"I...Minyri, I can't go," Maggie sighed. "This is the last place my brother knew I was! I can't leave until he comes back!"
"Maggie, your brother left us five years ago," Minyri sighed. "I doubt that he will come back."
"No!" Maggie exclaimed. "He will!"
Liz glared at Minyri. She was so insensitive! She didn't even care that Maggie loved her brother and missed him dearly. Suddenly, she saw Maggie's eyes soften. Liz knew that look. There was a dragon speaking to her, and after Minyri's outburst, that was probably very comforting.
"Liz!" Minyri exclaimed. "Pay attention to what you're doing, girl!"
Maggie cringed and smiled at Liz, mouthing, 'I'll miss you,' as Minyri escourted her out of the room. Liz plopped down on Maggie's bed and began to cry. Kiro reentered the room carrying the empty clothes basket and saw Liz.
"Lizzy, what's wrong?" Kiro asked, settling next to her on the bed.
"All I did was work, but I was happy," Liz sighed. "Now, I'm going to work all the time, but I'm not going to be happy."
Kiro rubbed Liz on the back and sighed, "Lizzy, calm down. You're smart, and you're nice. You'll get out of here sooner or later."
Liz looked up at Kiro, her eyes red with the job of crying, "I sure hope it'll be soon. I don't think I could stand it if I had to go to one of Minyri's brats."
***
Liz sighed as she took one last look at Maggie's room. She was being transfered to the stables. She'd been given a room in the stables, and it would never be as nice as this one. She sighed softly as she turned and closed the door.
The stable was dirty and smelled of the horses which occupied it. There were mice rushing about the floor. Liz sighed. She couldn't believe this was what she had to live in. She set down her bag and looked about her. The straw-filled sack they had given her as a bed was crawling with mice and bugs. The horses stomped and neighed happily at her, glad to see a human face since racing season had ended months before, and they seen very few since.
As a mouse ran over Liz's foot, she shrieked, "I need a cat, or something to kill these things."
A knock came at the door of the stable. Liz turned and sighed. Kiro cracked the door and peeked in.
"Liz? You in here?" Kiro sighed.
"Yeah," She sighed, looking over at her bed. "Unfortunatly."
Kiro entered the stable, "Why did they put you all the way out here? You're a Housemaid, not a Stablemaid."
Liz nodded, "Yeah, I know, but this is what Minryi assigned so there isn't anything I can do about it."
***
The flapping of dragon wings echoed through the House as two rather large dragons landed in the meadows just south of the stable. Liz sighed and covered her ears as the frantic neighing of the horses filled the stable. She piered through the crack in the door and saw the Dragoneers walking towards the main House. If they took Kiro away, she'd have no one left.
She rushed out of the stables, strawing sticking out of her blond hair and dirt covering her face. She grabbed onto the Dragoneer's jacket and began to weep.
"Please, don't take anyone else," Liz exclaimed. "I've lost too many to your kind. Please, don't take anymore."
The Dragoneer looked down at Liz and smiled, "Can we take just one more?"
"NO!" Liz shouted.
"What if that one is you?" He asked again.
Liz piered into the Dragoneer's eyes. She smiled at him and nodded. He smiled back at her and helped her to her feet. He picked the pieces of straw out of her hair and helped her onto his dragon. The large bronze turned to look at her, his whirling eyes locking with hers. She smiled at the bronze as his rider leaped up behind her.
***
Liz sighed as she saw the two rare dragons laying next to the pile of eggs. She'd never seen dragons like these before. Their body and wings were two different colors. As she piered down at the eggs, she felt a pang of sadness in her heart. To think she wished to deprive Kiro of this experience just so she wouldn't be alone. Turning back to the bronzerider who had taken her, she sighed.
"Can you return to the House for someone else?" Liz asked. "I know I said I didn't want anyone else taken, but..."
"I understand," the bronzerider sighed. "What is the person's name?"
"Kiro," Liz sighed. "Please, bring him back."
"I will, love," The bronzerider sighed. "I will."
***
Liz smiled at the little green curled up at her feet. Fhyonnath was her name. The little dragons rainbow eyes caught everything that was around her, and she was very agile dispite the bandages around her forelegs.
What's that, Liz?! Fhyonnath exclaimed as she leaped to her feet and rushed over to where a trundlebug scuttled across the floor.
