4.4

After the first time, Jewel paced herself significantly better.

Not entirely by choice however.

She was a bit embarrassed to admit it came at Father’s, Tsulogothulan’s, Mother’s and most especially Bromthil’s insistence!

She had ruined the footmen that had joined in her day long jubilation for almost two after.

Some had serious cramps and sprains!

She had apologies aplenty for all and insisted that Father let her make up for the injuries when she heard the extent.

But still to dance?!

It was almost better than flying!

In fact Jewel had taken to dancing during her flights when possible.

But all of the adults had insisted that she could not make a repeat of going all day until she collapsed.

So early in the mornings after breakfast was set aside and Muriel exchanged it in their schedule for physical exercise and combat labors. The Footmen were portioned off and rotated from one day to the next to make sure none of them were overexerted.

And Jewel practiced.

Now that she understood what dance was they worked with her at finding how she could fit/move about and through a carola.

Weaving into and out of the circle without disrupting the rhythm was especially tricky. How to mark or tap those that joined in the circle just enough to make way and then how to ease herself out of it.

But it was also joyous in a way nothing had ever quite been before!

And she was even getting to dance with her family!

Father and Mother joined in a bit on mornings where their responsibilities were light.

Alexander enjoyed it too when he was not doing other training with Muriel or Sir Kraok.

The Footmen still joked, of course, but it was far more good naturedly.

Complimenting on her singing voice or grace began to overwhelm the jabs about her mistakes and stumbles.

Although those never ceased entirely. But it was to a level on par with their own camaraderie with one another.

And by measures, with each of those few hours Jewel was finding a confidence she had rarely felt.

This was something she could do!

Not muddle through or utterly overpower by stint of her natural talents or imperfections.

But a skill she could properly hone, strive and excel at.

Jewel could dance and come the festivities after the summer harvest finished she would.

But life could not be only dancing. Apparently her distress over her earlier failures had gotten her an unofficial reprieve from her other lessons and responsibilities.

At Tsulogothulan’s insistence that the wizard would solve Jewel’s problem as swiftly as possible.

But now Muriel had her reading and reciting passages from every book in Father’s study.

Working with coinage from the family coffers and even tabulating and marking the accounts of some of the tradescrafts that lived among the various villages.

Gathering up coins that were suspect on the scales (or more often to her own nose and tongue) and carefully dividing them for review with a silversmith when next the journey could be made.

Receipts had to be written until she had to alternate from left to right foreclaw and then, when even that was insufficient to still the aching throbs of cramped fingers, she switched to her equally dextrous hind claws and folded her hips up to her fore so she could see what she was writing.

Jewel occasionally spied what Alexander was working on in secret.

She was now forbidden from actually working in letters or anything involving quill and ink in the same room or even at the same hour as him!

But as his younger sister she was worried!

Even now when she snuck a peek he was sometimes still working on scribe skills of simple calligraphy, or copying a record onto scrap vellum that had not made the muster to be shipped as tithe or sale!

She’d mastered that when she was seven!

Their Governess was obviously doing something wrong with his education.

Was he overly distracted?

Muriel had already admonished her for the few times that Jewel had taken the load off her poor brother doing copy exercises. It was unfair to make him do so much! Alexander could only write with one, albeit far more dexterous hand!

His penmanship was even worse with his left!

She had however been forbidden and told it was not proper. So Jewel had stopped for a time.

But when she had realized what flourishes they were using to spot her assistance Jewel had started trying to imitate Alexander’s more shaky quill hand. And for a while it seemed to work.

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But that had eventually gotten even further admonishment from Mother and led to their separation during calligraphy studies.

Although Muriel had been uncharacteristically nice afterwards! There was congratulations on Jewel’s aptitude in scribecraft and then the Governess had got her some quite wonderful books to practice copying instead. Not just simple records but full book manuscripts and she was even given the good vellum instead of scrap!

Muriel and Father had praised her work on it this year. And they even said if she finished by winter they would see about getting her another. Possibly even some of the fine inks so she could practice her hand (claws) at illuminated manuscripts!

But Alexander was still languishing whenever she stole a few moments to slip down a hall and check in on him in Father’s study.

This was not fair at all.

Alexander was Father’s heir!

He was her elder brother!

Jewel was the younger daughter!

It was not right!

So she checked up on him like she was now.

When Muriel walked up from behind her, she did not jump or squeak in an undignified manner.

The household staff are liars if they said she did.

“Ah there you are Jewel! It’s time you joined your Father on a survey of the harvests! Only so much to learn from old books, no matter how skilled your scribecraft!”

How did the Governess always do that? Was she secretly a wizard?

Although the only one of those that could even begin to surprise her had been Fizzbunches.

Euewyn the Autumn always had red and orange leaves precede her and Tsulogothulan seemed incapable of doing any kind of appearing without bringing a profound quantity of damp and peat bog with them.

Jewel was unsure — perhaps Governess’ had some other magic unknown to wizards?

If they did it was significantly better than even Fizzbunche’s mysterious corners. Jewel had started being able to spot those well ahead of his use of them.

But Muriel still could sneak up on her somehow.

“Come on, Lady Jewel. Leave your brother to focus; there are fields to see and peasants to watch.”

And dutifully the Wyrm let herself be shooed and guided back down the hallway and down the corridors.

But what she had seen, had continued to see for seasons left a sour taste that not even the prospect of being with Father in his obligation as overseer and Liege could dispel.

“Governess Muriel? May I broach a question? Meant not in any offense or malice.”

There was a stiffening to her Governess’ back, a bracing of the muscles and a fixing of expression. Then all was smoothed into natural poise and a gentle practiced smile that went properly to the corner of the eyes.

“Yes, as your Governess, that is what I’m here for.”

Jewel fidgeted her wings a bit, flexing them in and out to try and shed some of the shame of having even thought this.

But she had to know. There had been too many years for it to be a fluke.

“Is... Is Alexander simple?”

The widened eyes of shock demanded that she clarify herself.

“I mean, he is years my elder and yet still struggling with letters. He’s hardly even competent in stewardship. His grasp of the coins would see him fleeced by a stablehand!”

And then there was a just smothered laugh.

A laugh?!

Before she knew it Jewel found herself growing heated for her Brother’s sake!

The Wyrm whirled on the women whose responsibility and obligation was to both of Father’s children and their education and mastery of the skills needed to thrive in the world.

There had been a hint of mirth! of mockery, of the evil cruelty that Jewel had seen time and again in their Governess turned towards Alexander.

“Is that it? Is that why you hate him? Is... Is my brother infirm in the mind? Is that why you punish him so?”

But then all the mirth fled and was replaced with something else. It was similar to the look that Jewel had seen after the disastrous hunt. Muriel slumped in the mud, not even seeming able to fetch her sword from the corruptive touch of the muddy water.

Suddenly that face had returned in force and Jewel felt her flame go cold and quiet.

“Oh Jewel, No your brother is not simple. And I’m not punishing him! I love dear Alexander as my own flesh and blood.”

What?

But he was the eldest! And she was so ahead of him! If it was not an infirmity of his mind or sabotage by the governess?!

Jewel just stared gobsmacked and confused.

“I’m so sorry my dear Lady Jewel. I’ve done you a grave disservice. It’s so easy to forget how young you are. But of my two students one is indeed far from the norm.”

Jewel could feel the idea but it felt wrong, not this too. She was a dutiful and good younger sister!

“Your brother is not simple. In fact he is quite bright and talented for a child his age.”

There was a sad cast to the eyes of her Governess and she could already guess the words.

She was, after all, obviously larger than her brother. Had been for years.

“But you are a Wyrm, Lady Jewel. And although it surprises and astounds us with new wonders every day. Illustrates for us, seemingly by the hour, how wonderful and beautiful a thing that makes you.”

Something had gone deeply wrong with the universe that so much praise was coming from Muriel’s lips like this.

“I can say with certainty that it makes you one of the brightest minds I have ever met. I’m not punishing Alexander for stupidity or holding him back out of malice, Jewel.”

Her Governess placed a hand on Jewel’s cheek. The fingers were calloused by her skill in the sword.

Muriel’s eyes had wrinkles at the corners and there were streaks of gray to her hair that had never seemed important before.

“I’m trying to make sure both of you can excel to your greatest.”

Jewel could not find any words to say to that.

Muriel didn't hate her or Alexander?!

Her Governess was trying to help?!

The rest of the walk out to the fields was done in silence under the noon sun.