Chapter 21

After a few tense moments of waiting, Gwendolyn began to inch toward the stairs. Her strides grew longer and longer, more confident. The noise had stopped, but she couldn’t hear anything else above her either.

Then, just as she was approaching the staircase, she heard Gavral call out her name. His voice didn’t sound angry or scared, but it did sound unusually puzzled.

She rushed up the stairs, past the second-floor landing. To her surprise, she found that the staircase continued past the landing, and when she reached the top it opened up onto the roof.

She stopped momentarily, peering out. Gavral was holding the door open. As she gazed out at the scene that had created so much commotion, she started to laugh.

Solithi was standing on the roof, the two guards keeping her calm by petting her snout gently, looking terrified. Behind Solithi, a pretty garden terrace had been knocked over by the dragon’s landing, and her tail was wagging back and forth, and the planters nearby had been overturned.

“Solithi,” Gwendolyn laughed. “What are you doing here?” She moved forward and held out a hand. Eagerly, Solithi scurried forward, causing the two guards to yelp nearly in unison and scramble backward.

Solithi rumbled contentedly as Gwendolyn rubbed her snout.

“I just saw you earlier today, pretty girl,” Gwendolyn said in a low, calming voice. She started to scratch the scales on Solithi’s neck, and the dragon issued a low hum.

“She can’t stay here,” Gavral said, sounding a touch annoyed. Solithi suddenly let out a loud, and angry, snort, tendrils of smoke curling from her nostrils. Gavral took a step back, looking pleadingly at Gwendolyn.

“She won’t fit!” he protested. “This chalet wasn’t built to accommodate a dragon, it’s certainly not personal but look!” Gavral swept a hand around at the terrace and the plants which had been knocked over by Solithi’s sudden appearance. “We’ve barely been here an hour and she’s already destroyed the rooftop garden.”

“Can we not just replace these things?” Gwendolyn asked, looking around at the destruction. “I thought I had monthly maintenance now?”

“You do, but if she continues to do this, we will be through that money before you know it,” Gavral said, wringing his hands.

“Hmmm,” Gwendolyn puzzled over the issue, continuing to pet the large red dragon in front of her. “Solithi,” she asked, “what is it you want, dear?”

The dragon issued another low hum, lowering her snout to Gwendolyn, pushing it under her hand for more petting. Suddenly, a loud meow issued behind Gwendolyn, and she turned to see Marelon, standing at the door to the rooftop.

“Mreow!” he called, and Solithi sat up, her tail wriggling behind her and knocking over two more plants. To Gwendolyn’s left, Gavral’s eyes widened, staring pointedly at Gwendolyn as he gestured wildly at the now broken plants spilling soil onto the rooftop.

Marelon, meanwhile, trotted right up to Solithi, stepping onto her enormous paw without hesitation. Solithi snorted a puff of smoke at the little cat, who immediately tried to catch some in his paws, falling over onto his back in the process. Solithi issued a little hum, nudging the cat with her snout until he stood back up. Gwendolyn smiled happily at the pair.

“I can’t tell her to leave, Gavral,” she said. “Look how happy she is!”

It was clear that Gavral was equally as unhappy as Solithi was happy. He stared, open-mouthed, as the dragon jumped around, Marelon now on her back. The guards were backing away as quickly as they could, nearly stumbling over themselves to do so. Gavral, meanwhile, seemed too confused to do even that, and Gwendolyn chuckled to herself as Solithi carefully avoided him while playing with Marelon. She didn’t show such consideration for the plants.

After a few minutes, Gwendolyn stepped toward the pair of friends, and both stopped to look at her. “Solithi,” she said gently. “I know you wanted to see me and Marelon, but you can’t land on the roof, because you might damage it. Eventually the roof might even fall in! And that would be bad, you don’t want that right? Someone could be injured.”

The dragon just looked at her with a look that Gwendolyn could swear was pouty. She laughed, musing about what to do with her. At first, she gazed out over the expansive lawn, pondering. But it was covered in expensive looking, detailed gardens. The flowers were beautiful, and Gwendolyn did not wish to ruin it. The plants on the terrace where she stood could simply be replanted but ruining the gardens would be much more permanent.

“How about if I promise to visit once a week?” Gwendolyn asked.

Solithi reared up slightly, then brought her feet down with a vigorous crash.

“And I’ll bring Marelon?” Gwendolyn added.

Smoke curled from Solithi’s nostrils.

“And we can fly?”

At this, Solithi paused, her head tilting quizzically. Finally, she gave a low rumble that Gwendolyn knew was assent.

“Okay,” she said, “we have a deal. Now go back to the Palace!”

Solithi spread her wings, tilting to one side and creating a sort of slide that Marelon used to get down from her back. Behind Gwendolyn, the guards gasped again and subtly moved back even further. Solithi took off, and after a few playful, low circles around the rooftop garden, during which she flapped her wings to create wind that startled the guards and delighted the little cat at Gwendolyn’s feet. Then she rose into the clouds and disappeared.

“My Lady,” Gavral said, stepping forward and bowing. “I must suggest you speak to the King about Solithi. She will damage the structural integrity of this chalet, should she continue to land here.”

“Speak to the King?” Gwendolyn said, still finding herself nervous with the concept.

“Yes, the Festival of the Five Gods is in a week, to celebrate the midway point of summer. The entire noble court will there. You’d be well-served to spend the next few days up at the palace getting to know the court somewhat better, and this would be an excellent excuse.”

“I still don’t know anything about being a… noblewoman,” Gwendolyn confessed, the word still foreign on her tongue.

“I’d suggest befriending some of your peers,” Gavral replied. “Or… you could ask members of the Royal Family.”

“That seems presumptuous.”

Gavral merely shrugged. “Princess Sharaa and Prince Aparen have been friendlier with you than they have been with any newcomers in a long time,” he told her, “and I suspect they would be only too delighted to help. Some of the King’s other children may be able to help as well, though they’re not as forward.”

Gwendolyn pondered for a moment, then asked, “if I write a letter, who do I ask to deliver it?”

“Normally, I’d have you ask one of your maidservants, who would dispatch it or deliver it by hand, but they won’t arrive until tomorrow. If you have something to deliver today, I can take care of it personally.”

“Yes, I’d like to write something now.”

“Do you need me to find a scribe?”

“No, I can write, thank you.” Gwendolyn smiled brightly at Gavral. “Can you show me to my study?”

Gavral seemed eager to resume the tour, saying, “of course, my Lady. I will take you to your private study, though you also have a study off of the library in the other wing for receiving guests.”

The guards, who had stood stoically since Solithi had taken off, perhaps to make up for their earlier nerves, moved quickly to open the door for Gwendolyn to retreat back into the house. Gavral led her down one flight of stairs, then out on to the second-floor hallway where dark wood paneling lined the halls. Intricate tapestries lined the walls and where there were no tapestries, there was engraving. The engravings were rich and elaborate, depicting fruit trees, flowers, and leaves. But each had space within where there seemed to be something missing, something that would complete the engravings.

As if on cue, Gavral turned to her and said, “you must choose an emblem, a crest, and a motto. When you do, they’ll be incorporated into the engravings, the tapestries, and other decor throughout the estate.”

“What happened to the prior ’s crests?”

“Ah,” Gavral said, clearing his throat slightly. “This chalet has never been lived in. It was built for Princess Arya, but she decided to enter the monastery before it was completed. The King ordered its completion but had not assigned it to anyone.”

“Oh,” Gwendolyn said. “So, it’s new?”

“Completed only a few years ago.” Gavral nodded. He escorted her down the hall and opened a large door. “Your rooms, my Lady,” he said with a sweeping bow.

Gwendolyn gasped. The room was even larger than her room in the palace, with a massive stone balcony overlooking the gardens.

“All of the windows you see,” Gavral said, gesturing to the large windows which took up most of the eastern and southern walls, “open completely to let in the fresh air.”

Gwendolyn twirled around, taking it all in. There was a reading nook, with large, gilded bookshelves and cozy looking chairs, and plenty of candles to light for adequate reading. The bed was larger than a grand carriage, on a raised platform in the middle of the room, with a canopy of pure white. The draperies on the windows were the same pure white, two walls made of the same dark wood as the hall with the other two made of the white and violet stone as the entryway. To the right of the door through which Gavral and Gwendolyn had entered was a wall with two doors set into it.

Gavral motioned to them, saying, “on the furthest end there is the door to the bath, and next to that closer to us is the door to your private study. When you’re ready to send your letter, please come find me supervising the… clean-up of the roof.” He bowed again, closing the door to her rooms gently.