3.8

Jewel was fifteen winters old, she was to be married next year, and she already had a demesne of her own to look after.

By all accounts of responsibility and age she was practically an adult.

But she did not feel much like it.

The Footmen she and Muriel had chosen were already being settled into quarters in the Valasect manor, the only thing delaying her own arrival was the final work on her bathing room.

Smithson was so proud and puffed up that he was joining Jewel as her master of horse as well as her squire.

Although the wyrm herself did not need any of the beasts, Father was willing to give a few for the manor to spare for her men, guests and the occasional messenger from the Realm.

And there was of course Oxhoof, even if she was getting a bit long in years for a hackney.

The new lodgings would be good for her squire’s training with Kroak. Although not far, it was still a full day’s hard ride to reach Dewgrove from Fort Rochford. Time that took away from Smithson’s other responsibilities and leisure.

With the new closeness, Jewel expected many more of the friendly spars between her Squire and Rochford’s sole knight.

At least when either of them had time to spare.

Which right now they distinctly did not.

Jewel’s daily hours had once been filled with studies and training with Muriel. Then in the last few years it was her own reading for simple pleasure and pass time between training her flight, prowess in combat and spinning thread or cloth as the season came.

But now Mother was taking up all of Jewel’s time.

With the spinning done the days of reading, flying or the occasional melee with the men were suspended.

Because apparently Father was ‘a fool of a man with a head empty of anything that did not involve fields, armies, archery or gryphons and cannot be trusted to prepare his daughter for her ascension to countess of Viznove’.

For all the sudden restriction upon her time, Jewel welcomed her mother’s consul.

It was rather nice actually.

And it also gave them both an excuse to handle and coddle their ‘daughters’ while together.

Whenever Gwenn was not bothered by the confinement at least.

Ever more proof that Gem was definitely not a normal child.

She toddled about as unsurely as Jewel’s sister, but she moved and behaved more or less exactly as Jewel wished her too. Well more she acted as Jewel did and so Jewel wished to be proper.

Even now, she had not found satisfaction in trying to convey it to her family or friends.

It was further complicated because while together, everything was simple.

But it all only held as long as Jewel was actually present.

When they were apart everything was considerably harder.

After a reunion, she could always recall what she had been thinking at the time in her smaller head. But even when she could recall every moment and see how she had been foolish, it was not helping much to improve how she acted in absence with herself.

Which was where Smithson came into the picture. Although without her wyrmself Jewel became confused and addled, she could still recognize Smithson. And he was always careful and gentle with her smaller self to not disabuse her of that opinion.

Not like the one wetnurse which sometimes scowled and ignored Gem when no one else was around.

So her Squire had taken on the unofficial role of minder for her ‘child’, which undoubtedly would get some terrible lashings from anyone hailing further north in Arva.

But it seemed to only bemuse or delight the people of Rochford and Valasect.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

For all the frustrations Jewel had with the Wet Nurse she was quite friendly with Smithson and seemed thankful for his handling of Gem whenever Jewel could not manage self control.

Ugh, that whole matter was so confusing.

At least she thought she had some of the speech sorted out.

Jewel focused back to the lesson at hand.

Mother was waiting expectantly for her.

Mustering her memory to recall all that she had been told.

“First and most important of all, I am not to trust solely what I see, hear, smell or otherwise sense. Within court what is shown, what is said, what is even carried into the space with me is not the whole of the truth.”

Mother nodded and offered a few additions.

“This is especially true now that it is widely known the extent to which you can hear. Your little trick in Kaeketeh is spoken of and warned widely in the courtly circles. You cannot depend on your ability of hearing things not meant for you anymore, daughter.”

Jewel sighed but nodded. It felt deceitful, rude, improper and dishonorable to act as such. But her mother had supported Rochford in this side of courtly women’s work since before she even hatched.

She would trust her mother in this as she had trusted her father in war.

Jewel continued.

“Second I should always strive to know the desires of others before they arrive before me in court, to listen to words and whisper well ahead of their coming. And never expect loyalty unless such are one with mine. ”

That one tasted foul on her tongue; it had been the hardest lesson to accept from mother. It was far too much like how the Countess Bathory seemed to treat people.

Mother sighed and once again admonished Jewel’s recollection.

“That one is only for those that have not proven loyalty. Your inner confidents that have proven trust and honor, that share bonds of blood or compact need not suffer such suspicions daughter.”

Okay, Jewel had been a bit overly bitter on that lesson. A stranger unproven or yet uncertain perhaps was not due the full respect and trust she gave her brother or friends.

But that brought her to the next lesson. And one that stung the most.

“Third, when I am powerful and rich, false friends will flock like birds to the harvest gleaning. But when I am weak and in need do allies truly show their mettle.”

Mother nodded, and thankfully she had no more to say on it. Jewel had gotten all four ears full on this topic.

Jewel had known Mother and Father were tense about her friendship with Thurzó. But it seemed like half of all the time that her mother sought to educate her was filled with thinly veiled warnings that the northern count of Arva was only her friend because she was powerful.

So went the evening until Mother was growing weary from the hour and Jewel struggled to keep Gem from passing out.

There was also of course the usual things they had once covered. The Courtesies, and how one could simultaneously insult and praise a knight, baron, count or even king. But more than these familiar skills there was also deeper knowledge.

Sharp and striking examples in regards to the histories.

Recent events that had befell Rochford, or Visnove.

The far flung gossip of the machinations regarding the other subject counties and territories of the High King’s Realm.

Jewel had never realized the sheer density of word that passed by mouth and letter, gossiping and traveling across the roads on peddlers and messenger alike.

Mingling like pools of water in the courts of each baron, low king, count, duchess, abbot, and a seemingly endless deluge of other names of titles that might be both equal, lesser or greater then Jewel’s own inherited rank of Countess.

By some alliances and pledges of fealty, Arva was over Viznove, even though the fields of farmland and mustering armies were almost a match between them.

All of that and the way that it colored the character of any conversation, any statement, any word or letter sent between lords or ladies within the realm?

She had to consider it all.

Jewel was supposedly an adult lady, to be housed in a demesne all her own.

She was going to be moving out from her rooms in Rochford to settle fully into the manor house come midsummer.

But in just a few seasons of lessons with her mother on the deeper nature of court and intrigue, she felt woefully unprepared.

Like she was still barely a child.

Jewel had to shake her smaller self awake, the sleepiness of the smaller body leaking addled dimness to her wit.

Which Mother took as a signal that they had been at their lessons long enough.

Morning, afternoon and evenings after supper were a long time to spend discussing so much.

But at the same time Jewel welcomed these chances to simply be with her mother.

To learn from her all that she could.

Before Jewel moved into her own house.