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We were approaching the gate of the keep where the predicted crowds had already gathered, cheering the return of the Duke's sons. Artos swore softly and I flinched. "Damn, they're not even waiting for us to get inside the gates," Artos said.

"They're happy to see you!" Jerim said with a big grin.

"Lovely!" Artos said wryly. He sighed. "Alright, I need you to ride ahead and get their attention. I'm going to take the dragon around to the sally port and head up the back stairs to my room. I doubt there'll be anyone in the halls with all this uproar."

"You're going to leave a wild animal loose in your rooms?" Lady El said, disbelieving.

"I really don't have a choice in the matter."

"I could stay with him, Lord Artos," Ren said

Jerim stood up in his saddle. "I see Phaegus in the crowd as well. Doubtless he will be looking for you."

"Don't worry about it, Ren. I don't think he's going to cause any trouble," Artos said.

"I think you're trying to convince yourself," Lady El remarked.

Artos shook his head. "Either way, it's what we're going to do."

Jerim kicked his horse into a trot and Lady El formed her hunters up around him. She drew out her hunting horn and gave a few short blasts, setting the crowd to cheering louder. I nearly jumped out of Artos cloak and fled at the sound, but he put his arms more firmly about me. "Easy! Easy, no one is going to hurt you!" He stroked my back a few times and I settled down a little, still shuddering in fear of all the commotion.

Artos drew his cloak up around his head and further around me, then directed his horse off a side street and around the side of the keep to the sally port. I looked around the small courtyard we rode into nervously, trying to stick my head out but Artos pushed me back down. "Easy, easy now." As predicted, there was no one in the courtyard.

Artos dismounted, me in his arms, and rapidly climbed the stairs and into the inner hallways of the keep. I quickly lost my sense of direction inside and called out in my nervousness. Artos hushed me, singing softly under his breath as he walked. We arrived at his rooms and he ducked inside, breathing a sigh of relief. "Well, we made it my little friend."

He walked over to his bed and gently set me down on it, opening his arms and stepping back. I chirred nervously, looking around, ears back. I had never been inside a building for so long before. Up to this point, I had only ducked in to steal food and ducked back out again. Looking around I saw a door leading into Artos' closet and jumped down off the bed, quickly moving inside, trying to hide from the humans I was certain were going to come in at any moment.

"Well, damn," Artos said, walking over to the closet and looking inside. I huddled back behind his winter cloaks, looking out at him in fear. I called out again, softly, in my agitation. "Easy, my friend," Artos said soothingly. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I hate to shut you in here but there's just too much you could break or hurt yourself on in my rooms and, besides, you're the one who ducked in here." He watched me for a moment. He sighed. "Well, they say fortune favors the foolish," he said and shut the door.

Artos shut the door to the closet and, oddly perhaps, I felt safe. Darkness doesn't bother me any; I see quite well in total darkness. I huddled behind a chest for awhile, ears perked, listening for anyone coming into the room or anything I felt was dangerous but heard nothing. After awhile, I crept out from behind the chest, scenting the air. I was not sure if I should look around the closet or not, if touching anything would bring Artos' wrath down on me.

The closet was filled with various cloaks draped over hooks, chests filled with unknown things, and shelves that had boxes and occasionally clothes folded on them. Was I supposed to do something in here? I still wasn't sure of what these humans meant to do with me. I huffed and checked myself over briefly, making sure that I had no injuries, then examined the chest that I was hiding behind.

The latch mechanism was foreign to me. I'd learned how to open most doors and gates by observation, but this was odd. I puzzled at it for awhile, then started to poke and prod it, trying to determine how it was put together. After a moments investigation, I figured out how to push the small button and the latch popped up. I ducked back, hissing at it instinctively.

Laugh if you will. You would have jumped back too had you never seen one

I pushed the lid open and peered inside, wondering what could be hidden within the chest. Packed inside were more boxes, wrapped in some sort of cloth, various things made of a shiny material which caught my eye, but I could determine no purpose for, and a few sheaves of papers. Curiously, I looked over the papers but of course could not make anything of them. At that time I was unable to read the human language.

I closed the chest. I assumed that this Artos person would probably be upset if he found me looking in it. I reasoned the odds are good that I would be thrown out sooner or later, or worse, but so far they had fed me a few times. Perhaps if I tried to do as they wished I would be fed some more. At that time in my life, food was my primary goal. I had starved all too often.

I yawned, very tired at that point and reasoned that it was safe enough to sleep here. If they were going to hurt me, they most likely would have, and if they had planned anything else there was precious little I could do about it, as small and powerless as I was. We had no idea at the time of how underweight and weak I truly was, until I was fed properly. It was amazing that I was alive at all, really. I doubt, had I not stumbled on Artos camp, that I would have died or wound up on someones mantel as a display.

Sorry Artos.

And so I dozed. I have no idea how long Artos was gone, I doubt I could have told you even had this happened yesterday. I was truly that weary. Eventually I heard the door open and scrabbled back away from it, unsure of who was there or what they wanted.

"Hey, easy now my little friend! You're safe," Artos said soothingly. He crouched down to better be at my level and I watched him warily. He smiled at me. For some reason, that has always stuck out in my mind, Artos smiling at me those first few days. I took a few steps forward, trying to get a better look at the room behind him and to see if there was some way I could escape if needed, not that I had any illusions that I would survive and attempt.

"You're probably still hungry, aren't you? I brought you some more food," Artos said. He stood and I took several steps back and he sighed. "I hope you tame down; I'd hate to think you're always going to be this skittish."

Artos walked back into his room and out of my view. I waited for a moment, then crept forward, ears perked, tasting the air. I heard him doing something over at the table, and suddenly the smell of some sort of roast hit my nostrils. I walked out, nearly drooling, all thoughts of caution gone, as I walked over to the table. Artos smiled at me and I stopped, just watching him, wondering if he were going to feed me again. I chirped quietly, trying to ignore my rumbling belly.

"Here," he said, and set a plate down on the ground, on it sat a large hunk of meat. I darted forward and sank my jaws into it, chewing on it like a starved dog. Artos took several steps back, surprised at my ferocity. After a moment he knelt down, but I was far to interested in ripping chunks of meat off the roast and gulping them down as fast as I was able. Experience taught me to eat quickly and get away before I was seen.

Artos tentatively touched my back as I ate and I froze, looking at him with wide eyes. I skittered back and he looked at me in surprise, then a look passed over his face that I could not then describe. Sorrow? Anguish? Compassion? None of those any emotions that I had ever seen directed towards me. He carefully stood and took several steps back. "Come on then, it's all right. I won't bother you while you're eating," he said softly, gesturing to the food.

I crept forward once more, watching him, wondering if this were a trap. I had been trapped before, lured in by food, but that is another memory, perhaps for another time.

No Artos, I won't write them down if you do not wish it.

I went back to eating, tearing at the meat, swallowing it in large chunks. I finished eating, licked my talons clean, and looked over at Artos, wondering again at this strange human that continued to feed me and seemingly wanted me to stay with him.