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The Truth
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Sir Alaric awoke to the feeling of a damp cloth being run over his forehead. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He was greeted by the image of Chloe's face hovering over him with a worried expression. The thought of Chloe being concerned for his well- being stirred something inside him. Then he remembered the dragon.
"Where is it?" He sat up with a cry.
"It's gone. You killed it, remember?"
"Oh . . . Oh, yes. I remember."
"Good, for a moment there I thought I was going to have to deal with a amnesic knight."
"Am . . .?"
"Never mind."
"Okay." (He was really starting to like that word)
Alaric rubbed his eyes and combed his fingers through his hair. Chloe had finished the cooking of the rabbit stew (she had given silent thanks to God and Girl Scouts for that accomplishment). Alaric rubbed his eyes again after looking at her. She had the big woolen blanket that was packed with their supplies wrapped tightly around her body and tucked in above her chest, wearing it like a towel. Her shift was hanging on a low tree branch that was happily situated near the fire.
Chloe caught his surprised gaze and blushed furiously; she had forgotten her attire. Chlöe quickly grabbed her discarded cloak and put it on.
"I'm sorry . . ." she murmured. Alaric didn't say anything but he did lower his gaze.
"I see you finished cooking supper," the knight quietly observed.
"Oh, yes, I did." Chloe quickly got out a wooden bowl from their supplies and handed it to Alaric, who then served himself from the small pot hanging over the fire. Chloe walked over to the branch and felt her shift. She found it to be considerably dry and since she was anxious to be better clothed, she took it down and excused herself and went to get dressed behind the cover of the brush.
When Chloe returned fully clothed, Alaric visibly relaxed. "What is your parentage?" He asked in between spoonfuls of stew.
"My parentage? Why do you want to know that?"
"I am curious."
"Well . . ." What could she say? Her dad lit the set of "Pardon the Interruption" and her mother was a housewife. "Their names are Phillip and Veronica, and they are . . . farmers."
"But, if they are farmers, then how did you become a lady-in- waiting?"
"Oh, yeah . . ." Chloe thought, "Medieval History, twelfth grade: 'If you're born a farmer, you die a farmer . . .'" Chloe wasn't sure how she would get out of this one . . .
Suddenly, her watch beeped.
Chloe frantically tried to muffle the sound by putting her hand over her watch. But, nothing doing, Alaric was already startled and intrigued.
"Pray, what is that?" he asked coming towards her to get a better look at the thing.
"It's nothing!" Chloe cried.
The Professor chose that time to start speaking. "Hello? Hello? Chloe? Can you hear me?"
"Not right now!" Chloe hissed.
"Can you hear me now?" he asked, louder this time.
"Yes, I can hear you! And so can the knight who is standing right next to me!"
"Oh . . . uh-oh . . ."
"Please, allow me to see that!" Sir Alaric demanded, getting quite annoyed. He firmly took a hold of Chloe's wrist and stared at her watch. "La! What is that?"
"I-It's like a sundial, it tells time . . ."
"But, there is a little man inside!" Sir Alaric was now tapping on the screen with his pointer finger.
"Great news!" the professor shouted, ignoring the tapping finger, "the time machine is almost completely fixed! There are still a few more kinks I have to work out, but it should be fixed within a week."
"That's great! I'll soon be out of this awful place!"
"WILL SOMEONE, PRAY, EXPLAIN ALL OF THIS TO ME?" Alaric yelled, unable to wait any longer for some sort of explanation.
Chloe sighed and turned to Sir Alaric. "There's no more use in pretending now . . . I'm from the future."