2.5

Alexander surprised Jewel by arriving from the Eyrie the day before Count Thurzó and his retinue were due.

Bold as could be despite the fact he was still supposed to be training with the Gryphon riders as an apprentice for another year!

Jewel was not expecting to next see him in person until her wedding ceremony!

But there was Alexander in simple leathers with a heavy pack on his back. Her brother just strolled into the courtyard that morning while she was stretching for her flight to Valasect.

A simple cloth sling over his left shoulder to hold his bonded Gryphon whelp, a bright smile and a friendly wave.

Dust and sweat and the signs of a long road all over him.

And not a single escort or retinue in sight.

“Alexander! What are you doing in Rochford! You're supposed to be training and rearing your gryphon in the Eyrie!”

To which her far too brave brother simply laughed and shifted his hip to show the absolutely pure white-feathered face of his bonded Gryphon.

Fully feathered now, with a black beak, fluffy white feathers and bright golden eyes that blinked at Jewel before looking up to her Brother and then back over to Jewel.

“Ho Sister! I pleaded for a reprieve to come home as both my mother and sister had borne children in my absence! They drilled me thrice as hard to make sure I knew the steps to care for Blizzardwrath here and then granted me two seasons to travel here, meet and bond with my family and then head back.”

Jewel narrowed her eyes to glare for her brother.

“And so you traveled alone!? Without sending word of your plans by bird?!”

Alexander waved his sister’s fussing off with a casual easiness that he never had quite lost. Ever fearless. Jewel noted the Gryphon had settled back into its little nest of a sling to sleep.

Which spoke well of the strengthening of the bond he was meant to cultivate.

“I had my sword and a spear with me, and I was not alone for most of it, I went with the caravans which ferried supplies to and from the Eyrie on the first leg. Hardly was on my own for longer than a few days' walk! I wanted it to be a surprise!”

Jewel’s voice rose high and wide, deepening and filling the air with tones that shook the leaves of the trees far outside the garden filled walls of Fort Rochford.

“A Few Days Alone On the Road?!”

Jewel stared down at her brother who grinned up at her despite all her fury and worry.

The Gryphon whelp had woken at her voice and looked around in fear, but silently her brother soothed the young one with a practiced hand. Its bright golden eyes were fixed on Jewel.

She was utterly gobsmacked at her careless brother. For the sake of the still very young whelp she brought her voice down to a quiet hiss.

“Alexander! You are Father’s heir! What if something had happened!?”

He waved her off again with the hand not occupied with soothing and now gently feeding small pinches of jerky to the whelp. He just blithely continued on his way past Jewel as if it was no matter.

Strided past a wyrm in all her fuming and fury.

There was a distinct crackle of thunder and lightning in the air from her agitation. Her voice no matter how restrained in volume was now echoing, A good portion of the village had probably heard the first outburst she made and felt hints of the second.

And her brother was concerned not one bit with her.

It made her heart crack and melt at once to realize that.

He was her brother.

Her foolishly brave and wonderfully at ease brother.

She had missed the fool so much, and right now she very much wanted to throttle him in a way that would definitely have been fatal.

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Fortunately for Jewel, everyone in the household had definitely heard her.

Which was why before her brother could even reach the door it was slamming open to reveal the thunderous intensity of Father and an equally stern faced Mother.

By the presence of Gwenn held in one arm propped against a hip the whole situation had interrupted some of the time that had been set aside where mother and daughter could be together without the wetnurse.

Time that head full of rocks Alexander had completely interrupted.

Jewel fixed Alexander with a look, which he had the audacity to grin sheepishly back up to her in response before father spoke.

They were quiet words, not loud or overbearing. No anger or wroth, just tense and soft.

“Son... this is unexpected.”

Alexander’s smile was finally strained.

“Ah, yeah I bargained for a leave to train Blizzard-wrath in my family home with you and Zephyrvam for a time. Drilled hard so I’d know all was expected and passed the trials for the next two seasons early so I could.”

Father raised a brow, which got Alexander’s voice to raise a hint of worry.

“It was cause Ma- I mean Mother had Gwenne there... and you all wrote that Jewel also had a child. So I plead for the chance to meet my youngest sister and first niece. And well-”

Father was still stern and still quiet.

“You should have sent letter by bird. If you had been late by even another twelve days we’d have been gone. That was incredibly foolish of you.”

The voice was not angry, it was not even overly harsh, it was soft and gentle. But with what Jewel now could see was a sadness to the eye. Jewel felt her agitation come undone, she had been angry with her brother for his foolishness.

But it was dangerous to travel alone.

He could have died or worse.

Even questing knights of great renown traveled in groups on the road.

Only the truly wretched or extremely stupid traveled alone!

Jewel spoke up stiffly.

“I need to make way to Valasect. I don’t want another accident to happen this time and they are starting to set the timbres for the stone vaulting this afternoon. For all your foolishness it is always good to see you are well dear brother.”

Father nodded to Jewel and dismissed her with a wave.

Her brother seemed to finally be realizing what he had almost done. But for the auspices of the stars above he could have perished.

Jewel launched herself into the air. Pushing off with her wings, then sweeping them out and spreading her wyrmflame as far as it would go. Catching all the air she could and then hurling it downward upon the courtyard with just enough extra shove to surround her idiot brother in a whirlwind of dry grass scrap and loose dirt.

Before she filled her coils more properly and rose gently and serenely into the sky.

She had promised to attend and perform rites for both men that had perished beneath the collapsing stone. She had promised good silver to their families compensating the loss of solid backs, strong arms and loved lives.

Furthermore Jewel had also bequeathed to each man’s household a year and a day free from labors or obligations to their liege. Time to mourn and find a new way forward.

She would thank them and all the village for the service and honor this ultimate gift that had never been asked of them.

Next year Jewel was going to look over every single scrap of wood going into the scaffolds for the stone work, there would not be a single life more paid to construct her home.

If she had to burn the stone blocks and drag them free of the cliffs herself then set them in place with her own back to make sure of it, Jewel vowed there would not be a single death more in service to the construction of her manor.

She had seen what nobles became who spent the lives of their subjects and family freely.

Jewel vowed for all that she had been made the chosen heir.

She would never be like the Countess Bathory.