1.2

“Gwenn!”

Her bare feet slapped against the familiar but still so eerily silent stones. The claws of her toes catching ever so slightly as she pushed herself forward.

Gem rushed to her sister-aunt already bracing herself for the heave of the larger girl as she lifted the wyrm spawn up and spun the both of them about. The press of fingers rubbing the soft leather underlayer of her dress against her ‘softer’ scales.

She made sure that her hands were bracing atop her sister’s forearms instead of squeezing with her fingers and lest their claws dig into tender flesh.

It used to be that they could counterbalance one another perfectly.

When they were both much younger.

Gwenn of Rochford had shot up in height ahead of Gem and then failed to stop growing even when Gem’s own growth had started and then finished.

Still she didn't mind. Gem got to experience being longer than five horses end to end nearly every day! Even when she was apart from her larger self for a whole season it's not like it made her memory any worse.

Gem was despite the habit of her name just as much Jewel as she ever was.

And as she aged the surety of her memory proved it with every waking day.

Despite her fears she wouldn't lose that assurance.

The days of living in a confused and terrifying fog uncertain of who she was were long past. Honestly if she didn't remember with her larger self it probably would have not even remained in this much smaller head.

Gwenn certainly did not remember being a wailing baby as clearly as Gem did.

“Sister!”

Gem grinned as the spin was turned into a hug.

Her feet dangling as the girl who was ostensibly the ‘same age’ as her was still nearly a foot and a half taller. She bent her longer neck a little around her sister’s own. Blowing hair away from her snout.

Her own hair had never quite grown out the same. Far more like a horse’s mane than the locks of any of her family. The squeeze of powerful arms pressed her ribs and shoulder blades together but Gem’ didn't mind. Her wyrmflame filled her lungs in a way that simple air could only imitate.

She had feared that Gwenn wouldn't understand. Had originally tried to keep it simple for the girl.

So she had never corrected her sister in calling her as such.

But honestly it was less a misunderstanding now and more just the simple truth both of them could fully embrace. It was in fact her sister that explained it to her, Gem called Gwenn’s mother, mother. So obviously they were sisters.

After that day she had started to better trust her sister’s judgment.

And been rewarded for it!

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The sameness of Jewel and Gem had also been astonishingly simple.

What their parents, Bethica, even Wizards seemed to struggle to understand the full breadth of?

When she had nervously explained it to the girl two years ago Gwenn had gotten a thoughtful expression and then nodded.

“That makes sense.”

And that had been the end of it. She had accepted and understood when no one else had.

Ever since Jewel and Gem were both her sisters. Furthermore they were a special single and divisible ‘sister’ that could be in two places at once and remember what happened to each other.

And it was wonderful!

Alexander was her brother and Jewel had grown at first to look up to him. And then to look after him as she realized how she had outpaced him as a child. Now it was more balanced between them again. Her brother matured with his acceptance as a Gryphon Rider.

And yet there was still that foolish bravery from their youth.

But Gwenn was both still youthful, still her sister and yet also somehow more clever and canny to the ways of Gem and Jewel then even Smithson!

She’d managed to play tricks on Jewel with herself as an accomplice!

Jewel, Gem, the totality of the two of them loved her sister.

She gave an even harder squeeze and sighed into her sister’s hair.

But Gwenn was still quite young and excitement soon broke the peace.

“Gem! Father got me a horse!”

Jewel had heard such already. Her sister had lately been enamored with horses. She liked the gryphons in her life fine, Zephyrvam and Blizzardwrath were both doting on her as much as they ever had Jewel.

Yet that did not compare to her adoration of horses.

She’d also somehow decided that “gryphons are for men” and “horses are for women”.

Which was especially silly but Gem had given up on correcting.

Jewel’s attempt to point out that both her husband Paul and her knight Smithson were in fact men and rode horses had already been dismissed.

“Captain Muriel is more of a man than either of them. So they can be women too.”

Which was a childish jest that had left Muriel with difficulty breathing and a sprained rib for how hard she laughed when she heard it.

Smithson had been embarrassed to the point of turning bright pink while Paul just smiled.

Gem squeezed her sister back again as hard as she could with admittedly stronger arms than ever. But even despite Gem’s growing strength (sword drills were so much harder then Jewel ever realized!).

But size made for quite the difference.

And Gwenn had taken to sword fighting far more than their mother had expected.

Gem spoke with the care and clarity she had struggled so many years to attain.

“That sounds wonderful Sister! What did you name it?”

Gwenn finally dropped her back to the floor. The short fall barely notable, Gem’s knees and ankles bending easily. Absorbing the shock. The hum of wyrmflame through her muscles and bones pulsing to even further cushion the impact.

Her sister grinned and prepared to deliver the news that Gem already knew from her correspondence and messages sent earlier.

But it was just so delightful to hear it from the lips of the girl herself.

All the vibrance and assurance that this was the one and true name of her steed that no one could deny.

“Skullsplitter!”