11.4

Jewel stared down at herself with deeply mixed feelings.

She had long ago abandoned all hope that any finery would ever be feasible for herself.

Her wedding had briefly rekindled the idea that she could commission gowns and drapes like had been made for her wedding. But checking the old Countess’ ledgers on how much such a thing had cost in silver quickly disabused any such brief fancies.

She had come to peace with the fact years before her ‘daughter’ hatched that she would more or less never be a lady who could dazzle with wearing cloth and embroidery.

But now, here she was getting a chance to live out every single idle fantasy that had utterly been out of reach when she outgrew even her father’s cloaks. She had embraced her husband with both sets of arms as tight as she dared when he suggested it.

However, experiencing the burden of what might very well be a full bolt of constraining cloth and metal embroidery stitched together over her was making her consider that maybe her size enforced nudity was a blessing in disguise. Gem’s chest felt squeezed just a bit too tight to breath easily.

Her only recently acquired balance and agility felt so hampered that the only reason Gem could even stand was the sheer counterbalance of so many draperies.

“Grk”

It was apparently the fashion for those courts in the realm that presented their youngest children to events?

But no this was too much. She could hardly breathe. And the sleeves were far too overwrought. They made it impossible to move her arms or bend her elbows in a way that would allow flight cant.

Jewel shook her head to the tailor that had once served Bathory.

“No this is too tight for my child, the chest needs to be loosened. And it’s so heavy she can barely stand let alone walk or dance! Surely you can reduce the weight? And do something so she can properly move her legs and tail, And these sleeves?! No, no sleeves at all I don’t think.”

Jewel could smell the growing irritation of the tailor the longer she spoke. But he held his face firm and only nodded before clapping his hands and his assistants (two girls and a boy) undid the pins and temporary stitches up and down Gem, sweeping up each segment of dyed and embroidered wyrmspun cloth.

She was almost ready to complement the man’s professionalism before she heard his voice muttering to his three apprentices behind the closed door and down the hall.

“Oversized snake should have hired an armorer if she wanted the peasant bastard whelp ready to battle...”

Jewel shook her head sadly, wasn't that just a disappointment.

She raised her right wyrm claw to get the attention of one of the staff.

“Please see that the Countess' former tailor is informed that his services are no longer required. And thank him for his very sound advice to see if the armorer and leatherworking guild can properly garb my daughter for her courtly gowns.”

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Paul winced at that but he and Jewel had agreed to keep their discussions on these matters until after sundown. In her absence he had cleared out a room in the keep big enough to house Jewel somewhat comfortably so at the very least she and Paul could sleep somewhere other than the main feasting hall.

“I’m afraid Paul that your family’s tailor insulted the providence of our daughter.”

Jewel offered what she could before they would discuss this more deeply tonight.

“My wife, if it was not for your flame, scales, teeth, wings or vast strength the sharpness of your ears would be the greatest peril for the enemies of the realm.”

She nodded to the complement, and as a sign that she would listen to him this evening.

Another one of the staff was rushing off, probably to send for the appropriate guild masters so she could get a replacement tailor to garb Gem and her Husband.

That was two hours in the day wasted. And it would probably take a few more before the guilds found her candidates to fill the position on short notice. Thurzó’s letters warned about overly trusting the guilds in her cities.

But Jewel so far found that at least for the moment their sheer greed worked out very well indeed for her. It was in the interest of the merchants, Spinners, Weavers clothiers and many more to make her rule of Kaeketeh as effortless and smooth as possible. Lest she have to turn her attention away from the working of Rochford wool.

“How was the Common Court this morning Husband?”

He laughed then ran his hand along her coils where they looped around on the left of his father’s chair. Letting his fingers drum along the most prominent of her scales right before the line of her mane sprouted.

“Better? Muriel, Smithson and I are only there for judgements on those crimes which shed blood, break bone or violate honor. And of those crimes are far fewer since last year.”

Jewel nodded.

“Well that’s good.”

Paul nodded.

Jewel felt a twinge from her smaller self and so made her way over to her husband, looked up at him and then let her brows raise and her eyes widen, while pressing just a bit of her bottom lip out and grasping up at him with her hands.

He laughed at her and then leaned over to heft her smaller self up and onto his lap to bounce on one knee. Much to Jewel’s satisfaction.

“I still don’t think I believe you when you say there is one soul between the two of you.”

Jewel turned to face her husband with both sets of eyes. Then ever so carefully, with a great mustering of attention she did what she had wanted to do to surprise her father.

She said something with two throats.

It had taken hundreds of attempts with Bethica’s help over the summer. But Jewel managed it!

Hours each day having to wrangle an entirely different throat, teeth and tongue all which seemed barely in a form meant to the task. Jewel honestly felt for what were certainly the spawn of Shialtza and their struggle with speech.

Still the look upon his face as he heard the same word from both his ‘daughter’ and ‘wife’ was worth all the practice.

If she had time to prepare Gem could speak.

It would be Jewel’s secret between herselves and Bethica that this was not actually Gem’s first word.

“Fool!”