12. The Grasslands and I

I woke up feeling warm, but also cramped and uncomfortable. Someone was holding me, and I was being rocked back and forth in a heavy, rhythmic motion.

"Bwatha..."

The word slipped out before I could stop it, but the voice that answered me was Hannah's.

"Lady Lilia."

"Hannah?"

"Lady Lilia, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"

When I looked up, Hannah's face was a mess of tears and snot. I wanted to wipe her face for her, but first I had to do something about this discomfort. Why was I being rocked so much even though Hannah was sitting down? It seemed I was being held in her arms, but I wiggled around and, clinging to her, managed to stand up on her lap.

"Waaa..."

Dawn was about to break. Spreading out before me was a vast grassland. Far off to the right, high mountains towered, and to the left, withered grass mixed with the first greens of early spring swayed in the wind.

And then, something was running in front of us with a rhythmic, clip-clop sound. I let out a sharp gasp.

"A wap-tor!"

"No, Lady Lilia, that is called a Raag Dragon. It is a fast and gentle dragon that the Head of the House often rides on his days off."

Hannah wiped away her own tears and snot before dutifully answering me. It seemed she had snapped back into composure now that I was awake. To think Father was riding a dragon, not a horse... Even though it was a dragon, it looked just like the raptors I had first imagined. The dragon in front of us had something like a saddle on it, with a man riding in it.

Then, what were we riding? I slowly looked to my side and saw a dragon's head just ahead of me. The dragon seemed intent on chasing the one in front of us.

"Dagon..."

"It's a gentle dragon. It's okay, it's okay. But Lady Lilia, I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry..."

Tears began to overflow from Hannah's beautiful, deep blue eyes again. I'll worry about why she's crying later, but the dragon we and Hannah were riding didn't have a saddle; instead, there were box-shaped baskets attached to both sides of its back. They seemed to be made of lightweight material, but they were shaped like proper chairs, so Hannah was able to sit securely. The basket on the other side likely held luggage like water and food.

Before long, as the sun fully emerged, something resembling a town came into view. However, the dragon in front of us stopped well before reaching it. Our Raag Dragon stopped in sync with it. A man hopped down from the lead dragon and approached us; he first pulled a bucket from the luggage compartment on the opposite side and gave both dragons some water and some kind of mass.

Then, he came over to us, fiddled with something next to Hannah, and suddenly the entire side of the basket swung open like a door.

"Get out."

Even when told that, Hannah seemed too frozen with fear to move. The man clicked his tongue and scooped Hannah up to set her down. I collapsed right along with her.

"Hanna, let me goooo."

I patted Hannah's arms, pleading for her to let me go. She squeezed me tight for a moment, but then she loosened her grip.

I landed on the grassland. The withered grass was about as tall as my back. For all my efforts to stand up looking cool, once I was off the dragon, everything just looked massive to a toddler. How boring.

"That kid's got guts."

The man muttered that as he looked at me, then plopped down in front of us and pulled a canteen, some bread, and dried meat from a bag.

"Eat."

Hannah shook her head.

"It's another two days, maybe three, of non-stop riding. If you don't eat, you won't have the strength to keep going."

Hearing that, I reached for the bread and the canteen. The canteen was heavy, so I had Hannah open the lid and help me drink.

"Hannah, dwink!"

"Lady Lilia."

"If yow don't dwink, yow'll faw down!"

...Yes, ma'am.

Hannah obediently took a small sip.

The hard bread was dry and tough, but I managed to eat it by taking turns with sips of water from the canteen. I tucked the leftover bread and dried meat into my poncho pocket. I'd thought a toddler's poncho didn't need pockets, but they turned out to be surprisingly useful.

The man watched us with a raised eyebrow, but he didn't say anything and began tidying up. I said,

"Wait!"

...

"Wa-wa, hewe"

Hannah hadn't had enough to drink. I'd have to make her drink while we were on the dragon. I pointed at the water flask. The man silently handed it to Hannah, who took it from him with trembling hands.

"We'll switch dragons at the next town. We're a married couple and a child going to visit a sick parent. If you say anything unnecessary or make a scene, you understand what happens next. Got it?"

Once we were settled, the man gave Hannah that final warning before putting us back into the dragon's cage. Hannah seemed terrified by the threat and had lost all her energy again. I suppose I'd be scared too.

Well, now that I have a moment, I can finally think clearly. I accidentally fell asleep, but it was Hannah who took me out of the house yesterday. In other words, it means we've been kidnapped. If that's the case, why is Hannah being threatened too? All I know is that we're being taken on a dragon ride that will last two or three days.

He was threatening Hannah, but I suspect the real product is me. Even if they weaken me a little, they probably won't kill me.

I might have been just a baby once, but now I'm a child who is dearly loved by my family. Father will surely come looking for me. That is, if he realizes soon enough... I stared intently at the back of the dragon. I couldn't sense anyone following us.

All I can do is try to get as much information as possible from Hannah, make sure she doesn't lose her strength, and protect this unreliable toddler body of mine as best I can.

I made that resolution while sitting on Hannah's lap inside the basket on the back of the dragon as it began to move.

To be honest, I haven't actually stepped foot outside the manor even once until now, so I wasn't entirely sure. Lilia is almost one year and four months old. It seems I really have been reincarnated in another world.

======= Author's Note =======

From this point on, as noted in the tags, there will be a series of painful developments for readers who care about Lia. She won't let it get her down, but I think it might be hard for those watching from the sidelines. If you find the suspense too distressing, I recommend waiting until there are a few more chapters available before you read! Once you feel like you're ready, I'll post an update in the activity reports or make it clear in the table of contents... I'll find a way to make it work!