Chapter 5.5

Chapter5.5

Silently, he walked towards the stairs but reined in his pace so that she could follow. As he did so, he glanced over his shoulder to see if she was making any attempts to escape.

It didn't look like it, however, and she walked slowly but steadily after him. "Sorry for causing trouble," she whispered sheepishly.

Rei shook her head, saying that it wasn't her fault. The men were often very rebellious and tried things that Rei had to stop. This even included making disgusting jokes about women or the cruel acts they had committed against them. This was something the guard was very allergic to.

"You have to put a stop to a lot of things they do. It's not up to you," he assured as they walked up the stairs.

"The way they react, I'm the first woman they've seen in many years," she remarked tonelessly, shuddering.

Quinn could not have guessed that she was right in her assumption. Nevertheless, Rei nodded and opened the door to the bed-chamber with his elbow. "And that's exactly one reason why they can't just react like that," the guard explained.

"Is it better if I don't go downstairs at all?" she asked cautiously, slipping into the room.

She more or less offered, but she didn't like the idea of just staying in here.

Behind her, the dragon closed the door and placed her tea and food on the table. "You may move about freely. But only with an escort," Rei said again emphatically. That way, there was less danger of anything happening to her.

Quinn settled down in a chair and took the tea Rei had placed on the table for her. "I'm not comfortable with men," she said honestly.

Rei nodded and sat down across from her, watching her. "That's why Elgatos has the job of watching over you when I'm indisposed. He'll protect you just the same," the guard informed, getting up to start a new fire. Although they hadn't been gone that long, it had gone out in time. The wind and cold from outside quickly caused the room to cool down considerably.

Quinn put the tea back on the table. "C-Can we start today already?" she asked quietly. She wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. Quinn was aware that she couldn't get around it. She would have to get through it or die in the process. She didn't know which was better yet, but she had decided that she would help with it rather than refuse.

Apologetically, he shook his head. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible because they were supposed to stick to the plan. "Tell me how I can help you get through time better," he asked the young woman.

The latter lowered her head. "Time," she whispered hoarsely. "Today, I feel fine. I feel like my body can recover now, so it goes into the next phase stronger."

Thoughtfully, he glanced at her before placing a few pieces of wood in the fireplace. "How exactly do you mean by time? The plan is exact and doesn't allow for deviations at the moment," he remarked dryly. Actually, Rei had meant how he could ease her agony.

"A plan is never adapted to the individual," she said softly. "I've seen that with our sheep. When one was sick, it needed the same treatment, but not always exactly the same amount of time. Some got better faster. Others took longer. But if I had given certain remedies too soon, while they died from it," Quinn recounted her experience.

Confirming, he nodded as he added more logs to the slowly rising fire. "Right, in your case, it's more adapted than in everyone else's. Not for nothing. You may suffer half a year longer because of Harri. In the worst-case even longer," he pointed out to her sourly.

"However, I have the right to adjust the plan if I see it's going to take longer," Rei remarked, looking into the flames that were flickering around the wood. "My question was, what can I do for you to ease your anguish and suffering?"

"I guess nothing," Quinn said dejectedly. "You probably know better than I do what can help with the symptoms."

Reluctantly, he shook his head and kept his eyes fixed on the flames. "I know some symptoms. A great many, in fact. But not how to alleviate them. That's why I got Elgatos," Rei admitted contritely. Admitting that took a lot out of him. Still, it was better if Quinn knew right away how incompetent he was.

The latter contemplated the tea thoughtfully. "I think you're a very good man," she said quietly. "You want to care. That alone is helpful because you are trying to help. You are willing to try things to help."

Silently, he clicked his tongue and nearly put out the fire with his ice breath. With a wrinkled nose, Rei turned to her. "You don't understand, Quinn. The dragons who walk women must make them as comfortable as possible. That the women suffer cannot be prevented, but it is the man's job to look after the woman, to stand by her and ease the pain," he said gravely. That Harri had not been like that, he knew. And that was why he was sure that the stone dragon would soon move in, as negligent as he had acted.

"That's when I heard different things," Quinn admitted quietly. "There aren't many who really care about the women anymore. Just the newbies who have them the first time," she whispered. A dragoness had told her because she was initially turned by another dragon.

Annoyed, he shook his head. "There are rules they must follow. If they don't and there are repeated incidents ... they will be put away and locked up," Rei explained sharply. There were still a few ancient dragons who cared for women, but they had become scarce, he knew.

"I'm afraid I don't know how it should be," Quinn remarked apologetically, taking another sip of tea. She felt better than she had in a long time, which was why she wasn't struggling. He wasn't torturing her.

Unless it was because of the calming herbs that were in the tea. "A lot of people don't know how it should be, which is why they get the wrong idea. Which is what happened in your case," Rei said. He stood up and came back to the table and sat down across from her again before resting his arms on the plate and taking some water. "Elgatos will be in charge of relieving the symptoms and giving me advice. But you will be responsible for telling me your wishes and requests if you need anything," he continued.

"If I'm going to be able to say anything about it," Quinn said carefully, taking a piece of meat.

With a nod of his head, he gave his consent. It was probably very hard for both sides. "I will try to make you as comfortable as possible and ease your suffering as much as is in my power," he promised forcefully.

Quinn smiled slightly but looked uncertain. It was probably very new to both of them. "Are there things you can do here that might distract me?" she asked quietly.

Sighing, he shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. The main life happens here, behind the walls of the castle. It's too dangerous outside. But you could paint, play cards or board games, or bathe," Rei enumerated. "That's all I have. It was never intended for a woman to come here," he said apologetically, watching what and how much she ate.

They were merely small portions, and she ate carefully. At the same time, she didn't look like she was feeling sick.

He noted that with a satisfied smile. If he didn't have to force her to eat, that was already progressing.

Quinn looked more thoughtful. "I've never painted before," she remarked.

"Well, try it out. I'd let you go to the library, too, but you said you couldn't read," he reminded her.

Quinn nodded. "Could someone teach me?" she asked cautiously, hoping to distract herself a bit.

She could see how thoughtful Rei was becoming. In his mind, he was going over the dragons that would be suitable for this. He didn't have the patience and would get annoyed or frustrated too quickly. This wasn't because of Quinn himself, but because his work meant he didn't need patience, he was tough. "Let Elgatos help you," he finally said.

Quinn smiled wryly. "Thank you," she said delightedly.

In response, Rei nodded and lapsed into silence. Thoughtfully, he turned his glass left and right as if hoping to get an answer.

"Maybe I can spend some time in the library myself someday," Quinn said delightedly, genuinely glad that she could learn something. She hadn't expected that she would ever get the chance. Neither in her village nor with the Stone Dragon had it been necessary.

And as long as Rei didn't mind, hopefully, it would distract her. An approving sound rang out from the dragon. "If you want to go to the library, let me know. It's cold there because the room isn't used much," he pointed out to Quinn. Since the library was extensive, it took longer to get warm and comfortable in there.

The young woman nodded and leaned back a bit. Her gaze slid out into the icy desert. She was still fascinated and taken by the sight.

"Don't you dare think about trying to escape," Rei, who misunderstood her look, warned sternly? "It will delay everything, and you will suffer longer."

"I won't get off the island anyway," she said softly. "Out there, I would only die."

He could only agree with that. However, she had already proven that she would entirely rather die than go on. And the dragon took that very seriously.

That was also something he had to prevent. If she ran away and died, it was different than if she died during the transformation. He knew that he couldn't help it if the change happened. But an escape attempt that ended fatally would be his fault.

He had to keep the possibilities and risks as small as possible. That was also the reason why she had to wear the leather cage. Only with the help of her magic could she have escaped. That was something Rei was interested in. That's why he asked Quinn how she had managed it.