you’re in luck, young dragon,” said the first guard, as he lowered his wings. “Your grandmother returned to her rooms not ten minutes ago. Someone will have to escort you to her, however, and we’re not allowed to leave our posts.” The dragon gave Frostybreath a meaningful look.
The big dragon sighed. “I suppose I can take him. But you owe me for this, Tailshaker, just like you owe me for guarding him while you had your fang repaired.”
“I’ll pay you back next week.” The guard laughed. “You can count on it.”
Audun was impressed by the size of his grandmother’s rooms. There were three of them and each was bigger than the largest room in his family’s cave. The first two rooms were furnished with dark woods and rich fabrics that rivaled the colors of his grandfather’s jewels. The bathing pool in the third room was big enough to fit his entire family at once and still would have left room for guests. Even so, what he noticed most as his grandmother gave him a tour was the stiff way she held herself and the cool tone of her voice; it was clear that she wasn’t pleased with him.
“Why did you come to see me, Audun?” she asked. “You can’t think that I’m going to help you by influencing the king’s decision.”
“I must admit that I was hoping you would,” said Audun, “but the real reason I came is to find out why you’re here. At first I thought Grandfather might be with you, but I haven’t smelled him or seen any of his things in your rooms.”
There was sadness in Song of the Glacier’s eyes. “No,” she said, “he didn’t come with me. The king asked me to come to the island and didn’t include my mate in the invitation.”
“How did you become one of the king’s councillors?” Audun asked.
“King Stormclaw wasn’t exaggerating when he said that he’d been asking me for years. I’d turned him down every time because I never felt that he really needed me until now. Even so, when I heard that one of his councillors was dying and that he’d need a replacement soon, I’d hoped to avoid coming here by taking our family and fleeing the Icy North, but after what happened in that witch’s castle, I knew that I couldn’t put you, your parents, or High Flier in danger just because I wanted us to be together. You left before I could explain what I had to do.”
Audun nodded, but there was still something he didn’t understand. “Did you know Stormclaw before you came here?”
His grandmother sighed. “I met him the first time I came to the island. His father was in charge of the guards and his mother had died in a storm just the year before. Stormclaw had nowhere else to go, so the old king let him live here. We became friends and later . . . more than friends.”
“When did you meet Grandfather?”
“Old King Bent Tooth had chosen your grandfather, High Flier, for me. Dragonesses must marry whomever the king chooses, and my parents made it clear that I would be no exception. You must understand, I care for your grandfather, but back then I loved Stormclaw and I still do.”
“So they made you leave Stormclaw and marry Grandfather.”
His grandmother nodded. “We hadn’t spoken in years because I thought it would be too painful. When he was chosen as the new king and first asked me to be one of his councillors, I didn’t want to come because I wasn’t sure what would happen if I saw him again. I’ve spent most of my life trying to be a good mate to your grandfather, while knowing that someone else was my true love. It’s hard for someone your age to understand, but I hope you will, someday.”
“I think I already do,” said Audun. “It’s why I need the king’s help. It’s why I need your help, too, Grandmother.”
Song of the Glacier twitched her tail in agitation. She began to pace in front of him, her scales making a swooshing sound. “Ordinarily, I would do whatever I could to help you, but a human and the daughter of the Green Witch? Are
The big dragon sighed. “I suppose I can take him. But you owe me for this, Tailshaker, just like you owe me for guarding him while you had your fang repaired.”
“I’ll pay you back next week.” The guard laughed. “You can count on it.”
Audun was impressed by the size of his grandmother’s rooms. There were three of them and each was bigger than the largest room in his family’s cave. The first two rooms were furnished with dark woods and rich fabrics that rivaled the colors of his grandfather’s jewels. The bathing pool in the third room was big enough to fit his entire family at once and still would have left room for guests. Even so, what he noticed most as his grandmother gave him a tour was the stiff way she held herself and the cool tone of her voice; it was clear that she wasn’t pleased with him.
“Why did you come to see me, Audun?” she asked. “You can’t think that I’m going to help you by influencing the king’s decision.”
“I must admit that I was hoping you would,” said Audun, “but the real reason I came is to find out why you’re here. At first I thought Grandfather might be with you, but I haven’t smelled him or seen any of his things in your rooms.”
There was sadness in Song of the Glacier’s eyes. “No,” she said, “he didn’t come with me. The king asked me to come to the island and didn’t include my mate in the invitation.”
“How did you become one of the king’s councillors?” Audun asked.
“King Stormclaw wasn’t exaggerating when he said that he’d been asking me for years. I’d turned him down every time because I never felt that he really needed me until now. Even so, when I heard that one of his councillors was dying and that he’d need a replacement soon, I’d hoped to avoid coming here by taking our family and fleeing the Icy North, but after what happened in that witch’s castle, I knew that I couldn’t put you, your parents, or High Flier in danger just because I wanted us to be together. You left before I could explain what I had to do.”
Audun nodded, but there was still something he didn’t understand. “Did you know Stormclaw before you came here?”
His grandmother sighed. “I met him the first time I came to the island. His father was in charge of the guards and his mother had died in a storm just the year before. Stormclaw had nowhere else to go, so the old king let him live here. We became friends and later . . . more than friends.”
“When did you meet Grandfather?”
“Old King Bent Tooth had chosen your grandfather, High Flier, for me. Dragonesses must marry whomever the king chooses, and my parents made it clear that I would be no exception. You must understand, I care for your grandfather, but back then I loved Stormclaw and I still do.”
“So they made you leave Stormclaw and marry Grandfather.”
His grandmother nodded. “We hadn’t spoken in years because I thought it would be too painful. When he was chosen as the new king and first asked me to be one of his councillors, I didn’t want to come because I wasn’t sure what would happen if I saw him again. I’ve spent most of my life trying to be a good mate to your grandfather, while knowing that someone else was my true love. It’s hard for someone your age to understand, but I hope you will, someday.”
“I think I already do,” said Audun. “It’s why I need the king’s help. It’s why I need your help, too, Grandmother.”
Song of the Glacier twitched her tail in agitation. She began to pace in front of him, her scales making a swooshing sound. “Ordinarily, I would do whatever I could to help you, but a human and the daughter of the Green Witch? Are
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