Page 5 of Dragons & Dumplings

"I didn't expect you to be awake so early," Arthur says.

"Mama came to my room to tell me about how I'm not supposed to say the first thing I think when we're entertaining foreign dignitaries." I take my seat at the table and reach for a slice of bread. I wonder if it's the same loaf that Nate was working on last night. I like to believe so, but I know there'll be lots of other bread being made in the kitchens.

Arthur laughs. "You were a little blunt."

"I can't help it," I mutter. "WhatamI supposed to do with a dragon?"

"I have a book that might help," he says. "I'd have brought it with me if I'd known you were coming to breakfast. I assumed you were going to be later after going to the kitchens last night."

A yawn escapes me as if trying to prove him right. "A couple of hours more sleep might have been helpful."

He laughs. "I can get you the book later."

"Thanks, Artie. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Not know what to do with your dragon egg."

"I put it in the oven," I say. "Well, Nate put it in the oven. I thought that was a good place for it."

To my surprise, my brother nods. "I would have put it in the fire in my room, but the oven is probably better. It'll have a more even heat."

"That's what I thought." I spread some butter and jam over my bread and take a bite. It's good, which isn't a surprise. My father makes sure that we employ the most talented bakers in the kitchens. That's why Nate is as good at what he does as he is. He's learned from the best, and that meansI'vebeen able to learn from the best.

None of the cooks were particularly pleased about me trailing around after them at first, probably because they thought that I was just a princess underfoot. Only Nate had been patient enough to actually talk to me properly at first, though in hindsight, that's probably because we were the same age and he was bored being the spit boy. When he started learning how to bake from his father, he let me listen, and it soon became normal for us both to get a lesson at the same time.

I'm not really sure when that changed to the two of us baking together alone, but I don't mind. He's my only friend, or my only friend other than my siblings, and I like being able to spend time with him when no one else is around.

"Evie?" Arthur waves a hand in front of my face.

"Hmm?"

"I was asking if you were going on the picnic today."

"I didn't even know there was one." I put down my bread and turn my attention to making myself some tea. It's a recentdiscovery after one of the foreign delegations brought it as a gift. This is one that Icanget behind, even if I think that the reciprocal gift giving should cancel one another out.

"It's for the ambassador."

"Well, then I should avoid it in case I say anything else that will potentially damage relations between our kingdoms," I say.

Arthur laughs. "Probably wise. I know you don't mean to, but you do have a tendency of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time."

"You don't think that Ambassador Zixin is angry about what I said last night?"

"He seemed more amused than annoyed to me," Arthur assures me with a shrug.

I let out a sigh of relief. "I don't want to insult anyone."

"I know you don't."

"Maybe I need to take diplomacy lessons or something."

He laughs. "I don't think that would help you."

"I can learn things," I protest.

"I know you can." He leans back in his seat and looks out of the window at the mountain. "You can practice next month when the delegation from Someil arrives."

I groan. "Another delegation?"

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