Ghost Rider

CHAPTER XLI: Chance

   I awoke much more slowly than usual, bathing in the ocean of peace from my dream. Sooner than I would have liked, though, I was reluctantly brought back to consciousness. As my eyes began focusing on my surroundings, I was reminded of the four walls that stood stubbornly between me and my freedom.

I was a pretty pitiful sight. I was a fearless Valkaydan warrior, a dragon rider, a master assassin. Yet I was rendered helpless in just one night. I possessed no weapons to defend myself (except for the sharpened spoon under a bucket in the corner, but that hardly counted), I could not defeat my attackers in a fight, and my dragon's whereabouts were completely unknown. I was fairly useless at the moment and I hated the feeling that I had no hand in my fate on this blasted ship.

As I sat there, my back resting against the back wall of my cell, footsteps echoed down the halls of the ship's hull.

They have more spring in their step than my guards', and they're too light to be either Krom or Ryker's, so they must be Viggo's. I surmised.

I was right.

"Hey." I greeted my visitor.

"Good morning." Viggo greeted with his thick British accent. "I brought your breakfast personally."

"Won't your father or brother notice?" I inquired nervously.

"No. They are much too busy to be worried about where I wander off to." He assured.

Viggo handed me a wooden tray filled with all sorts of delicious foods. There were strawberries, apples, figs, peaches, and assorted berries on a plate. To the side, there was a heaping bowl of porridge with yak butter and brown sugar that had melted in the heat. On another plate, there were three different types of toast: rye, white, and a different kind that was brown with different seeds and nuts in it. In small little bowls, there was butter and jam. There was also a small wooden cup with cold yak milk. How they got it cold, I have no idea.

I was already salivating.

"How- where did you get this?" I stammered in awe.

"It was the leftovers from my breakfast."

"This is the stuff that you didn't eat?!"

"Well, I did add a couple things." He explained in amusement.

"I cannot thank you enough for this!"

"Well, you could give me a kiss." Viggo slyly suggested.

I rolled my eyes but, nevertheless, carefully set my tray on the ground and leaned in to kiss him through the bars of my cell. It was rather difficult to get our faces close enough due to the bars to kiss, but I suppose that is what made it exciting. I had my hands on his neck, and he fit his hands through the bars and held my waist, drawing us both into the kiss as much as we could.

Sooner than either of us would have liked, he had to leave before his father and brother noticed his absence.

I wondered how we would explain the extra dishes in my cell, and why Viggo was not being very discreet with them, but I didn't question it. I was so ecstatic for this amazing meal that all the trouble I could possibly get in was worth it.

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   After the unusually large meal that I had consumed, I had decided to take a nap. After all, I had nothing better to do.

I was jolted awake by gruff hands roughly hauling me to my feet.

I desperately tried to squirm and twist my way out of their grasp, but to no avail.