dragon archives 04 - dance with a dragon (6 page)

“Is that man a dragon, Papa?” he asked in wonder.

“No, son,” Aaron answered with a laugh. “He’s not actually
breathing
fire.”

“Oh,” Zach said, but his tone was doubtful.

Aaron and Keira walked ahead of the small group, the children at their sides, while Bronwyn fell in step with Anna. Her long dark hair was tossed carelessly over her back, but the sun caught tints of red within the brown tresses that shone as her hair swayed on her shoulders. Her eyes were blue like her father’s, and like him, her smile came easily.

“You are so fortunate to live so close to the city,” Anna said.

“Really?” Bronwyn said. “We don’t come very often. Father prefers being in the country, away from prying eyes.” She glanced up at Aaron, her eyes narrowed in consideration. “I can’t blame him. I’m sure I will want to stay in the country too, when I change.”

Anna looked at Bronwyn, confused for a moment, before understanding dawned. Of course, she too was a dragon, and although her body had not yet started changing, her turn would soon come.

“How do you feel about being a dragon?” Anna asked, curious.

Bronwyn shrugged. “I don’t really think about it. It is what I am, and nothing will change it. It will be wonderful to take to the sky with my own wings, but I wish I didn’t have to eat … certain things.”

Anna shuddered. “No, I can understand that.”

“But Father says if you don’t think about it, it’s not so terrible.”

“Well, I suppose he would know,” Anna said, a little doubtfully. She looked at Lydia, who was riding on her father’s shoulders. She hadn’t given much thought to her little niece being a dragon before, but she too would one day sprout wings and breathe fire. As Anna considered this, Aaron turned to look at her, his amused expression convincing her that he had guessed the direction of her thoughts.

A group of actors a little way ahead caught Anna’s attention and she watched as they played out a coronation scene. As would be expected from a troupe of actors, the coronation went horribly wrong – the prince tripped on his way to the throne, the archbishop dropped the crown, the princess whacked the prince with the scepter, and the orb rolled down the aisle as the noblemen hopped over it, until one of them picked up the rolling sphere and raising it above his head, declared himself to be the new king. Anna joined the crowd in laughing, amused at the spectacle.

Later that evening, Anna sat with Keira and Cathryn in the small parlor behind the hall. Anna was telling Cathryn about the play they had seen, laughing as she related the farcical coronation. Aaron and Favian had gone out a few hours earlier, and Bronwyn, Zach and Lydia had all gone to bed.

“It sounds like you enjoy the city,” Cathryn said.

“Oh, yes! It is the most wonderful place,” Anna replied. “It’s so alive! There is something happening on every street corner – a play, or jugglers, or some other entertainment.”

Cathryn smiled in amusement. “It does begin to tire after a while.”

“Oh, no, I cannot believe that! I don’t think I would ever grow tired of Civitas!”

“I enjoy coming here for a short while,” Keira said, “but the place is too chaotic for me to spend too long. I will be glad to return home.”

“Will we leave immediately after the coronation?” Anna asked, a tone of wistfulness creeping into her voice. Keira smiled, then glanced at Cathryn, who gave a small nod.

“Aaron is eager to start the journey back to Storbrook as soon as possible following the coronation,” Keira said. Anna nodded her understanding. It was as she expected. “We will stop overnight at Drake Manor,” Keira continued, “and if you would like to, you can remain there with Cathryn and Favian.”

“At Drake Manor?” Anna said in surprise, looking first at Keira, then turning to Cathryn.

Cathryn nodded. “Yes. I know you would like to be in Civitas, but we are not so far away, and can come in anytime.”

“But … are you sure?” Anna could not help smiling.

“Yes. We would all welcome your company. Bronwyn is very fond of you, you know.”

“Oh, yes, that would be wonderful!” Anna said. She turned to Keira, and her smile dimmed slightly. “But what about Zach and Lydia?”

“We will all miss you, Anna, but you can come home to Storbrook anytime.” Keira took Anna’s hand in hers. “I know you have not been happy lately,” she said. “It is time for you to discover your own destiny.” She paused for a moment. “Is there anything else that would hold you back at Storbrook?” Anna glanced down at the hand that lay in her sister’s, then lifted her head to meet Keira’s gaze.

“No,” she said. She smiled. “I would love to remain with Cathryn and Favian.”

“Well, you don’t have to decide right away,” Keira said, but Anna was already shaking her head.

“I won’t change my mind,” she said. She turned to look at Cathryn again. “Thank you so much for the offer, and I would love to stay with you at Drake Manor.”

Cathryn smiled. “Excellent,” she said.

Chapter 8

The good weather held, and coronation day dawned fair and bright. The excitement in the city was palpable, and along every street and alley people were in a joyous mood. Children danced and sang in the streets, women smiled and laughed as they chatted with their neighbors, and the men nodded to one another in friendly greeting. By order of King Alfred, mourning clothes had been set aside, and the citizens of Civitas wore their brightest hues. The procession route had been laid with branches and petals, while hanging overhead were brightly colored banners. Pageants and pantomimes, extolling the virtues of the new monarch, had been written by the greatest playwrights and musicians in the city, and had been performed in the streets and on the stage throughout the week.

Once again, Favian had ferreted out a good spot for the family to watch the passing procession, and they stood waiting amongst the crowds on the street. As they waited, bells began to toll in the distance. “The king and queen are leaving the palace,” Cathryn told the children.

Lydia nodded wisely. “We’ll see them here,” she said, pointing to the road in front of where they were standing.

“That’s right,” Cathryn said.

The royal couple were to travel along the river by barge from the palace to the city steps, where they would be met by the Lord Chamberlain, the Mayor, and the city Aldermen. The bells continued to toll in the distance as they waited, and after a while they were joined by others, their notes ringing out much nearer.

“Listen,” Cathryn said. “The king and queen are drawing closer. As they pass each church, the bells will begin to ring.”

“We see them soon?” Lydia asked.

“Soon,” Cathryn promised.

But the sun was high in the sky and little trickles of sweat were running down Anna’s neck by the time the royal couple finally came into view. The king rode a magnificent white stallion, while behind him came the queen, traveling in an open litter mounted between two white horses. The bells in the surrounding steeples pealed furiously as the royal couple waved to their loyal subjects. The queen wore an exquisite gown of cream silk overlaid with gold lace, and the jewels in her hair glittered in the sun. The king was just as splendidly arrayed, with breeches made of gold cloth and a purple doublet embroidered with gold thread. The queen smiled and waved at the adoring subjects as the procession moved on. A chatter rose amid the crowd, but the people remained standing where they were, aware that the newly crowned king and queen would pass this way again at the end of the ceremony.

If it was possible for the bells to peal more joyously, they did so an hour later when the ceremony was complete, and the doors swung open to the cathedral. The news quickly spread along the streets that the king and queen were returning to the palace, and indeed, not very much time had passed before Anna saw the procession coming down the street once more. Circlets of gold rested on the heads of both the king and queen, and a mantle of ermine hung from the king’s shoulders. In his hands he carried the orb and scepter of the kingdom, which he held up for the crowds to see. They moved quickly along the route towards the waiting barge, and the crowds broke up as they disappeared from sight.

Anna was hot and sticky by the time they arrived at Drake House, and the children were complaining that their legs were sore, their heads hurt and they were hungry. Even Bronwyn seemed to be miserable. The problem with the city, Anna thought to herself, was that there was no escape from the heat and smog – no shady woods to walk in and no cool lakes to dive into.

Aaron and Keira returned to Drake House soon after, and Keira eagerly shared the details of the ceremony. “It was very solemn,” she said. “The king swore an oath that he would serve and protect the kingdom according to the law of the land, before the archbishop recited a very long prayer and anointed him with oil. Then the royal mantle was placed on his shoulders and the crown placed on his head, and he was given the orb and scepter. The queen didn’t swear an oath, but she was also anointed with oil before being crowned. They kneeled throughout the ceremony, their eyes downcast, even when Prince Frederick started crying.”

Anna smiled in amusement. “What happened?”

“He was hot and bothered, I suppose. Prince Rupert was sitting behind the children, and he gave his nephew his dagger to play with.”

Anna looked at Keira in shock. “You’re jesting!”

Keira laughed. “I’m not! It was a ceremonial dagger, but still very sharp. However, it did the trick. Frederick spent the rest of the ceremony scratching the wooden pew.”

Anna laughed. “I’m sure the archbishop appreciated that! How old is the prince?”

“Frederick or Rupert?” Keira smiled. “Frederick is four, and his uncle Rupert is about twenty-five. You will see him at the banquet tonight. Speaking of which, we should probably start getting ready.”

All the city noblemen and merchants had been invited to attend a banquet on the palace grounds to celebrate the coronation, and Anna had been included in the invitation as well. New gowns had been ordered and delivered earlier in the week, and Anna had purchased a new pair of slippers for the event.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a flurry of activity as the women hurried to prepare themselves for the royal banquet. Maids hurried between the rooms, hauling water and bringing linens. Hannah, Cathryn’s personal maid, rushed between them, helping pull on gowns, don jewels and dress hair. Anna’s gown was a pale yellow silk, which hung in gentle folds from her hips, accentuating her narrow waist. The long sleeves were tight over her upper arms, and then flared wide, ending at her wrists over the front of her hand, but hanging down low at the back. Her new slippers peeked out from beneath the hem of the gown, and around her neck hung a simple string of pearls, a gift from Aaron and Keira on her twenty-first birthday. Seed pearls, tucked into the long braid that hung down her back, sparkled in the afternoon sun.  

Aaron and Keira were waiting for her when she walked into the hall a short time later.

“Ready?” Aaron asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Then let’s be off,” he said. “Favian and Cathryn will meet us there.” He picked up a shawl from the bench, and with a flourish, draped it around Keira’s shoulders, before heading towards the door.

Chapter 9

It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at the palace, but the sun was still high in the sky. The river was a highway of boats, with ferrymen poling their way around each other as they strove for the palace landing, often pushing other ferries aside. Anna stared in astonishment as the boatmen yelled insults and curses at their rivals, while passengers joined in the fray, shouting their encouragement at their own ferrymen, promising silver to urge them on. It was a wonder that more people did not land in the river, Anna thought, but she saw only one boat knocked so hard its passenger fell into the water, unnoticed by the two ferrymen hurling insults at one another. The passenger was rescued from the tangle of weeds by another boat, and he gratefully tipped the rescuing boatman with a large silver coin, before shaking his fist at the other ferryman.

The stairway leading to the palace lawns was crowded with people, and as Anna stepped off the boat Aaron grabbed both her and Keira by the arm, pulling them through the crush. It was just as well, for no sooner had they reached the safety of the lawn than a woman, alighting from a ferry, slipped on the mossy stairs, dragging her escort with her into the muddy river with a shriek.

The crowds thinned the further they drew from the river, and Anna looked around in interest. Dozens of trestle tables had been placed on the lawns near the palace walls, covered with snow white linen. Gleaming silverware glittered in the sunlight, while liveried footmen rushed about, finishing the place settings with crystal glass and white napkins. A raised dais was placed to one side, with a table and gilded chairs on the raised platform. Huge swags of white fabric created a canopy above, and flowers and vines twisted around the trellises that held the fabric. To the left played an orchestra, partially hidden behind an embroidered screen, while between the tables and the river mingled hundreds of guests, the doyens of society keeping up a flowing commentary behind open fans as they watched the new arrivals with raised eyebrows and upturned noses.

Beyond the palace to the right lay the formal gardens, and Anna stared at them for a moment. It was there that she and Keira had been snatched by Jack and flown away to a rocky fortress where they were held prisoner. Jack was long since dead, and Anna knew that no dangers lurked in the garden tonight, but she could not suppress an involuntary shiver. A hand laid on her arm had her turning towards Keira.

“We’re quite safe,” Keira said.

“I know. It’s just the memories.”

Keira nodded. “I know.” She glanced at Aaron. “But we mustn’t allow them to ruin our evening.”

“No,” Anna said. A bump on her shoulder made her stumble forward slightly, and she turned around to see a young woman stepping backwards, her hand to her mouth as she stuttered out an apology.