Page 68 of Kingdom of Feathers

Her parents stood regally near the top of the broad staircase, backs straight and eyes up. With a flash of pride, Wren noted that her father lost none of his commanding presence in spite of being dwarfed by the creatures before him.

The two dragons had alighted shoulder to shoulder, and were both regarding King Lloyd and Queen Liana fixedly. They were very similar in size—on the smaller side for dragons, if Wren was assessing them correctly. One was quite a bright yellow, with a purple edge to his scales, and the other was purple all over. Their expressions were serene, no hint of aggression in either form. She relaxed slightly, as a fear she hadn’t known she was holding leaked out.

She moved forward to stand beside her parents, not about to miss such an exciting event.

“Ah, Wren,” said her father, extending an arm toward her. “We are honored by a visit from Dannsair and Rekavidur of the dragons.”

Wren dropped into a curtsy. For a moment the silence stretched out, then she saw her father shift uncomfortably.

“Allow me to extend greetings on my daughter’s behalf,” he said, clearing his throat. “She would wish to greet you with the honor you are due, were she not…” He trailed off awkwardly, and both dragons swiveled their heads to look at Wren.

She quivered slightly under the unblinking gaze of four orb-like eyes, but forced herself to hold her head up. Whatever her father thought, she had nothing to be ashamed of.

“Greetings Princess Wren,” said the purple dragon in a musical voice that revealed her to be a female. She glanced at King Lloyd. “We are not offended by your daughter’s silence, king of men.”

The yellow dragon made a strange guttural noise in his throat that caused many in the crowd to draw back in alarm. After a moment, Wren realized it was laughter.

“Offended?” he said, his voice gravelly. “On the contrary. Given that we have traveled to Myst specifically out of a desire to see the silent princess for ourselves, we would have been more likely to be offended had she spoken, and proved our journey futile.”

Wren had been drilled in the importance of upholding etiquette when interacting with dragons, but not all her training could prevent her mouth from falling open. The dragons had come to see her? To…to gawk at her like an oddity?

“You wished to witness my daughter’s silence?” her father asked, his voice not quite steady.

The female dragon tilted her head to one side, studying him. “It is perhaps we who have offended?”

“Of course not,” said the king quickly, although his bow was a little stiff this time. “You are most welcome here, as any representative of your colony will always be. We are, as I said, honored by your visit.”

“We do not represent the colony, precisely,” said the female dragon placidly. “Merely our own curiosity.”

This time Wren was sure that her father was offended, but of course he knew better than to ever say so. Representatives or not, dragons were still dragons, and even kings didn’t mess around with that.

“Are we mistaken in thinking you have another visitor already?” the yellow dragon, the male, asked.

He swiveled his head around, and Wren followed his gaze to see Basil, standing a short distance behind and to one side of the Mistran royals. Wren’s heart squeezed painfully at the sight of the Entolian, all her regret at their enforced separation rushing back.

“Ah, King Basil,” said the dragon. “Well met.”

Basil bowed curtly. “Greetings, Rekavidur, Dannsair. I am glad to see you.”

In spite of the polite words, Wren didn’t think he looked too pleased. It was interesting that he knew the dragons by name, however. A sudden suspicion sprang into her mind. Had he somehow known they were coming? Was that what he’d been waiting around Myst for? And if so, what did that mean?

“And I you,” said the male dragon calmly.

He stared at Basil for one more unblinking second, then his head swung abruptly back around to Wren. She forced herself to hold his gaze, even though it felt like the mental equivalent of being seared by dragon flame. The dragon—Rekavidur, her father had said—lowered his reptilian head until it was just before hers. She felt so hypnotized by his scrutiny, she barely noticed the other dragon joining him.

For a long moment they both stared at her, taking deep breaths which she could have sworn were designed to smell her.

Then they straightened, exchanging a brief glance before turning to King Lloyd.

“We thank you for your hospitality,” said the female dragon formally. “We won’t linger, but we are glad to have met you, King Lloyd. May your kingdom prosper, and the ties between our kinds be always strong.”

Wren’s father looked more perplexed than ever, but he bowed more gracefully this time.

“Mistra’s favor goes with you,” he said solemnly. “We are honored by your visit.”

Wren wondered if the words were sincere. It was exciting to have dragons visit, and most royals would welcome it. But at the same time, she could see at a glance that her father was trying to hide his usual embarrassment over Wren’s situation. Having the dragons not only notice it, but declare that they came specifically to marvel at it, must be igniting all his mortification. Underneath her dignified front, she was squirming herself.

With the formal exchanges, Wren expected the dragons to take off immediately, and she couldn’t help but be glad. Honor though it might be, she didn’t want them to hang around. Surely if they got anywhere near her brothers, they would recognize the magic clinging to the swans. What if they told her father? What if everything was revealed, and her brothers fell one by one with a mere two weeks to go?

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