6.6

It was exciting!

Jewel went out into the village every day as her larger self. Even as her smaller self she had seen it before when she was carried bundled up.

But today in the warm sun of Fallow Turn Jewel was walking alongside Smithson as he performed his duties rather than being carried or bundled up.

She could feel the stones and earth with her toes, and though she could not hear them speak to her the feeling of them was still a delight.

There was a difference to simply hearing wind and feeling grass without being absolutely certain of its moods and wiles.

She could still smell hints of the grass’ cries as it was grazed by recently pastured sheep and cows.

But her smaller self was deafened and muffled in her senses. Even beyond the way that the world was silent to any but her wyrmself.

The sights in her eyes felt almost stingingly sharp in their freshness. The smells she had breathed thousands upon thousands of times were despite how muddled and indistinct like new in her tiny snout.

It was a sometimes confounding and overwhelming blend of familiar and newness.

A First time that she was utterly accustomed too.

Paul was also there. Her ears turned and listened to him and Smithson talk as they sometimes did.

Even as she walked ahead to look at a flower she had seen many times before and yet was fascinating in how different it felt in these eyes.

“She’s still mostly dumb?”

Smithson sighed.

“She hears and she knows things. But only a handful of ‘words’ does she speak. If you watch her you can tell she’s cross about it too.”

Paul sighed and Jewel caught him nodding when she turned to watch them.

“And the wizards can’t say why? There isn't a curse or some sorcery on her?”

Smithson shrugged, they were stopping often, barely really even strolling despite there being actual business both needed to attend too.

All because she kept getting distracted.

Jewel shook herself and rushed to get a bit ahead of them on their way towards Bethica’s family. Prompting them to amble barely any faster since even a casual stroll easily could outpace her at a jog.

Word had arrived from Kaeketeh that a speaking bull had arrived and was already being driven ‘on the hoof’ towards Valasect. He would arrive in seven days if the weather and roads were fair.

Officially his care and charge would fall to Bethica’s family and for reasons that were hard to hold in her tiny head that had caused complaints in the village.

Which was why Paul and Smithson were out to speak to the family in question.

Jewel had heard as her larger self that it was also an excuse to bring ‘Gem’ out where the villagers and other children could see and interact with her.

Part of the ongoing attempt to ease the fear of the families to not just the presence of a proper lady directly ruling over them after generations of distant guidance but a dragon as well.

Jewel could only foggily remember the years she had spent before this body hatched when alone. But clear were the memories of her striving to endear herself.

Yet it all seemed to be taking a very long time wasn't it?

They continued walking and Jewel mostly was able to avoid stopping or drifting to the side of the Village road to stare at the spring flowers.

Paul finally filled the silence that had settled between her husband and squire.

“The family has children about her age don’t they?”

Smithson hummed.

“Two, a boy and a girl, plus a babe yet to be named and three old enough to harrow the fields and see to the animals.”

Paul hummed in a near perfect mirror of her Squire.

“And they are familiar with Lady Jewel from her kinder guarding. And with the speaking cow?”

Smithson laughed in a strained manner that masked the old fear that Bethica had lashed into him with her wit and tongue on their first meeting.

“Ah, Ah my Lord Paul, remember her name is Bethica. And yes in fact she watches them herself when Jewel has not been available. The cow is very... articulate.”

Paul huffed but he shared a note of contrition that made Jewel’s ear’s perk as she was dragging herself back onto the path by what felt like an incredibly disproportionate force of will.

“Yes, thank you Squire Smithson, Jewel insisted on introducing us. Bethica has a wit sharper than some of the ladies I’ve met in court.”

Smithson laughed at that.

A wind picked up and Jewel took in a deep breath before something was drawn up into her snout that scratched and irritated horribly. Jewel scrunched her nose and snorted hard to clear the speck out.

Which drew concerned looks from her two ‘minders’.

But when she didn't do anything else to worry them both men eased their tension.

Jewel missed her larger self’s sense of smell. It felt like someone had stuffed her tiny snout with linen when she tried to tell how they were feeling with this tiny stubby nose.

Her ears were better than her nose but even so that was only one sense.

She was starting to appreciate how unaware men and women actually were since she first could get a clear snout full of things with this diminished little nose.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Her smaller face was only slightly shortened, a bit like someone had pressed in her larger self’s face as one would clay.

But compared to even the longest nosed man or woman Jewel had ever seen her skull had cavernous volumes.

Which unlike her wyrmish self meant Jewel sometimes had snotty volumes of discharge to clear from it!

And dust!

So much dust could get caught so high up in her face it was astounding!

And of course it itched and tickled so fiercely she then had to sneeze.

Which was horrifying the first time it happened.

Jewel had learned to not breathe too deeply when there was dust, chafe or spices in the air.

And to snort out anything that caught shallower in her nose as soon as possible.

Paul sighed heavily behind her, perking her ears back again to listen.

“I hope they take well to her, Peasants can be cruel to the children above their station.”

Jewel turned again over her shoulder to see Smithson bristled a bit at that.

Which Paul also noted with a huff and a clarification.

“Not all of them! but many are not so loyal and proud as you were Smithson.”

Her squire’s expression changed to concern and Jewel caught his eyes as he turned to look over to her before she again faced back to the road ahead of them.

It was best to keep her eyes on the rough dirt.

Sure on her feet she might now be but Jewel could still trip if she was not careful.

Two legs were really quite awful at keeping her face clean and unbruised!

And she did not have the aid of wyrmflame to hold herself aloft when she tripped.

Her tail swished a bit violently from side to side against the cloth of her infant’s smock at the reminder of her clumsiness and lack of grace.

“Do we need to worry they will hurt her?”

Paul offered a laugh that had far too little humor.

“No, none would be so stupid as to injure a noble’s child like that. But peasant children can be very clever in finding cruelties that don’t leave marks.”

Jewel’s ears perked and tilted back again at that, her husband’s tone was one she rarely heard. And usually only when referring to his birth mother the countess.

There was a pained hitch to his voice.

Smithson hummed again at that.

“Stable Master Gizo could be like that sometimes.”

Jewel’s steps halted in the dirt and she nearly tripped, but she quickly found her feet and continued to walk ahead of the two ambling men before they could worry over her.

Stablemaster Gizo could be cruel?!

Jewel had never heard such as even her Wyrm Self. Her memory might be foggy but it was clear to her he was a kind and good man.

She held her neck stiff to keep from turning around again. If she glanced back or stared too much they would stop talking.

In fact despite her attempts at subterfuge they let it sit like that for almost a hundred of her tiny paces!

The men might as well have been giants for how they towered over her even several steps back.

They walked with slow strides that were despite their pace each easily her own height.

The silence lingering.

Paul finally broke it.

“Was he your father?”

Smithson snorted and Jewel imagined maybe he shook his head by the sound of his voice?

“My mother’s cousin. He took me on as a stable boy to learn the trade. He’s a good man to give me the opportunity, but his tongue could be sharper than his strop.”

Paul hummed and he sort of sounded like maybe he nodded, the slight shift of how sound moved with him.

“He only used a strop and words? Sounds like he was a bit soft on you.”

Smithson dismissed it, his voice a bit middling high.

“Maybe? I like to think it was earned if he was, I stuck to the stalls and seeing to the horse like I was supposed to. Oaken and the Sprattler earned their scars for being foolish. And the lightest of those came from Gizo. A charger’s kick can slay a grown man if it lands right. Nevermind a stableboy.”

Jewel listened intently, she had never heard men or boys speaking of their discipline so openly before.

She heard and saw it of course, Even Alexander had needed some discipline when his bravery had gotten the better of him.

Jewel had never been struck by either of her parents except in training, but she also had avoided trouble.

But the way they talked about it?

Words that could hurt?

It reminded Jewel of the way strangers spoke around her when they didn't think she could hear.

It was Insulting and now that she considered it that way painful in how many still spoke of her like a mere beast.

And of course as soon as the thought of that pain entered her tiny head it was practically pouring out of her eyes.

Tears blurring her vision and she sniffled as quietly as she could.

Jewel strove to try and wipe her eyes and look up at the speckled clouds of spring showers in the sky until the clenching pain in her chest eased.

If Smithson or Paul saw her suddenly crying they might decide this visit was too much for her!

She needed to be strong and not worry them or let her feelings drown her like they so often did her tiny heart. Jewel quickly started stepping forward again to try and make up for the time where she stopped to center herself.

Luckily neither of her minders seemed to have noticed.

Paul finally broke the silence that had settled between them.

“This family should be a good first try, they are accustomed to a speaking c- to Bethica.”

Smithson’s voice rose up behind her but Jewel did not want the glint of her tears to show so she stayed focused ahead on the road. By his tone she suspected he was sharing a knowing look with her husband to acknowledge the save in avoiding insulting her friend.

“We should still keep an eye out for it. And check with Jewel when she returns from Rochford.”

Paul’s tone was a bit confused.

“Check with Jewel? What about?”

Smithson chuckled.

Jewel could not help herself and glanced over her shoulder briefly to see his grinning face. And quickly turned away when his eyes matched hers.

“Jewel has a way of knowing whatever is going on in the little gem’s head and what has happened to her through the day. The Nursemaid in Rochford got a tongue lashing you wouldn't believe from the Lady Caroline over abandoning Gem in a room in favor of the Baron’s daughter.”

Paul audibly scuffed his leather boots in the dirt with a stumble of surprise.

“Truly?”

Smithson had laughter in his voice.

“It’s obvious if you look, they share a very special bond.”

Jewel had to force herself to walk again as both men had stopped to wait for her.

But she could not resist glancing back over her shoulder at Smithson several more times.

Her cheeks burned for some reason.

Even though there was nothing to be ashamed of.