“Why can’t we go talk to it and ask it to stop?” Gwynn said to her mother but spoke loud enough that everyone, even King Seagon, heard her. People snickered and laughed at the idea, which caused Gwynn to look at everyone like they grew a second head. Maria looked up to King Seagon and pleaded, “Please sire, forgive my Gwynn for talking out of turn. She’s a free spirit and tends to speak her mind…A LOT.”

King Seagon looked down at them with a smirk, “If this were some ordinary, run of the mills bad guy then yes we could talk to them, but this is a dragon. They don’t care about anything but themselves. They don’t care that you will starve to death during the harsh winter months because a dragon has free reign to take your food and mine. What do you think it will do when it has eaten all of our livestock and there’s nothing else for it to eat?”

“It will move on and find more food.” Gwynn answered with confidence.

“It won’t leave its lair because I’m sure it has too much horded up in that cave. I know it will come for us eventually and then we will become its next meal.”

As the peasants murmured among themselves, Gwynn replied with a tone of suspicion, “How can you know this for sure since it’s a mythical creature?”

King Seagon snarled, “Because no good can come from having it in our realm! I have no need to explain my actions or decisions to a mere child! Your parents should have taught you how to address a king.”

“My father died to fill your greedy pockets!” Gwynn defiantly retorted with her chin out, “We have nothing because you want more gold than we can give. Now we will have to leave here because of your greed!”

King Seagon pointed at Maria with fire in his steely eyes, “Silence that girl or both of you shall spend the winter in the dungeon!”

Maria gasped as she clamped her hand over Gwynn’s mouth before she could speak. As they back away, Maria said apologetically, “I’m terribly sorry sire, this won’t happen again!”

Maria turned around and stormed off as fast as she could with Gwynn in her arms and her head cast down. She caught people looking at them with quick glances. Their looks made her feel tiny and insignificant, like outcasts. Right now the dungeon didn’t seem like a bad place to be at the moment. The worst part was that people were grinning and pointing at Gwynn.

“Why did you have to run your mouth, girl? Do you want to be chained up to a cold wall all winter long?” Maria hissed.

“Of course not mom, but why can’t I tell him these things?”

“He’s the king. His word is law and as such we have to treat him with respect.”

Gwynn harrumphed, “King fecal face doesn’t show us any respect by making things more expensive.”

“Mind you tongue, Gwynn! People will hear you and then we will both end up in the dungeon!” Maria chastised as she looked around with paranoia.

Once they got to their small hut, Maria set Gwynn down and shoved the door open and quickly ran inside. Most of the citizens that lived within the walls of Dukane had small huts that had an open area that was used for the dining area with cramped seating for guest. Because Maria’s husband was in the king’s army, they had the extra bedroom for Gwynn so she could have her own privacy. This hut was considered a luxury style because most had no private rooms, just a cot or two in the open area. When her husband died and the king cut off all monetary payments, it became difficult to afford this kind of hut and with the recent increases in taxes, no one wanted to pay for it so Maria and Gwynn couldn’t downsize. They had no money for one of the bare minimal huts and those were constructed as needed. One had to pay the taxes on it during construction as well. Maria sat down at the dinner table with her hands covering her face, crying.

Gwynn slowly walked up to her and asked, “Momma, did I make you sad…because of what I said to the king?”

“No dear, it’s not that.”

“Then…what is it?” Gwynn stood beside her and put her little arm around her, her lip quivering at seeing her mother like this.

“I don’t know where we are going to live. The increase in taxes was the worst news of the day and I don’t know if I can come up with the money to keep this roof over our heads.”

Gwynn began rifling through her pockets and then she asked, “Will this help, mom?”

Maria pulled her hands away from her face and looked teary-eyed down at what Gwynn had in her hands. There was a small shiny rock, a couple of crystals, a tattered doll that had a button eye and a leg missing, and a daisy that had lost a few of its pedals. Tears streamed down Maria’s face as she looked into Gwynn’s innocent eyes. She could see that this was all she had in this world to offer up. Gwynn enjoyed nature and tended to bring home different items from her exploration, which meant this stuff had a certain value to her. Unfortunately, the value stopped right there.

“This is very generous of you Gwynn but none of this will be acceptable as payment to the king’s tax collector.”

“Not even this shiny piece of onyx?” Gwynn sadly asked with hurt in her eyes, “I was saving it for you mom, so you could keep this place…”

Maria heart was both melting and breaking at the same time as she gazed at her daughter’s offerings. Gwynn may have been only seven years old, but she knew enough that her mother was struggling financially to get by and decided to give away all her cherished finds. Maria felt in her heart that her husband would be proud of Gwynn. She was kind, generous girl who didn’t know what a stranger was because she easily made friends with all who crossed her path.

They barely had money to afford some of the nicer clothing. Most of Gwynn’s clothing was hand-stitched from the scraps that the tailors discarded. Gwynn wore a multiple shades of brown, full body dress that went down to her knobby knees that had extra deep pockets sewn it. She wore a discolored rope around her waist as a makeshift belt and a pair of red leather boots that came up to her knobby knees. Gwynn meticulously kept them clean and taken care of because they were the last gift her father gave her.

“I wish it would help, Gwynn but it isn’t worth anything except to you.”

“But what will happen if we can’t pay?”

Maria sighed, “The tax collector will come with guards and have us escorted out of here. We will be lucky if they let us take anything with us.”

Gwynn gasped, “No! They can’t do that! Why would they make us leave with nothing?”

“It’s the king’s decree that those who can’t pay have to forfeit everything except what they have on their person. It’s his way of collecting his money.”

“That’s not right!” Gwynn stomped around the table several times, “That doodoo head can take our stuff but will refuse my onyx? I should go up to King fecal face and tell him what I think of his rules!”

“Gwynn, you sit down and get that foolishness out of that pretty little head of yours.” Maria commanded firmly.

Gwynn huffed as she flopped down in her rickety chair dramatically and sat across the table, facing her mother. “If you do that, do you know what will happen?”

“He will have a big temper tantrum and make his guards take me away from him.”

“He would have us both throw in the dungeon and since I can’t pay the taxes while I’m chained to a wall, the king would take our home and everything in it by default, so get those thoughts out of your head.”

Gwynn groaned as she blew her dirty blond bangs from her face. She looked around their hut, feeling restless and asked, “Is it okay if I go do some exploring?”

Maria raised a questioning eyebrow, “Sure all long as the exploring doesn’t involve seeing the king.”

Gwynn beamed an innocent smile at her mother, “Now would I do that?”

“You’re too much like your father, always scheming and never backing down from a good argument or a fight.”

“I might as well honor his memory by being like him.” Gwynn sat up, puffing out her chest proudly, “He would want me to be a pain in the neck so I must carry on this tradition with a heavy burden.”

“Now that sounds like something he would say.”

“He did! He told me this a while back, before he went off to fight for king doodoo head. I told him that I’d do my best in his stead.”

Gwynn hopped up from her chair, knocking it over in the process and ran to her room. Maria called out, “Don’t forget your water gourd, dear. I don’t want you to ever go exploring without it.”

Gwynn came back out with her gourd in one hand and a small satchel at her side. She walked over and picked her chair up and pushed it against the table. Maria opened her satchel and dropped several pieces of dried beef, a couple of apples and a bag of berries. The bag contained a small spade for when Gwynn wanted to dig, a knife for protection, and spool of thread so she could use tie her finds together or make other objects like a fishing pole or a bow if needed.

“Got everything you need?” Maria asked as she inspected her daughter.

“Yes mother.” Gwynn groaned.

“Can you promise me that you will be back before dark?”

“I will do my best but if not, check the king’s dungeon!” Gwynn grinned.

“Gwynn -”

She giggled, “I’m only teasing mother. I will leave the king alone…for now.”

Maria dropped down on her knees and gave Gwynn a hug. As she held onto her daughter, Maria said, “You be safe out there. I will have supper ready before dark. Just promise me you won’t go off and do anything dangerous.”

“I promise but -”

“No buts, you promise your mother this right now.” She sternly commanded.

“I do promise this mother, but what if the danger finds me first?”

Maria leaned back and grabbed Gwynn by her little arms and sternly gazed into her eyes, “Then you run or hide from it. I’ve lost your father already. I don’t want to lose you too.”

“I shall be as stealthy as a fox and as quick as a mouse!”

Gwynn kissed her mother and joyfully skipped towards the front door. She glanced over her shoulder and waved at her as she went outside. As the door closed, Maria stood up and brushed the dirt from her dress and then she proceeded to go towards her bedroom. Maria collapsed onto her big, empty bed as her tears flowed once more. She held one of her pillows to her face, but doing this caused her to remember her husband Ceric. His scent still lingered on their bedding, especially his pillow. Maria yearned for Ceric to walk through the front door and let her know that everything would be alright. But it never happened, not any more.

“Ceric, watch over our Gwynn. She’s all I have left of you. The king will be taking our roof soon…I don’t know what to do. Gwynn needs a better life than being forced into the cold.”

Gwynn trotted along the paved pathway that led to the main gate. She was concerned for her mother but not being able to give king doodoo head a piece of her mind was also frustrating. I have to get away from Dukane but where to go, Gwynn pondered? As she walked past the main gate, the rumbling of heavy hooves vibrated the ground under her feet, the clacking assailed her ears. One of the lead knights barked out, “Make way for the knights of Dukane! The dragon shall fall before nightfall!”

As the small group of knights rushed through the main gate, Gwynn watch them go and then she knew where she needed to go. She looked over her shoulder, back at her hut and muttered, “I will be safe mother. The knights are out here hunting and besides…how dangerous can a dragon really be?”