Retaliation - 5
Part of the Dragons, Deceit, and Desire collection
Hi Everyone!
Trigger Warning: There is violence and some sexual content in Retaliation.
The following is a WIP story with a few chapters so far. I haven’t looked at it since 2024, and I never got around to finishing it. Three years ago, I began writing short Austenesque stories inspired by dragons and love of magic, but moved on to other things.
As a point of interest, most of the dragon names come from the mythological gods of old. The dragons are not gods, but in ancient times were venerated by mortals in ways that could explain their functions by humans who were not hosts.
I’m trying to get the footnotes aligned with the substack editor, but I haven’t gotten the hang of it yet. I’m probably going to make a glossary… sigh.
The back story of the dragons is found at the beginning of Born to Servet. It is rather boring, but a relatively brief chapter that you can read using the preview function.
As always, your comments and likes will be appreciated! The likes really help. ;o)
Chapter 5
Longbourn was everything the colonel expected and more. The family greeted him with a heartfelt welcome. The news about Darcy and Elizabeth elicited squeals of shocked amazement and riotous laughter from the matriarch and her two youngest daughters. Jane and Mary smiled with happiness for Lizzy.
Refreshments came within minutes of his arrival in the drawing room. The tea and cakes were delicious. Mrs. Bennet worried that he had nowhere to stay and promptly invited him to stay as their guest until his business in the area was complete.
Colonel Fitzwilliam accepted her invitation, and a servant left to collect his belongings and batman from the local inn. A cot was set up in the guest room for his batman after he explained to Mrs. Bennet that he sometimes had nightmares caused by fighting in the war. Sergeant Hicks was adept at waking him safely.
Once the sergeant arrived at Longbourn, he went to Richard’s room and unpacked their bags. Next, he installed a bolt on each door leading into the room and changed the locks. With four unmarried young ladies in the house, it was necessary to secure the room against intrusion.
Jane found Richard to be an interesting man with many stories to tell. The girls took him to Meryton to meet their aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips. They introduced him to their neighbors and friends. They took him to visit the sights and lavished attention on him for a week.
During that week, Bingley never called. Jane discovered her heart did not miss him. The pleasure of seeing the colonel’s smiling face at breakfast and throughout the day gave her joy. Jane was falling in love with the colonel. Two days before the Netherfield ball, Jane was strolling arm-in-arm with Richard down the main street in Meryton, with her three sisters trailing behind, when Caroline Bingley noticed Colonel Fitzwilliam and approached to greet them.
Colonel Fitzwilliam pronounced in a commanding tone, “Do not acknowledge her in any way, ladies. Walk past her without looking at or speaking to her. She has insulted our family by word and deed.” Jane looked at him, nodded, then tightened her grip on his arm and swept past Caroline without a glance or a word. Mary, Kitty, and Lydia followed her example. The party of five continued down the street without a backward glance.
Caroline Bingley turned white. People on both sides of the street gaped at the spectacle. The Bennets had cut Caroline Bingley in the middle of Meryton in full view of all. The news spread like wildfire.
That afternoon, Mrs. Bennet sent out invitations to all twenty-four gentry families to attend a fete at Longbourn the same night as the Netherfield ball. Also included in the invitation were the most reputable of the militia officers and their commander, Colonel Forster.
The next day, Mr. Bennet returned from Scotland to discover that his family was hosting Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam until further notice and that a fete would take place the following day.
Hypnos[1] laughed. My twin brother has decided to join the family. He is not a sleepyhead like me. Do not cross him. Darcy sent him to fix our mess. If you cross him in any way, he will exact punishment.
Bennet: Who is he that you fear his ire?
Hypnos: He is Thánatos[2]. I will have little sleep while he is here, and neither will you.
Bennet: He is Death? I will obey without demur.
Hypnos: That’s good. It looks like Jane has caught his eye. He has no permanent dragon mate. Yet, Richard yearns for her. Sjöfn[3] has indicated she holds Thánatos in high regard. It may be a great match. We will hope.
Bennet: Will you name Darcy’s dragon?
Hypnos: You don’t need to know his name. His word is law. That is all you need to know.
Bennet tried to be gracious. “Colonel Fitzwilliam, thank you for taking care of my girls while I was away. I hope you can stay with us until duty calls you away.”
“At your service, sir. Your family is wonderful. They make even the most mundane occupations joyous. I never knew trimming a bonnet could be such fun!” He winked at Jane and chuckled. Jane blushed a becoming shade of pink and smiled.
Lydia smirked. It was obvious that the girl planned mischief against her eldest sister.
Thánatos: The youngest is plotting again. Her existence is an affront to goodness. She has an evil temperament that preys upon the happiness of others. She seeks to hurt Jane out of jealousy now that Lizzy is gone.
Hypnos: You have no faith in rehabilitating her?
Thánatos: There are some whose wickedness is set. Lydia is one of those people. Caroline Bingley is the same. We will watch both closely. Tomorrow’s fete will be interesting. All the county dragons will attend. I will inform all attendees of my wishes for a swift end to the problem. One of our kind will act to finish her evil. It will probably be a descendant of my first consort, Atropos[4]. I will speak with them all tomorrow night before assigning the task.
The dragons kept their additional thoughts away from their hosts.
[1]Hypnos: God of Sleep: The gentle, restorative, dream-laden state between life and death
[2] Thanatos: God of Death: A peaceful passing, not battle or bloodshed
Order, not chaos. Inevitability, but without cruelty
[3] Sjöfn: A Norse goddess associated with love, affection, and the softening of hearts
[4] Atropos: The Inexorable One - Among the three Moirai, the Fates of Greek myth, Atropos is the eldest and the most feared. Where Clotho spins the thread of life, and Lachesis measures it, Atropos is the one who cuts — the final, irreversible act. She is the moment death becomes unavoidable. She is the hinge between being and not-being, the cosmic editor who decides when the story ends.
Lydia??? Interesting!!!
I wonder what is happening at the Bingley’s - the direct cut was wonderful!!
Ooh! Caroline got the cut direct by order of Richard. And speaking of Richard — he just took Longbourn right over while Bennet was gone. Bennet returns and finds everything changed and a major party about to happen and his dragon says ‘you better just thank him and shut up,’ and Bennet does just that. I love it!
Also, looking forward to seeing what happens to the evil Lydia. [rubs hands with glee!]