13.7

Jewel stayed curled up on one side of the room.

Being reminded of when little Imre had been terrified of her.

But instead of a friend’s son who she did not want to frighten, it was her own sister.

She could feel the tremble in Gwenn’s palm as she gently squeezed back reassurance to her sister/aunt via Gem’s hand.

The slowing growth of her spawn’s body had not been overcome. Although taller than she had been, Gem’s slender digits and minute palm was dwarfed by her sister’s. But Jewel didn't mind the disparity.

It had let her hold onto a connection with the girl that she desperately needed.

Even if it had been strained by absence.

Gwenn was never at ease again around Jewel. Not after the night of her outburst. But she still treated Gem like a confidant.

And it was through much assurance via Gem, struggling to bring her faltering words and jumbled syllables to the task (and a bit of careful lessons in Valasect Cant) that Jewel was able to inspire in her sister that no matter how large her wyrm self was Gem could protect her.

That nothing her ‘mother’ could do would get past Gem.

It wasn't even a lie like the whole charade with the saffron. Although even that was somewhat true, Jewel hated the spice, but Imre had nothing to fear of Jewel eating him without it.

Gwenn was not as afraid of her as Imre had been.

But she was Jewel’s sister, and even the amount that she shied away from Jewel now dampened her wyrmflame like a wet smothering blanket on hot coals.

But she trusted Gem and she was a daughter of Rochford.

She was brave.

Jewel just wished she didn't have to overcome a fear of her own sister.

Gem pried the words from the uncomfortably short throat. She juggled every syllable on her tongue and teeth. It was clumsy, she tripped on the sounds. But for her sister she would do this.

“I-its alr-right G-gwenn. S-see?”

They took another step, Gem was surer in limb and muscle then she had ever been, but Gwenn had already grown to a point that if she wanted to not move forward she could simply plant her feet and there was little Jewel would be able to do with her smaller self.

Not without a running start.

Jewel’s sister took a shaky breath.

She turned up to face the object of her fear, the thing she had confided about with her little ‘niece’ in private. Things said where no adult, not even the sisters’ mother would hear.

“H-hello, S-sister.”

Jewel held her face still, but it hurt to hear her sister struggling with words the same way she did with her spawn’s speech.

She spoke softly, keeping her resonance to a minimum,

“Hello Sister, thank you for coming. There is something I need to say.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Jewel squeezed her sister/aunt’s hand. Jewel was still not sure she agreed with Bethica that it was unfair to deny her spawn a place in the family that was her own. But for now it was better for her sister and that was all that mattered.

“W-What is it?”

Gwenn shivered as she spoke despite how much Jewel tried to be gentle. But the girl firmed up after and even though there was a glint of tears to her eyes she faced Jewel head on with all the seriousness of a Knight meeting her on the battlefield.

Barons, Counts and higher ranking men and women had faltered in meeting Jewel’s gaze.

She was so proud of her sister who still reeked of terror.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry Gwenn, I spoke in anger and wroth to our father and I frightened you. It was petty and foolish anger. It harmed you and our family and I am ashamed to have done it.”

Her sister trembled but Jewel could already see the mettle of Rochford on display.

What in Alexander was often far too much foolish confidence. The bravery that saw them taking up the mantle of Gryphon Lord with every generation that had the opportunity.

Not even in her Sixth winter and yet Gwenn faced her fear and nodded. Severe in a way that seemed surprisingly rare in adults, yet Jewel had seen that core of strength come through in more than a dozen youths.

But it was still not quite enough. So she continued.

“I’m so sorry sister, I never wanted to frighten you. I swear on my flame I will never hurt you.”

She breathed the faintest touch of wyrmflame into the worlds. She could feel her fire swell and take root upon her bones and flesh. Cutting momentarily with a sting like hooks. But it was worth it. She could feel the the softness of the working sapping at her fire.

Barely any at all.

Gem took in more wyrmflame than this each evening.

But the power behind the working did not matter compared to the solidity of it. The assurance.

The truth of it echoing in the chamber.

Gwenn finally found her words.

“Promise?”

Jewel nods down to her sister and squeezes her left hand in both of Gem’s.

“I Promise”

The smell of fear fades and the determination and sternness fully takes hold on her sister’s face.

She marches up to Jewel’s coils. Dragging Gem behind her, only stopping when she was close enough to touch the Wyrm’s belly.

Jewel’s eyes never leave her sister’s.

The little girl who although a head taller than Gem was still barely even tall enough to see over the width of Jewel’s belly had tears in her eyes and furious glare to her before she started screaming and kicking Jewel in the belly.

It doesn't hurt, the little foot is mostly bouncing off of the flex of her scales.

Jewel was fine, their father could have struck her with a spear and done as much harm. But she gaped at her sister as the screaming got shriller and the foot was joined first by a clenched little fist and then the other hand pulled away from Gem’s loose grasp.

Soon her sister is screaming at the top of her lungs and beating, kicking on Jewel’s belly as hard as she could. Unleashing a fury that would have been frightening if it was not entirely harmless.

By the time Gwenn has screamed herself out and slumped against Jewel’s belly to cry into the still impervious coils everyone in the household was either in the room or peering in through the door.

Mother and Father standing back from their daughters. Alexander had also joined them.

Muriel and Smithson are a bit closer.

But no one dared to get too close to Gwenn or Gem.

Jewel simply stared at her sister who, having exhausted her fury was now crying, pressing in her face and hugging as tight as she could into Jewel’s belly. Just a bit up from the wyrm’s waist.

No one else in the room likely could make out the heavily muffled and soppy demand from her sister.

“Don’t yell at daddy anymore, it's scary.”

The little girl wiped the snot from her face and then tried to dry her slimy palms off on Jewel’s scales. But it mostly didn't work. Wyrm scales were not very absorbent and Jewel’s belly was too smooth to catch and scrape it off either.

The Countess of Viznove had only one thing she could say to her sister.

“Of course.”