The Play

Solis clung to Kari’s arm as the other boy led him through a crowd. An ornate travelling cloak hung around Sol’s shoulders, its hood pulled up to cover his horns. His tail was tucked into one of his pant legs. The people couldn’t care less about a young dwarf boy walking the streets. But a tiefling? And a slave at that? Well that was a one way trip to getting caught.
 
“Almost there, you can hear ‘em right? This is a good one!” Kari said, beaming back at Sol. And Sol could hear them. The energized, bellowing, voices of performers drifted over the crowd intermingled with upbeat music. As the two boys finally broke through the front of the crowd, Solis got his first look at the travelling acting troupe that his young Lord had been talking about all day.
 
And he was taken in immediately by the vibrant costumes and dramatic motion. “Oh! We got here at the best part! See, the prince there on the left? He’s on a quest to save the princess from the clutches of the evil sorceress and her pet dragon. He’s finally caught up to them and it’s time for the big fight,” Kari whispered, attempting to catch Solis up on the story. But the young tiefling had his attention purely on the performers. Listening to the narrator as he set the scene for the fight.
 
The two boys jumped and hollered in excitement as the battle began. The “dragon” snaked its way past the crowd and up onto the stage. The prince deftly leaped and dodged away from the beast. The sorceress cast spells of sparkling light and shimmering dust. The three combatants put on quite the show but eventually the prince was victorious. The multicolored, cloth, body of the dragon lay prone as his feet while the sorceress screamed about how impossible her defeat was. The princess was roused from her enchanted sleep and the two heroes shared what the narrator called “True Love’s Kiss.”
 
---
 
As the play ended and the crowd began to disperse, Solis stood and watched the acting troupe as they backed away their things. “Hey Solis! C’mon we gotta go,” Kari said, playfully tugging on Sol’s arm, “Mom’s gonna be furious if she figures out we left.”
 
Sol looked at Kari and then back at the troupe. “You think I could do that one day?” He asked.
 
“What, slay a dragon?” Kari laughed.
 
“No! Don’t be silly. Tell stories like that. Think Master Thrahak would let me?”
 
Kari shrugged. “Don’t see why not. But you gotta take me to all your shows ok? Front row seats! Oh! Or I could fight too!” Kari said, raising his voice in excitement, “Two princes! That would make the story better. Two princes fighting the dragon together is way cooler than just one.”
 
Solis laughed, linking his arm with Kari as the two started walking back in the direction of home. “We should practice then! I could get Emry to be the dragon. He’s big and green like one.”
 
The two boys discussed their make believe fight scene the entire way home. Breaking into a few bouts of tag or picking up sticks and playing swords as they went. And for a brief moment, Sol wasn’t a slave, just a kid.
 
And in the land of the waking world. The now adult Solis smiled in his sleep.