea of them possibly becoming more than friends. The fact that his actions could have done long-lasting and irreparable damage to their relationship crushed Rowan's heart in his chest. No, he wouldn't let that happen. He'd set things right, somehow. Whatever it took to make up for what he'd done, he made up his mind right there. Whatever he had to do, he'd do it.

"Almost there," Kamuhr's voice jolted Rowan out of his thoughts as he noticed the ocean in the distance and what must have been the city of Malton coming into view near the coast.

"We're already within sight. How much further will you go?" wondered Rowan.

"Not much further." The dragon said as she began to lose altitude, the trees and scenery growing larger as she prepared to land in a field near the road.

"Dragon!" A farmhand screamed as he stumbled over himself and scrambled back to his house. "DRAGON!"

"Well... So much for not being noticed," Rowan remarked as he eased himself off the dragon's back and down to the ground.

"Shall I eat him?" Kamuhr's tone rang faintly of sarcasm.

"Careful, I'm still not entirely sure if you're being sincere when you say such things," Rowan retorted in much the same tone.

"Neither am I," Kamuhr teased as she stretched her wings wide before folding them neatly at her sides. "Ah, I will enjoy a nice rest, though. " There wasn't much in the way of cover around them, only a clump of woods near the edge of the fields that acted as a windbreak. "That looks like a good place."

"I think I'd feel better if you came with," Rowan's confession caught a coy look from the dragon as she paused and looked back at him.

"Oh? I thought you didn't need me," she said with a soft chuff. "But I'll be nearby just in case you get yourself into trouble."

Rowan took a breath and nodded before they parted ways, and he was on his own for the first time in...well, he couldn't actually remember the last time he'd been on the road alone. Normally he was with his father's guards, or servants, or any number of other aristocrats or associates. It was odd to just be by himself with his thoughts, and with his slight limp, he felt pretty vulnerable.

The sound of late seasonal songbirds and the scuff of his boots with the occasional rattle of his armor were all that cut through the silence of the countryside. He could see the gates now, and as he approached, another sound caught his attention.

"Hail There! Ho, there, traveler! Hail!" the voice called from the side of the road, and when Rowan paused to look, he noticed a man jogging up to him. Over the stranger's shoulder, he spied a wagon and a campfire, where he presumed the man had been resting before spotting Rowan coming up the road. "Ah... Wow... further than...than it looks..." the man panted as he took a moment to collect himself.

"Wait a tick... Rowan!?" The man exclaimed, and it was then Rowan recognized the man that he'd met back on the ship.

"Brice, wasn't it?"

"By the saints! I thought you were whale food!" Brice exclaimed and then laughed as he wiped a hand over his face.

"What are you doing here?" Rowan wondered.

"Warning people not to enter the city, mostly. At least until some soldiers from Garesto or La'Trest can get in there to tidy up," Brice explained, and when he noted the confused look on Rowan's face, he continued. "Oh, right, you weren't here when we landed. The whole town has been overrun with reavers. The Serellians drove most of them out with their dragons, but I wouldn't go in there if I were you."

"The Serellians?"

"Ah, you might have missed that too," Brice concluded, rubbing the stubble on his jaw before glancing back to his camp and getting an idea. "Why not come and sit for a minute? I can get you caught up."

Rowan agreed, following the merchant back to his little setup. Brice tossed him an old barrel half to sit on and began to explain what happened after the sinking of the Rose.

"And Artus?"

"Headed north with the Serellians towards Homenil. I know we had a deal, but well...honestly, I thought you were dead, so I just got the wagon, and I've sorta been waiting here for someone to return to the city."

"No, it's fine. I thought I was dead too..." Rowan trailed off as his thoughts turned in a more inwardly direction.

"So...how did you survive?" Brice wondered.

"That's a long story."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't have a whole lot on my itinerary right now. I'd welcome any entertainment. I'll even give you a ride to Homenil as payment." Brice's tone suggested he might be over-exaggerating for comedic effect. However, Rowan was of a mind to take him up on that offer and quirked a brow.

"Actually...how do you feel about dragons?"