[stylist] Trials of an honorary Dragon: chapter 14 (new chapter).

[Barbara Hammel]

If this is not to be a story with sex in it, why must we have the dragons 
take their clothes and leave them naked on their first meeting--or at all?
Barbara'

Snow is God's way of reminding us that beauty can be found even in the 
coldest hearts.

--------------------------------------------------
From: "helene ryles" <dreamavdb at googlemail.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 8:21 PM
To: "A private list for authors" <DB-AUTHORS at tr.wou.edu>; "Writer's Division 
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Subject: [stylist] Trials of an honorary Dragon: chapter 14 (new chapter).

> Liza 3: The Parvesh Clan by Liza Bronze
> 6/1995
>
>
> One day, Talmon fluttered in with unwelcome news about a prospective
> mate for me.
> I was sitting motionless on the carpet, gazing into space in a
> listless sort of way.  The house felt so empty without Nadia there. I
> tried to visit Nadia at NIRC a few times but I was denied entry.  The
> letters I wrote to Nadia remain unanswered.
> It’s almost a year since Nadia was last here, but Nadia’s room is just
> as she left it before going to school on that ill fated day.  I never
> could clear away her toys since I felt an overwhelming sense of
> sadness whenever I enter her room.
> I sense that Nadia is in danger, but I am up against two powerful
> witches, and nobody is prepared to help me get Nadia back.   They all
> believe Madrella and Beria rather then me.   They must think I’m just
> some foul mouthed cop with nothing better to do, then kidnap other
> people‘s kids.
> I gazed resentfully at Talmon as he flew through the door, flapping
> his leathery wings in an excited manner.  Even Talmon had fallen out
> of favour after he refused to help me get Nadia back.
> Suddenly I was envisaging myself with a very attractive looking
> grey-skinned guy.  He was about ten years older then me, and carried
> both a red and white cane, and a walking stick.   I envisaged us
> cuddling together.
> "What's all this nonsense about? I told you before; I don't want to
> find a mate. I just want Nadia back," I signed.
> I pictured Nadia happy and safe in the company of other children.
> "Sorry Talmon, but I don't buy that.  If she was ok, I'm sure she
> would return my letters.   So far she hasn't answered any of them.
> Talmon shrugged.   I was visualizing Nadia busily playing with a group
> of other children, then I visualised this guy again.  This time he had
> three children with him, all carrying long white canes.  There were
> two teenage boys, and a little girl.
> "I don't want to replace Nadia!  Nadia's in danger.  She needs our help."
> Talmon carried on trying to reassure me about Nadia, while telling me
> about this guy he had found for me to get married to, as if I'd want
> to marry at a time like this.
> It seemed this man; Vinny Parvesh was the man my Aunt Arielle had married.
> When my aunt Arielle left him, Vinny had been so upset that he tried
> to work magic in an effort to bring her back. The spell Vinny was
> working on went horribly wrong, and he suffered from a stroke, which
> left him completely deafblind and paralyzed.   It took him several
> years to recover from the stroke, but fortunately most of his movement
> came back.  So now he just needs a walking stick as well as his long
> cane.
> It was his mother who wanted to find another wife for him to replace
> Arielle.  My aunt Beria had alerted Talmon's attention to Vinny
> Parvesh.  Talmon had already gone to visit Vinny, and decided he liked
> him.
> “No Talmon! I’m not interested in this Vinny Parvesh.  Not at a time
> like this.”
> The images of several unpleasant looking men flooded my mind, then the
> image of this older deafblind guy again, followed by a question mark.
> "I don't want a mate!"
> The image of that awful Dragon Judge flashed into my mind again.
> Talmon was reminding me that I didn't have any choice in the matter.
> Since the six months had elapsed, Beria would be required to find me a
> mate.  I wondered how long I would have to endure him for, until we
> could finally get divorced.
> I may not have any choice in the marriage, but I could choose how our
> meeting was arranged, and I was not going to be delivered to this guy
> like a package. I would get to wherever this guy lived independently,
> thank you very much.
>
>
>              ***  ***  ***
>
> It was a very steep climb up the mountain ranges, to the entrance of
> the Parvesh stronghold.  Every now and then I would pull out my
> monocular to see if I could find a building of some sort.   Anything
> that resembled a door would do. I didn't even know what I was looking
> for.  All I could see was more bits of purplish red rock, spiky
> shrubbery, and the occasional goat.  In no time at all I was well and
> truly lost.
> I had a map in my backpack which I had bought earlier that day, from a
> man running a stall at Keraina market place.
> Right now the lighting was no longer good enough for me to read it by.
> Still I had memorized the route as best I could.  This was the
> mountains where the Parvesh Stronghold should be, but I could not see
> any sign of a building at all.
> After morosely tramping round the mountainside for what seemed an age,
> I peered closely at my large print watch.  By that time it was getting
> too dark for me to read the watch.  I could only assume that it was
> very late.
> I must have been walking for hours without getting anywhere.   I was
> wondering if there was anything here.  I was now bitterly regretting
> my obstinacy in refusing to let Talmon bring me here.
> As if that wasn't bad enough I heard the 'Beep Beep' of my cochlear
> implant batteries running flat.  I looked in my rucksack for my spare
> batteries, but I couldn't find them anywhere.
> By this time the light had faded completely.  I did not relish
> spending the night out here, but there was nothing else for it.  So I
> anxiously reached out for the boulders.  Occasionally I had to pull my
> hand back when I came in contact with one of the spiky leaves.
> Finally my hand touched a flattish boulder which was big enough for me
> to sleep on. I put my head in my hands in despair.  Tomorrow I would
> try to re examine the map to see where I had gone wrong.  If that
> didn’t work I would just have to summon Talmon.
>
>                           ***  ***  ***
>
>
>                          ***  *** ***
>
> At first dawn, I woke with a start.  A hand touches mine.
> "Are you Vinny Parvesh's prospective wife?" finger spelt a pair of
> grey-skinned hands.  I could smell a trace of goat on the speaker.  I
> looked up to see an attractive looking boy wearing a loose cotton
> shirt and matching trousers.  He looked about fourteen.   The long
> white cane he carried helped me recognise him from one of the visual
> images that Talmon had sent me.
> "I'm Liza Bronze.  Is there a house round here? I've been sent to meet
> Vinny Parvesh."
> "That's my father.  I'm Pluto Parvesh.  I was going to come and sit
> here, to wait for your dragon to arrive with you.  I’ve never met a
> dragon before.  Only your dragon appears to have got here before us.
> Why drop you off here though? It would have been easier to fly to the
> front of our cave.”
> “Your family lives in a cave? I spent all yesterday trying to find a
> building.”
> “No wonder you got lost then.  If you grab my arm, I'll take you there 
> now."
> "I'm not blind."
> "Yes you are.  You’ are just in denial.  I had a classmate like that.
> In the end he was transferred to some school for the blind, since he
> couldn’t keep up with the rest of us, having no blind skills to speak
> of.  I don’t suppose you even know how to use a long cane."
> "Yes I do, but I never need it during the day."
> "You will definitely need it now, if you hope to keep up with me."
> I didn't like being ordered to use my cane in this manner, but I
> realised this Pluto was right.  To follow people in this sort of
> terrain, I really need to know what was underfoot.  By using a cane I
> could use my sight for following the boy with, without having to look
> at obstacles all over my path.  I just hoped nobody saw me with it.
> A few hours later we came to the entrance of a cave.  It was partly
> below ground level.  I would never have found it by myself, even if
> I‘d known what to look for.
> "Meet my Granny," Pluto told me, introducing me to an older,
> round-faced woman.  She was quite plump and was wearing a sari.  She
> looked me up and down rather sceptically.  I guessed she must be my
> prospective Mother-in-law.   The woman took my hand. She began to
> lightly touching the tips of the first three fingers of both my hands
> to form what I could only assume must be some sort of code.   I had no
> idea what the woman was saying to me.
> "Sorry, I don't use that form of communication," I explained. I was
> feeling more useless by the minute.
> "My mother wants you to follow her into the cave.  She was using
> finger braille.   Don't you know finger braille at all? That's how my
> father communicates as well as tactile sign language and finger
> spelling.”
> "Does this cave have any lighting?" I asked as I was about to be
> plunged into the pitch dark mouth of the cave.
> "I'm afraid not.  Granny likes things to be left as nature intended."
> "So do you all have to get about in the dark?"
> "I was born completely blind so there is no light and dark for me.
> The sighted witches can all create their own light by magic, but
> granny and a few others like to go about in the dark.  She advises you
> to get used to it now, rather then later on when your sight
> deteriorates further..."
> "What makes her think it's going to?"
> "Please humour her.  There is sure to be lighting in the dining room
> which is where we are heading for.  I can help you if you will just
> grab my arm. "
>
> I could smell a faint dusty smell as we plunged into the darkness of
> the cave.  The air felt quite damp.  As we went further down the
> corridor I could smell cooking.  It made my mouth water.
> Pluto put my hand on the cave wall, which had a very smooth wet feel
> to it.  I could feel a ceramic plaque with braille letters on it.
> "Sorry, but I can't read braille."
> "Well it is about time you learnt.  We have these braille signs up as
> my father gets disorientated since losing his hearing.  His epilepsy
> doesn't help matters either.
> Pluto led me into a large well lit room where several people were
> eating. It was so well lit that I was momentarily dazzled.  It took my
> eyes a while to adjust to the light after being in the pitch black
> corridor.
> There were a lot of people in this room.  I could sense that most of
> them were witches. Most of the witches were female, although there
> were several male witches here too.  Most of the witches, wore cotton
> tunics with matching trousers.
> I could tell the witches in this room were discussing me, but I had no
> idea what they said.  If only my cochlear implant batteries hadn't run
> out.  I hoped at least one of these witches would be willing to
> conjure up some batteries for me.
> Just then a woman in a brightly coloured tunic gave me some delicious
> smelling soup to eat.  I was very hungry after my long trek the day
> before, so I had several helpings.
> After I had eaten, Pluto came back.  He came with an older teenage boy
> wearing jeans and a tee-shirt that said 'meat means murder' on it.
> There was also a five year old girl.  She was wearing a black lacy
> blouse and matching trousers.  They both carried long canes and were
> just as mobile as Pluto.
> "Hello, this is my brother Pyre and my little sister Sunniva.  Pyre
> can't stay long as he is very busy trying to find work.”
> “How old are you all?” I asked in some confusion.  I remembered Pyre
> as a baby.   Aunt Arielle used to take him when she came to visit me.
> I was about twelve at the time.  I had assumed the boys would still be
> at school.
> “Pyre is seventeen, I'm fourteen, and Sunniva is five."
> "How come he has left school then?"
> "Pyre has a very high intelligence.   He left school at the age of
> nine.  After that he went on to a special university for gifted
> children.  Now he has a degree in criminal psychology.   After that he
> went to medicine school for a few terms.”
> “Was that for gifted children too?”
> “No, he only managed to get in by using an aging potion and lying
> about his age.  He went off the rails a little, after mother left us.
> He got really involved in politics.  He also used to take Sunniva with
> him and pretend that she was his daughter. They threw him out after
> that.”
> “Oh dear! What about you and Sunniva?”
> “We’re both at Starhorn, it‘s a private boarding school.  Sunniva will
> be going to the university for gifted children too when she’s older.
> As for me, I’m afraid I’m just an ordinary boy.   When I leave school
> at eighteen, I mean to do a degree in veterinary Science.  My family
> aren't too encouraging because there has never been a blind vet so
> far, only a few blind doctors.  Granny's been trying to steer me into
> music school since I'm good at music, but I'm also good with animals.
> When father's goats get sick, I've been able to help cure their
> ailments."
> “I meant about your mother.  How did you and Sunniva react when she 
>  left…?”
> “Oh her, I’m much closer to father…” and Pluto trailed off.
> "Where is your father anyway?" I asked after a long silence.
> “I'm sorry but Father says he would rather not have to see you.  His
> apologies for wasting your time but he isn’t interested in remarrying
> just yet.”
> “Oh right, the only reason I'm here is some dragon judge is forcing me
> to find a mate.  If your father would rather not see me, it really
> doesn't bother me at all.  In fact it would come as a relief."
> "Really? So that makes two of you.  Some of the women mother has been
> finding have been dreadful.  Granny is getting really desperate to
> find him just about anybody, as she thinks it will take his mind off
> things, but it's just upsetting him more.”
> I had no idea how to respond to this.
> “Don’t worry,” Pluto continued, “I suggest you just hang around for a
> few weeks, make your excuses and leave.  That‘s what the other women
> do.  Another thing, I hope you don't mind eating vegan food while you
> are here.  We are all vegans; it’s one of the rules of the Parvesh
> clan."
> "Not at all; I'm vegetarian myself apart from eating fish now and again."
> "No, you can’t be vegetarian if you eat fish. A fish is not a
> vegetable.  How about a game of cards?”
> I nodded.  Pluto pulled out a packet of brailled playing cards.  He
> dealt out eight hands for himself, me, Sunniva, and some of the other
> children that he had introduced as his cousins. We spent most of that
> day playing rummy.  A couple of sighted cousins helped me by providing
> magically induced lighting.  It meant I could see the cards in front
> of me.  I could also see them staring at me.
> I watched the children talking, feeling very cut off that I had no
> idea what they were saying to each other or me.
> Later dinner was served.  They served us vegetable curry, with lots of
> flat bread and aromatic rice.  It was as tasty as the soup had been.
> This was followed by cheese cake and ice-cream.
> “I thought you said you were vegan?” I asked as I finished the desert.
> “We are.”
> “Doesn‘t cheesecake contain cheese? That‘s not vegan.”
> “Not necessarily, we make ours with tofu.”
>
> After the meal we all had a game of scrabble until my prospective
> mother-in-law came back to take Sunniva to bed.  I watched her arguing
> with the little girl.  Eventually they left the room.
> "If you grab my arm, I will take you to your room," Pluto instructed,
> soon after they had gone.
> After being guided down a series of dark corridors, I was escorted to
> a little room.  Like the corridor, it was also completely dark.  The
> boy placed my hand on soft cotton bedding.
> "I'm sorry we don't have a light for you today.  We will sort it out 
> tomorrow."
> So I got undressed and felt for my bed in pitch darkness.  At least
> the bed felt very comfortable, and there was a delicious smell in the
> room.  It helped me get to sleep.
>
> I had just drifted off when a hand touched my shoulder.  I could smell
> patchouli in the air.  I wondered who it was.
> "It is Pyre here,” a hand finger spelt, “Pluto says you want some
> cochlear implant batteries.  I can get them for you.  Father probably
> won’t be interested in marrying you, but you can always go out with me
> instead. I‘m up for grabs.”
> "No thanks, I‘m about twelve years older then you," I told him.
> "12 years isn’t such a big age difference.  Mother was more then
> twelve years older then father.  In fact she used to be my father’s
> school teacher before she married him. As long as we are both adults…”
> “Which you aren’t,” I observed.
> “I will be eighteen soon, so the age difference won‘t matter after
> that.  I want an older girlfriend, especially a hottie like you,” Pyre
> finger spelt in a slow but deliberate way.
> “What makes you think I‘m a hottie?”  I asked.  After all the young
> man was completely blind so how did he know what I looked like?
> “I overheard my cousins discussing you.  They all think you are very
> beautiful. I also like the sound of your voice.”
> Now I knew he was just flattering me.  As far as I was concerned my
> voice sounded terrible. When I was at mainstream school all the other
> children used to make fun of my voice, all the time.
> “Excuse me Pyre, but I really want to get some sleep.” I told him bluntly.
> “Goodnight then Liza.  I‘ll get the batteries tomorrow.   The offer is
> always there, if you ever change your mind,” and with that the boy got
> up and left.
>
> A pair of tiny hands woke me up the following morning.
> "Good morning.  I’m Sunniva.  Why aren't you vegan?" she finger spelt.
> "I like fish too much.  My dragon catches them for me." I explained.
> "How dreadfully cruel of him,    How would he like it if someone
> attached a hook to his mouth and dragged him into an atmosphere where
> he couldn't breathe at all." The little girl replied with quick angry
> strokes of the hand.
> "Talmon doesn't use hooks.  He pounces on the fish from the air," I 
> explained.
> "Well that's hardly better.  I think it’s very wrong to kill and eat
> animals for food."
> "I don't eat any land animals."
> "Why do you eat sea animals?  What have they ever done to hurt you?"
> And so the interrogation wore on.  My occupation and dietary choices
> had been heavily criticized by this relentless little girl.  She had
> an amazingly large vocabulary for such a young child.
> In the end I felt my way out of the room in order to get away from her.
> I felt my way along a smooth rock wall.
> I was very close to tears when I bumped into someone coming the other way.
> "Are you the woman that Mother wants me to marry?” Asked a slender
> pair of hands.  He was using tactile sign language, in the pitch black
> corridor.   He smelt strongly of goats.
> “I’m Liza Bronze.”
> “I hope you won't be too offended by my absence.  My mother wants me
> to get married to just about anyone.  They don’t consult me on the
> matter and I’m sick of it.  I wish she would stop sending all these
> dreadful women here.  I don't know what mother has told you, but I‘m
> not in the least bit desperate to get married again.  I want to get to
> know a woman first before I agree to anything like that.   I was very
> hurt when my wife Arielle left.  I am told she is your aunt.  I only
> hope you haven't inherited her lack of commitment."
> "If you are after commitment, I have already committed myself to my
> dragon Talmon, and all my dogs.  I also have a niece called Nadia whom
> I'm very concerned about.  You won't have me all to yourself."
> "I wouldn’t want that.  I come with three children, an infuriatingly
> bossy mother and a flock of goats.  I got fond of one of the women
> that mother selected but she wanted me to leave my family.  She
> wouldn’t even agree to me bringing Sunniva and Pluto with me.    I’ve
> been wary of those women ever since…”
> "I’m glad you chose your children.  I find Sunniva hard to get on with
> but she‘s your daughter so I‘d just have to take her as part of the
> package.”
> "Oh dear, has she started getting in your face already?  I’ll have to
> have a few words with her about that.  She’s been offending all the
> other women too.  Sunniva was only three when Arielle left us.  After
> that I had a stroke...  Would you like to go and sit down in my room?
> Mother has installed a lamp in for you there.  We can have a game of
> cards? I would be happy to talk to you, as long as we don‘t get all
> touchy feely.  I like my own space."
> When the lamp was switched on I could see how attractive Vinny was.
> He had lovely soft waist length hair, and a long shaggy beard.   After
> a game of cards we carried on chatting in tactile sign language, for
> the rest of that day.
> We were only interrupted a couple of times when a witch came with our
> food.  It tasted as delicious as the food that I had eaten the day
> before.
> By the end of the week I fell in love with Vinny.    He had a lovely
> sweet nature which I found particularly appealing.
>
> A few weeks later I took Vinny outside to meet Talmon.  I could summon
> Talmon by pressing the Bronze family talisman, and visualising Talmon.
> I threw my arms round Talmon’s scaly neck as soon as he landed.  After
> that I took Vinny over to stroke Talmon.  He spent some time feeling
> Talmon's scaly form.  They seemed to be communicating together.  Vinny
> had a big smile on his hansom face.
>
> Later that day, a few hours after Talmon had left, I looked up to see
> a goat staring at Vinny and I.   He was chewing up my dress.  I hadn’t
> noticed the goats before as I had been so absorbed with Vinny.
> I sprang to my feet; peering round to find the rest of my clothes but
> the goats must have eaten them.  Vinny reached for me and pushed me
> back down again.
> "Don't worry, nobody ever comes here.  It's nice being in the nude.
> Do you want to marry me?"
> "Yes. Not because I have to, but because I really love you, Vinny.   I
> hope you don't mind if I don't change my surname though.  I want to
> stay a Bronze."
> "No problem, Arielle was really keen to become a Parvesh.  Some
> relatives suspect that's all she was after from me, but at least she
> stayed until after Sunniva was born."
> "I also intend to keep my job as a police officer, as well as my
> meetings with the dragons.  I'm sure you can come with me once Talmon
> clears it with the other dragons first."
> "Oh good, I would love to meet other dragons. I like Talmon."
> "I would also like to bring my seven dogs here."
> "I don't mind, but I'd have to clear it with the goats first, and my
> mother too.  She‘s not very keen on dogs, so we might have to put up a
> fight. "
> "If she refuses you can always come and live with me and Talmon?"
> "I'm not sure the goats would be too happy about that.  This is their 
> home."
> "Well, they should have thought about that before they ate our
> clothes," I told him, lying back down in his arms.
> I was looking forward to getting married to this man.  If only I could
> invite Nadia to the wedding.  As smitten as I was with Vinny, my
> concern for Nadia was still gnawing at my mind.
>
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