Meal Break

Before long, Fred suggested that they should stop for a meal. "It's some time since I last ate, and I am feeling hungry," he said. "I imagine that you are too, Princess. I don't suppose that the dragon fed you too well. Though we had better not eat too much. We don't know how long my supplies will have to last us, and of course I hadn't counted on having to feed two mouths rather than one."

Velus barked meaningfully. "I meant 'feeding three rather than one'," Fred corrected himself. Evidently even a dog would struggle to find enough food for himself down here in the caves.

As they ate hard biscuits and salt beef, Fred said: "You know you were telling me, Princess. about the legends that rubbing a dragon's blood on your skin will remove any curse?"

"Please just call me Astra. This doesn't seem the right place for formality."

"Thank you, Astra. And I should be pleased if you would call me Fred. Anyway, I must tell you that the legends that we have in Allaria are rather different from yours. Our legends agree that the blood of a dragon is highly magical, so you may well be right that it could lift your curse. But they also say that if even the tiniest amount of blood should enter an open wound, get swallowed, or even if it gets into the eyes, then the person will transform into a dragon."

"I hadn't heard that, Fred. Thank you for warning me. I shall have to be very careful that I apply the blood to an unblemished area of my skin, then."

1. They finished their meal, drank some water from Fred's bottle, and resumed walking.
2. Whilst they were eating, a sudden gust of wind - seemingly from nowhere - blew out Fred's torch (which he had left leaning against the wall of the tunnel whilst he ate).

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