Chapter 19

Gwendolyn stood in awe in the stable, staring at the massive stalls. They were large enough to hold Harplie with ease, and Solithi seemed dwarfed inside her stall, which was clearly built to accommodate a fully sized dragon.

The stable was just outside the Palace, on the massive lawn that sprawled in all directions, except the front side. The castle and its grounds were backed into a corner against the walls of the city. A wall separated the castle grounds from the rest of the city, creating a large triangular space that held tranquility, greenery, and quiet to contrast the city streets just steps away.

The massive space didn’t take up even a tenth of the lawn, despite being equipped to house twenty dragons. A massive storeroom connected to the stable held massive saddles in various sizes, alongside saddlebags and other supplies. In one corner was a set of several wardrobes, and it was that corner that Prince Aparen went to immediately.

“Do you wear pants?” he asked her, riffling through one wardrobe.

“Oh, I,” she paused, unsure of what the right answer was. “I have, from time to time.”

“Oh, thank the Gods,” Princess Sharaa sighed. “I’d hate to have to lower you in my estimation, but I truly can’t stand people who think that the dedication to their aesthetic is more important than functionality.”

Prince Aparen smiled, and as he turned back to the wardrobe he said, “Liiana and Marcel aren’t here, Sharaa, I think you can drop the subtext.” Over his shoulder, he added to Gwendolyn, “some of our siblings are a bit more theatrically inclined, when it comes to how they like their attire.”

“I saw Liiana in pants once,” said Sharaa, “the first time she ever tried to ride Harplie. We all learn the basics as children, so that if father decides to grace us with the power of a dragon then we know what to do, but she never took to it. The second time she tried to ride Harplie, she showed up in a dress and said she would prefer to try to learn that way.”

“Was she able to do so?” Gwendolyn asked.

“I was five, so I don’t really remember all the details,” said Sharaa, glancing at Aparen.

“She was technically competent, despite starting the lessons a little later than most of us did,” he said, sounding a bit bored. “She never really took to it though, and father never felt she was right for a dragon pairing.”

After a moment he pulled a pair of leather britches from the wardrobe. They were plain, but as he handed them over to Gwendolyn, she felt the buttery, smooth texture and knew they were well made. He handed over a thick linen shirt next, plain and unembroidered but a pretty green color.

“Is it not a little hot for so thick a shirt?” she asked.

“You’ll be on the back of a dragon,” Aparen said, “the wind rushes past you, and the air gets colder the higher the dragon flies. I’m not sure where Solithi plans to take you, or for how long, but it’s better to start a little warm than start at a comfortable temperature and get cold.”

Gwendolyn nodded. “Where can I change?” she asked.

“Here is fine,” Princess Sharaa said. Gwendolyn felt herself blush, unsure of what to do. She’d never changed in front of anyone, save her siblings. Once she had changed shirts while Gastaf and Ardene were in the barn with her, but they had turned respectfully toward the wall, and she trusted them entirely.

After a moment, Aparen shot Sharaa a look. “You can change in any empty stall, or in the loft if you’d prefer,” he said, still glowering at Sharaa. The Princess just laughed.

“I was teasing, of course,” she said to Gwendolyn, who smiled lightly at the Princess, relieved to hear she wasn’t expected to strip in front of members of the Royal Family. She hurried off down the aisle until she came to an empty, clean stall. Rushing inside, she changed as quickly as possible. Toward the other end of the stables, she heard the Prince and Princess talking in low voices, and from the sound of it, putting a saddle on Solithi, who chirped a few times.

She was shocked at how well the Prince had done estimating her size, as the clothes fit remarkably well. Gwendolyn wondered if being born in the midst of five Princesses, three older and two younger by Gwendolyn’s own count, had helped him when it came to women’s clothing. The dress he had sent was also truly remarkable. She was awed that a Prince who so authoritatively commanded men and dragons could also be adept at choosing women’s clothes. He was, she realized, every bit as interesting as she had first thought he might be.

When she was done, she exited the stall and crept toward the voices of the two Royals. She still felt uncomfortable in their presence, afraid of taking up too much space.

But they turned immediately toward her when she slipped into the stall, where they had placed a saddle on Solithi. Solithi was wagging her tail, much like Welka did when she was being offered extra salted meat as a treat.

“Hi,” Gwendolyn said, shyly.

“Well, you look like a natural rider,” Sharaa said. “Now, it’s pretty simple, just place one foot into the stirrup and hoist yourself up. For a longer flight, you’d attach bags to the ties right here,” she indicated a secure looking buckle. “But for today, I’ve told Solithi not to take you out for too long. So, you shouldn’t need anything. But I did pack a cloak. It can be hard to tell how cold it will be up higher, especially above the cloud cover. Now, if you want to wear the cloak, it’s packed on that side,” she pointed, “and you should be able to just pull it out of the loop.”

Gwendolyn nodded, staring, focused, at Solithi.

“So, uh, just hop on up there then,” said Prince Aparen. “I mean, she can pick you up from there, but it won’t be as comfortable.”

Gwendolyn chuckled nervously and approached Solithi’s left side, reaching out a hand to pat Solithi’s side.

“Yep, just put your foot right there,” Sharaa said, ushering Gwendolyn onto a sturdy looking wooden block. “Wait no!” Gwendolyn paused with her right foot in midair. “Not that foot, or you’ll end up facing the wrong end. Left side, left foot.”

Gwendolyn lowered her foot again, then raised her left foot and stuck it into the stirrup. She pushed herself up and swung her right leg over the saddle, admiring the beautiful sparkle of Solithi’s scale up close.

Prince Aparen approached Gwendolyn and reached up. He was so tall, he didn’t need the wooden block to stand on, but it was clear that he would when Solithi was bigger. He reached his hand across Gwendolyn’s lap, demurely saying, “pardon me, Lady Gwendolyn,” as he grabbed a leather strap. He wound it around Gwendolyn, then cinched a buckle that held it in place. “Just in case,” he said, smiling up at Gwendolyn as he stepped back.

Solithi made a little chirping noise. She turned around, with more than enough room in the stall to accommodate her. The siblings both pressed against the wall, eager to avoid Solithi’s sweeping tail.

“Have a nice time,” Sharaa said with a jaunty wave, as Solithi ducked out the back of the stall, which was open to the lawn beyond. Solithi stepped out into the sun and took a moment to adjust to the light. But before Gwendolyn was ready, because she wasn’t sure she ever would be, Solithi had opened her blood red wings and taken off.

The castle rose swiftly, and by the time the Prince and Princess had emerged into the sun to watch, they were small on the ground, looking no larger than Gwendolyn’s hands. The wind whistled around her, blowing her hair about. Solithi didn’t have any reins or other means of control. There was, however, a strap that looped at the top of the saddle that appeared to be made for holding, so Gwendolyn grabbed onto it, afraid of how fast and high they were going already.

Solithi was spiraling across the sky, rising up above the highest tower of the castle, until the entire thing was laid out underneath her like a map. Solithi suddenly dove straight down, Gwendolyn clenching her knees against the saddle and shouting out in fear.

Solithi dove, and dove, and then suddenly stopped short, pulling her body horizontal just in time to avoid a collision with any of the buildings below her in the Capitol city. Ardelen citizens all stopped to watch, and young children pointed up in awe. Gwendolyn listened to little shrieks of joy coming from the people below her.

Then Solithi pulled herself up again, nearly vertical, this time making Gwendolyn feel like she might fall off the back of the dragon. Suddenly, she gasped as Solithi did a barrel roll.

“Maybe no rolling,” she shouted up to Solithi, who snorted. But the dragon did slow down, slightly, and remained steady. “Thanks,” Gwendolyn muttered.

The dragon was still moving quite quickly, though. Before Gwendolyn knew it, Solithi had tilted northwest. In the distance, Gwendolyn could just see the Bay of Light. Below her, they had just passed outside the city walls, and she could see the Royal River, which fed water from the Bay of Light into the city under the castle. Off to her right, the River Reven snaked its way between the Bay of Light and the Rocky Sea.

She had memorized the maps of the area around Ardelen long ago, knowing she planned to run as soon as she could. But she was astounded by it now, watching the way it unfolded below her and the way that the water sparkled in the shimmering summer sun.

As the Bay of Light drew closer, Solithi dipped lower, on a gentle, steady slope toward the water. Solithi reached the water just beyond the western shore.

“Solithi, what are you doing?” Gwendolyn called, laughing as the dragon skimmed the water with her large, clawed feet. It sent a spray of water shooting out all around them. Solithi threw her head back, snapping her jaws in a playful way. Without warning she plunged into the water, making Gwendolyn screech.

But Solithi only dipped part of her body into the water, making sure that Gwendolyn remained dry.

“You little rascal!” Gwendolyn shouted, still laughing. Solithi answered by roaring loudly. On the other side of the lake, startled birds shot up from the trees into the air, fleeing the sound of Solithi’s deep and booming roar.

Solithi shot up like a cannonball, climbing into the air without warning. Flapping her wings rapidly, they sped along and Solithi moved up and down in air currents. She would flap her red wings quickly to gain momentum before eventually folding her wings against her sides and shooting downward.

“You’re just toying with me now, aren’t you?” Gwendolyn said, watching Solithi breathe smoke out of her nostrils. Before she knew it, they were landing back in the stable yard. When Solithi landed, with a jolt that shocked Gwendolyn a little, a huge puff of dust was thrown up into the air. Not expecting it, Gwendolyn accidentally breathed it in and began to cough.

“You’ll learn to hold your breath when you land,” Sharaa shouted up to Gwendolyn, grinning. Gwendolyn gave a weak nod, continuing to cough.

When she had finished, Sharaa uncinched the safety strap attaching Gwendolyn to the harness and threw it over to one side. Gwendolyn swung her leg back over Solithi and descended back to the ground.

Her knees went weak, and she fell to the floor.

Prince Aparen rushed forward and lifted her up in his arms. For a moment, she was dazed by his closeness, but then he had placed her back on her feet and stepped back. This time, she was able to stand.

“I take it you kept your legs clenched into the sides of the saddle? You must be careful; it can make it harder to walk after a landing. You’ll learn to relax when on the back of a dragon,” he said, studying her intently.

“Oh, I’m not sure I will,” Gwendolyn replied weakly.

“I’d suggest you do,” Sharaa said. “Solithi looks like she had a great time. How was it?” Sharaa asked, nonchalantly petting the dragon, who was scratching her own neck with a back claw.

“It was…” Gwendolyn tried to think of the right word, finally settling on, “well it was amazing. Beautiful. Also, it was terrifying.” She gave a little dry laugh. “But I’ve done worse things, I suppose, than view the country from upon high.”

“Just wait until Solithi takes you north,” Sharaa said. “There are some truly spectacular views out there, even some spots that can only be reached on dragon-back.”

“I’m not so sure about doing that again,” Gwendolyn insisted. Solithi stopped scratching her neck, staring intently at Gwendolyn, and she gave a petulant little snort.

“I wouldn’t recommend saying no, if Solithi wants to take you,” Prince Aparen chuckled. “She has always been a feisty one. She’ll just scoop you up and go.”

“Why don’t you change out of the riding clothes?” Sharaa asked. “We will handle taking off the saddle for Solithi.”

Gratefully, Gwendolyn nodded. She gave Solithi an appreciative pat, mumbled, “thanks” to the dragon, and then headed inside. She shook her head gently, unable to process what had just happened.

She still couldn’t believe how her life had changed in ways she never could have predicted. In ways she couldn’t even have imagined.