Chapter III:
Once Richard had finished up in the hot spring, he slowly climbed out of the water and found a soft, yellow towel and began to dry himself off. He put the towel down on the counter next to the sink and took his clothes out of the right-hand drawer. Richard put on the plain white short sleeved shirt before putting on a digital watch and his necklace. He put on his blue jeans before slipping on a pair of socks and black tennis shoes. His leather jacket was in the drawer as well, and he put it on before carefully combing out his messy hair.
Satisfied with his grooming, Richard opened the door and walked back into the large room, only to find that Alezard had disappeared somewhere.
"Mr. Aluhreth?" Richard began to slowly wander about the room, as if doing so would somehow cause the elf to reappear, "Mr. Aluhreth, I-"
Richard turned around when he heard footsteps. They were coming from directly in front of him, but he didn't see anyone.
"Hello?" Richard blinked, "is someone-"
"Mr. Aluhreth will be with you in just a moment, Mr. Hammond." The man who spoke had a deep, powerful voice. Richard blinked again and looked down.
Standing before him was a very short man with a long, thick beard and intense amber eyes. He wore worn looking iron armor and he had an axe that was almost as big as he was strapped to his back. His curly hair was red like fire. Must be a dwarf of some sort, Richard thought.
"Oh, uh, that's fine, I suppose," Richard said awkwardly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He began to slowly walk around the room as the dwarf walked toward and opened yet another red door with a different golden symbol on it. After just another couple of moments, Alezard came through the door.
"Mr. Hammond?" Alezard said, "I would like to speak with you for a few minutes, if that is okay. I have fixed breakfast as well, in case you are hungry."
"Oh, thanks." Richard smiled shyly as he followed the tall elf into the kitchen.
Alezard's kitchen was not as huge and grand as the other room had been, but it was still clean and elegant just like the rest of his home. The floor was the same cream-colored marble and the walls were painted a warm yellow. The room had dark brown colored cupboards as well as black, granite counter tops.
Richard sat down at the table and looked out of the window that continued on the eastern wall from the main room. As Alezard took two plates of food from the counter, his dwarf friend stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.
Outside, Richard could see the pinkish-colored sky as the sun rose in the distance. Far to the northeast, Richard could see snow-capped mountains with clouds concealing their towering peaks. Directly to the east, several miles away, was a massive body of water; it was either a large lake or a bay of some sort. Richard could see various creatures swimming and running around in the surf. To the south were groups of small buildings; that was probably this island's equivalent of a city.
The Earth, at least in his dimension, was not a round planet but a series of floating islands of rocks, each with its own unique landscape and culture. Many of the islands were sideways or even upside-down in relationship to each other, but each and every landmass had its own gravity. Richard still felt a bit sick to his stomach from thinking about it, though.
Alezard sat down across the table from Richard and handed him a plate with bacon, potatoes, and two eggs over easy as well as a large glass of ice water. "I hear that this sort of dish is fairly popular among the people of your island."
"Er, yeah, it's... fairly common, I suppose." Richard didn't realize until up to that very moment exactly how hungry he had been. He practically inhaled the two eggs, and only slowed down once he'd started to chew on the bacon.
"I am going to assume that you weren't fed very well in jail..." Alezard watched curiously as Richard drank half of the glass of water in just a few big gulps.
"I wasn't."
Alezard took a bite of one of his eggs before continuing, "Is something concerning you, Richard?"
"..." Richard paused uncomfortably before letting out a long sigh. He would have to tell him, "It's my right eye, when I went into the bathroom this morning... it was... purple." Richard began to feel incredibly stupid in front of Alezard, but instead, the elf raised an eyebrow.
"Purple, you say?"
"Yes, sir."
"Lean forward a bit, I would like to examine it, if that is alright with you." Alezard slowly lifted his hand toward Richard's face, and he cautiously leaned forward. Richard felt nervous as the elf's cool fingers brushed against the skin around his eye. "...I thought I'd never see another one."
"Another what?" Richard, growing more and more nervous by the second, leaned back in his hair, his eyes wide. "What's happening to me?!"
"Your right eye, my friend," Alezard said, "is a Dragon Eye."
"Woah, woah, woah, woah... wait just a second... what the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"Nobody knows why..." Alezard leaned back in his seat, "but every so often... one mortal being is given the gift of a dragon eye, such as yours. Many of those who receive such a gift never even realize it... I guess you could say that you were one of the lucky ones. You somehow managed to tap into its power."
"That's great. But why me? What is so special about me that I've been given this? I mean... I help to present a popular television programme on the BBC, which I guess is great, but... I'm not that important!" Alezard could easily see the fear and confusion on the young man's face, "I've never even seen a dragon!"
"The dragons are mysterious beings, my friend," Alezard's eyes held sympathy for Richard, "I have told you everything I know; but I am afraid you will have to find the rest of the answers for yourself."
"Well, that really clears things up..." Richard crossed his arms as his expression became dark and serious, "...now, enough about all this bull crap about dragon eyes or whatnot... I demand answers."
"And I will provide them to the best of my ability."
"Good. Now... hmm... where should I start... oh, yeah, right. Why am I here?" There was a long pause as Richard's deep brown eyes glared into the elf's frosty blue ones. Alezard sighed before answering.
"If I recall correctly... about a month or two ago, you and your three friends had come to this island - for reasons I am sure both of us cannot recall. Our emperor, Erotolean Iceflame, somehow knew of your eye - how he had obtained this knowledge I am also afraid I do not know - and was going to have you executed."
"Wait... I was going to be... executed?!" Richard's face turned slightly pale, "great, now not only do I look like I have some sort of eye disease, I'm also a wanted fugitive!"
"It's not what you think, Richard--"
"Oh, so all of a sudden I break out of jail and nobody cares?"
"The night before I got you out, the emperor was assassinated by a group of rogue dragon riders," Alezard paused to let his words sink in, "his son, Rerdean Iceflame, took the throne the very next day and allowed me to free you... because he knew just who you were."
"...I don't... understand..."
"This new emperor may be young, but he is much more tolerant and merciful than his father... probably because he, too, can feel what is coming..."
"Wait, feel what? What's coming?" Richard's blood began to run cold, "...whatever it is, please don't tell me I'm involved..."
"...We both will soon find out..."
