The Roar of a Dragon Read Free

the previous day, weed all of the onions, and wash all of the wool that he had sheared yesterday.
    I remember vividly that my jaw had dropped. ‘But that’s more than a day’s worth of our work combined!’ I’d complained.
    Father had simply nodded, unsympathetic. ‘And I suggest you get to it,’ he’d stated evenly, ‘because there won’t be any dinner until you finish.’
    I remember opening my mouth to argue, but he’d interrupted, putting his finger in the air. ‘I wouldn’t suggest arguing… that’s just going to waste time.’
    I’d then hung my head, and slunk off into the fields.
    Undoubtedly, that was the hardest day of work I’d ever had, and probably ever would have.
    It had been mid-evening before I finally finished. Tired beyond belief, I’d staggered back to the house and plopped myself in a chair at the table. Father had dinner all prepared for me, but I’d been much too tired to eat, so slumped in the chair instead.
    ‘Hey, wake up,’ Father had said, knocking on the table hard enough to jolt me from my slumber. ‘You need to eat, to recover your lost strength.’
    ‘I don’t think that’s going to do it.’
    ‘Eat anyway.’
    I’d eaten a few bites (too tired to even notice what it was), and the next thing I knew, Father had been carrying me in his arms to my bed. I still can’t remember feeling as good as when he laid me down on my nice, soft bed that night. I’d felt him softly brushing the hair out my eyes, and then he was gone. Father’s punishment had been harsh but, looking back, quite frankly I had deserved it. I had known perfectly well how important our work was to our livelihood, and I had failed. As I’d drifted off to sleep, one thought passed through my mind…
    I need to be more careful with my daydreaming — much more careful .
    I shook off the memory as best as I could and returned to my job; I was trying to fix a broken part of the fence. When I went to lift the hammer, the iron head fell from the wooden handle. It hit the ground with a small thud .
    I sighed. Well, perhaps I should let the chickens have a crack at fixing this thing — they might do a better job than me anyway . I had got particularly good at taking my lack of blacksmithing skills in stride.
    I had a gardening hoe with me, and was just getting ready to turn my attention back to the fields when I could hear horses trotting down the road in the distance. That sound was accompanied by the sound of merry men who had likely had a bit too much ale. I backed away from the fence, wanting to get away from the dust that the horses would kick up, which would make me cough and gag violently.
    As the men drew nearer, I could see that they were not merely men — they were knights! Three of them! I immediately became enchanted, and I found myself wondering how many battles they had seen, how many foes they had slain. I suddenly imagined that I was riding alongside them, sharing my tales of conquest and boasting of my acts of valor on the battlefield.
    I was so lost in my daydreaming that I hadn’t noticed that the knights had spotted me, and that one of them was pointing in my direction.
    A cold chill paralyzed me. What does this knight want with me?
    Excitement warred with fear in my body. I had only had one other experience with a soldier. A few years ago, the house down the road had burned down. It had belonged to a very nice older lady, Agatha, who had been a close friend to my parents. Unfortunately, due to the emotional trauma surrounding my mother, I hadn’t treated Agatha very well. Yet when her house had caught fire, Father and I tried to save her life, to no avail. The next day, the king had sent a young soldier, Derrick, to investigate Agatha’s death. It turned out that she was one of the best tailors in the kingdom and she was making clothing for many of the king’s servants, and even a few for the king himself. Derrick had been a jolly, happy-go-lucky fellow. But for some reason, I didn’t