To Snatch a Gilded Laurel : A Fantasy of Manners Dragon Romance (Bound by Flame)
Chapter One - Izzy
Chapter One - Izzy
“Princess!”
Isabella gave the footman a smile as he opened the door, allowing her to step fully out of the carriage.
“This is the last stop, isn’t it? Before we reach the pass?”
“Yes, Princess. I just need to water the horses and tend to their shoes. We’ll need studs for the rockier passes.”
“Wonderful. Once we’re off again, I will join you up in the coachbox.”
“Princess—”
“Just Izzy, please, Aldric. We’ve been riding together for quite some time now.”
Aldric shook his head, a bit exasperated. “But Princess, it’s not a comfortable ride.”
“I insist,” Izzy said, waving that line of thinking off. “Besides, the carriage is so dull. I prefer riding out in the open. It would also be nice to enjoy the pleasure of your company.”
He nodded, and Izzy smiled, pleased that he had good enough sense not to turn her down a third time.
As Aldric tended Tawny and Murrey, Izzy climbed up the side of the coach with all the grace she had and sat down in the coachbox. She withdrew a notebook from her coat, and gazed out at the mountain pass before them.
The further they traveled across the continent, the colder it became. While Izzy had not gotten used to the brisk air, she was left awestruck at the raw and unfiltered beauty of the country. She had spent the last few days sketching the silhouette of the mountain range, the jagged scrape of the sky so vibrant it looked like she could reach up and pull it down between her fingertips.
In the morning, before the sun fully rose, mist obscured the whole range. The only shapes she could make out were the dark spruce trees that thickly blanketed the base of the mountain and thinned near its apex. It was so different from the rolling fields of her Vinitore. Even after days of traveling in the mountain’s shadow, she still couldn’t get enough.
Aldric returned after hooking the horses back into place, and she moved over, tucking her thick skirts beneath her so he had plenty of room to steer.
The ride was bumpier up there in the coachbox, but it was lovely to have an unobstructed view and the carved path kept the horses from struggling too much.
“It truly is beautiful, isn’t it, Aldric?”
“Yes, Pr… Izzy.”
Izzy beamed back, and began to write on the page, carving her words around the mountains she’d sketched before.
Vukyar 12, 1459
At long last we’ve reached the kingdom of Onson. I’m fairly certain that young Aldric has grown weary of my presence. If he is more steadfast than usual about our pace so we can conclude this journey a few hours early, then I am a benefactor, as I am just as ready to begin my adventure as he probably is to end it. I hope that the arduous months of travel have not been in vain. But the length of the journey has allowed me the time to become as well versed in Draconic as I could be without having a suitable partner with whom to practice. I--
Aldric’s attempt to navigate the horses over a bumpy patch of road knocked Izzy’s hand, covering a good quarter of the page in ink. Aldric apologized, and Izzy waved it off.
“Oh, it’s no trouble. You are performing admirably. I think that’s quite enough scribbling, anyway.” She withdrew a handkerchief from the pocket of her dress to dab off the worst of the ink and then laid it flat within the journal, hoping it would absorb more away from its pages.
Instead of writing or sketching, she talked to Aldric about his young wife, who was quite cross with him about being away from home for so long, and about the journey, which was the furthest he’d ever been from home. Before she could start another topic of conversation, Aldric turned them down the last winding corner, starting them on the main path to the castle.
The path spiraled upwards around one of the largest mountains Izzy had ever seen. Here was the testament to the skilled craftsmanship she’d read about. A mosaic of carved houses were etched into the side of the sheer cliff faces, with openings large enough to fly out of, for those of the dragonkin who still had the ability for flight. Even from here, she could see how the windows, the intricate, angled design of the mullions between the panes of glass, caught the light and made the whole mountain shimmer, even if partially obscured by mist.
Crowning the mountain was Castle Sourire Pointu. A pointed smile indeed: its spires were tall and thin, giving the appearance of claws tearing at the sky.
“It’s quite something.”
“It is, Aldric.”
A horn signaled them to a stop at the nearby watchtower, and Izzy stood to greet a large dark green dragonkin, outfitted in thickly padded armor.
“Well met. I am Princess Isabella, from Echtarch. We are on appointment to see Lysander the Fearsome,” she said, switching into Draconic as she handed the guard her clearance.
The guard gave her a look, their brow arching. Isabella winced, knowing that her verb selection was dodgy at best. Thankfully, the guard said nothing, taking the paper and skimming over it quickly, then calling to another guard on the other side of the pass in Draconic so fast Izzy could barely keep up. As they talked, Izzy took a moment to observe them both. She had met one or two dragonkin in her time. Like most, these two were both well over six feet tall, with the triangular, sharp lines of a dragon. One was green, with bright yellow eyes, while the other was red, with a deeper amber color. Each had scales that protected them like armor. While the green dragonkin had short spines that barely came off his skull, the red dragonkin had a mantle of spines that flattened in response to certain words. She looked at the letter wrapped in the claws of the green dragonkin, and hoped they hadn’t written something offensive. Finally, the second guard gave a nod to the first and retreated back into their position. The first guard leaned down and gave another tight nod.
“Follow the path until you reach the Jade Door. There will be someone to bring you inside.”
Izzy thanked them. Aldric stared.
Izzy lightly cleared her throat, and Aldric jumped and started the horses rolling. As they moved deeper into the territory, Izzy began to see more soldiers dotted across the mountains as they rode. Most of them were some variant of white or blue, their coloring allowing them to blend in with the snow and appear almost invisible.
As they began their first turn around the mountain, her eyes widened. From higher up, Izzy could see the trees in their full splendor—what looked small and picturesque at the foot of the mountain now showed their true size, most of the forest easily fifty to a hundred feet tall. Her imagination got the better of her as they turned onto the side facing the rest of the mountain range. She wondered how dark it felt at night, this far up, and shivered, pulling her cloak closer.
“Almost there—I see it,” he said, gesturing to one of the larger openings at the far end of what they could see before the path wound again around the mountain.
“Oh, thank goodness. It will be wonderful to go inside and get warm,” Izzy grinned, rubbing her nose a bit as they moved closer.
Aldric hurried the horses along a bit faster to do just that. The intricate carving of the entrance stole Izzy’s attention for a moment before she snapped her focus back to the area in front of her.
They entered into the dimly lit stable, and another dragonkin appeared to assist Aldric with detaching the horses from the carriage. Izzy stepped down and walked towards another dragonkin waiting in the next doorway.
“Is there another carriage coming?” the dragonkin asked.
“No, just us,” Izzy replied, brandishing her papers.
The dragonkin took them, briefly scanned them, and nodded. “We will provide quarters for your servant and for you. Please, come with me.”
Izzy gave a wave to Aldric, and followed behind the scaled figure, trying to absorb all details of her surroundings.
The one downside was that it wasn’t much warmer inside. The dragonkin, a bright red color with beautiful scales, seemed to be unaffected by the draftiness of the halls. The ceilings were nearly double the height of those she was used to, with vaulted peaks; lanterns swung gently in the breeze, making the light dance and play with the shadows.
Finally, the dragonkin led her into an empty sitting room.
“Lysander will meet me here?” she asked, settling herself down on one of the oversized chairs. It really was quite cozy, but… her feet also couldn’t reach the ground.
The dragonkin’s eyes flickered for a moment, and Izzy straightened. She knew that look. That look was the ‘I have no earthly idea’ look. She saw it all the time when questions were asked during a court session.
“We shall see. Lysander moves as the winds do. Please wait here while we finish preparing your rooms,” they said, and then quickly closed the door behind them.
“Could I at least get some tea or something?” she asked the closed door, sighing.