a collection of tales [[ chronocompass writing ]]

There was no way this was ever going to work. People didn’t just escape the Militia. But, of course, it would have to suffice. Alfred felt that it was do or die - he would either get out, escape with his dragons and never look back - or he would at least make sure he wouldn’t be alive to assist his captors any longer. The mocking comments every time he turned in a task, the injustices he’d seen every day he’d been here… it wasn’t something he was willing to endure any longer.

He’d been very dutiful over the past month, sure to do everything the Militia asked of him, no matter how mundane or demeaning, and his dragons had been doing the same - though he had tried his best to keep them out of the worst of things. Alfred had resigned himself to not speak a word to those in charge of him, knowing that if he opened his mouth he wouldn’t be able to keep his words in check. Perhaps Alf, the cowardly runaway that he clearly was, deserved some part of this, but not his dragons. Never his dragons.

After the first few days of things, he’d only see them one at a time. Certainly, he still knew where they were - their shared mind made it hard for that fact to be hidden from him - but it filled Alfred with fear and worry when the members of his little family weren’t by his side. Through the mental link, he traded plans with Myr, told stories to Hiraeth and Kubrow, and every time he was taken back to his room for the night, he smuggled something back with him. An old, rusty key a guard had dropped and forgotten about, a piece of string - anything small that might be useful, though more likely completely useless.

Alfred had only really started to see the light at the end of the tunnel when the cat appeared.

It slipped in through his barred window like a shadow one night when he was trying to sleep, so quiet and swift that he almost didn’t notice. When a quiet mew came from the darkened corner of the room, Alf jolted up and stared mutely when two bright yellow eyes met his own. He was almost convinced in that moment that he was just seeing things that weren’t there. His room was on the third story of a building, cats couldn’t climb up rock walls -

Alf branched out his thoughts to his dragons, to perhaps get their opinions on this strange visitor, but they had all drifted off to the land of dreams. At least he knew that, somewhere in the building, they were still alive, and safe. With that knowledge in mind, he got up off the creaky bed and crept over to the pure-black cat. When he held out a hand, the creature got closer and rubbed against his legs. Well. It seemed that he had made a new friend.

When the cat dropped a small piece of paper in his hand, though, he started to get a feeling that this was not just some unexplained visit. He leaned against the wall and sunk down to the floor, and began to read in the faint moonlight.

‘Alfred -

Three days from now. Midnight. Be ready.

Teeba’

Alf had to crack a smile upon seeing the note. It looked like someone out there actually cared about him.

- - - -

All that build up, the letter, the cat, gathering any useful tool he could, and now Alf found himself on the day mentioned in the note, at what he assumed had to be close to midnight. Hiraeth was with him this night, and she paced nervously around the room. Alf could hear her endless whirlwind of thoughts about how this could go horribly wrong, how it was a trap, and was ever so thankful when Myr stepped in to offer words of encouragement.

Alf had just gathered up all the little trinkets he’d amassed over the last month when he heard the sound of wings outside his window. He sprang to his feet and hurried over to the bars to see the best thing he’d witnessed in years.

Hovering in mid-air, outside his window, was a metal dragon with feathery wings, and on his back, a tsotska who was already attaching some odd device to the bars.

“Well hello there!” the lizard person whispered merrily, as if nothing at all was wrong. “Otulius and I are here to get you out. You got everything?”

Alf struggled for a moment to find his voice, and after a few seconds he got out, “No - Kubrow and Myr - they’re still a floor up above us. I - I can’t just go without them.”

The tsotska closed his eyes for a moment, as if he was thinking about something - or to someone - and when he opened them again his brows were furrowed. “Gemma and Sage are already on their way. Hopefully we’ll be able to carry you all back to safety, but first I need to get you out of there. If you would just stand back for a moment.”

Alfred hastily stepped backwards and picked up Hiraeth as he did. The tsotska finished fiddling with whatever he’d attached to the bars on the window, and after pressing a button on the side, the bars just… dissolved into nothing. How fascinating.

Unfortunately the alarms chose that exact moment to start ringing. Alf looked towards the door in fear, but no one was there quite yet. He was pretty sure they’d get here soon, though. 

“Come on, now!” the lizard yelled over the loud sound, and Alf handed Hiraeth to his rescuers before hopping on Otulius’s back himself. The dragon immediately took off upwards, and the group arrived at a second window one more floor up, where another massive winged dragon was gnawing off the bars there. A third dragon was hanging onto the other dragon’s back for dear life, not having wings of his own.

As soon as the bars were broken and the dragons flapped backwards, Alf jumped in through the window. His gaze flickered around the room and quickly landed on his own dragons. His own lovely dragons.

Kubrow and Myr ran to Alf and he gave them a brief hug before ushering them to head out the window. “Go on!” he said, intending to follow after them after they got out. There were footsteps rapidly approaching them, so he didn’t feel all that bad when he all but shoved Kubrow out the window to join the tsotska and his group. Myr was quick to follow, but as she turned around to help Alf get out himself, the door to the room burst open and several guards ran in.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as Alf dashed towards the window and hurried to clamber out onto Myr’s back. Out of the corner of one eye he saw one of the guards raise their weapon in his direction and fire -

There was suddenly a pain in his leg and he was pretty sure he’d been shot by - by what? Why did everything hurt so much? Where was he right now, why can’t he remember? The air was rushing around him - wa he falling? Everything felt so wrong.

Claws grabbed him by the shoulders. Whose? His dragon’s? People were shouting and when darkness reached up to engulf him, he fell into it gladly.

- - - -

He wakes up to daylight, streaming through an open window. It is not the same window he’s grown so used to over the last month. Realizing this, Alfred tries to sit up so he can see where he is -

and is pushed gently back down onto the bed by a mechanical hand. “Don’t try to get up just yet. I promise you you’re somewhere safe, and your dragons are all doing well, too,” a familiar voice says.

Alf grumbles a quiet affirmation. Reaching his mind out, he can feel all his dragons, just outside, running around with some other dragons, a sword, and a fox. Feeling him waking up, the three bombard him with excited thoughts. Alfred can’t help but smile at that.

“Thank you. For rescuing us,” Alf croaks, his sight finally clearing enough to see the same tsotska from before fiddling with something by his bedside. When Alfred speaks, the lizard turns to face him.

“Well, I don’t make a habit of sneaking prisoners out of Abrendese custody… but my brother put in a good word about you. Told me he heard rumors about you around town when he visited for the local gossip, and no one in his little group was willing to risk their hides to save one person.” The lizard explains all this with an apologetic smile. “But I’ve never been able to just stand by and let suffering happen. This little place of mine has sort of turned into its own place for folks needing a safe space, or a helping hand. Once you recover, you’d be more than welcome to stay.”

Alf shakes his head at once. “I can’t put you all in danger, really, but thank you for the offer. I’m sure in a couple days my dragons and I will be off.”

The tsotska’s smile grows a little bit forced, and Alfred wonders what it is he’s missing. “Well, it might be more than a few days, I’m afraid. It, ah, it takes a while to get used to a new limb.”

“A what?” Alfred asks, and against the lizard’s earlier wishes he sits up and pulls the blanket off of him. 

His left leg is completely gone. He doesn’t know how he didn’t notice this earlier. Alf stares in general horror until the tsotska gently lies him back down. 

“I’m sorry that you got hurt like this. I - I did what I could but by the time we got back, it was too late. At the very least, I’m working on making a new leg for you! One of the fancy metal ones. Like my own arm.” He waves it in the air to demonstrate. “I’m just glad you’re alive, really. We almost lost you, you know.”

Alf nods instinctively, in a bit of shock. His own wonderful dragons, as well as the large group of faces he doesn’t know, all come in the front door and crowd around his bed to speak with him now that he’s woken up. The tsotska - Teeba - allows it for five minutes, but then he shoos everyone out, claiming that Alf needs to get some rest so he can get better.

The merry band of people, animate swords, and dragons comply, apart from Alf’s own little group. He falls asleep snuggled up with his three dragons, assured that, even if some things have gone wrong, Myr, Hiraeth, and Kubrow are safe. Alf is safe. And above all, he’s free.