The New Bond

Aster

I was learning that being around humans took a lot more effort than living in a forest, and they really like looking good. Staring into the mirror, I huffed at the way my look had changed face. I was coated in different types of powder or makeup and had my hair styled.

I heard a snort from Umbra. I looked at her through the mirror.

“I didn’t ask for this. It feels so weird.” I almost touched my face but lowered my hand, remembering the look Roslin gave me and the threat she made if we had to go back again.

“It doesn’t look bad, but you look so different,” Umbra said, moving up to me and sniffing the air.

I nodded. My cheeks were almost a permanent light red that matched my lips, and my hair was now curled instead of lying straight. Thankfully, my ears had remained untouched, but they had pressed me to put a bow to cover the golden clasp, which I did reluctantly. My tail, however, had been abused.

I shivered, glancing at the brush that I now owned. It had been painful getting all of the knots out, and the fur that remained on the brush stood as a reminder. I silently vowed to brush it every morning to avoid that happening again.

The dress I now had on again matched Umbra’s colors almost perfectly, only a shade lighter. I had even managed to weave a ribbon through the collar the same color as her scales. Even the shoes I had gotten matched, the sandals on my feet a slight blue tint.

There was a knock at the door, and I turned as Roslin walked in. She wore a dress styled red that flowed. It ended before her feet and was tighter around the waist. While she looked amazing, she had no makeup on, to my displeasure. I gave her a glare. I didn’t like how she didn't have to wear makeup.

“Don’t give me that look. I already explained that my Charisma is high enough not to need makeup, and yes, like I said, you’ll learn about it in the basics class in the academy.” She pointed a finger to the door. “We have to get going. The carriage is downstairs. Umbra, Silt will show you the way. The king has prepared a feast for you and the other dragons I think you’ll enjoy in the back courtyard of the castle.”

Umbra wasted no time in leaving, only giving me a nudge, a small one so as not to rip any of the fabric with her scales before she bounded out of the room onto the balcony and dove off the pavilion. From what she had told me, the lessons and tips she had been given from the other dragon today had really helped in her flying.

I walked with Roslin to the stairs, looking up the way to the third floor before we started down. I’d yet to see another rider or dragon all day. When asked about it, I was told that most were away from the capital in nearby cities or elsewhere. She didn't elaborate when I asked what she meant.

Outside, the carriage was waiting with a man sitting on the front and two animals that Identify told me were horses. The carriage, which was made out of almost all dark born wood, was fancy with white trimmings and the crown of Arilon painted on the side. The inside was comfortable, and after we got settled, it started to move forward at a knock from Roslin on the side. The carriage did have windows on both sides covered by drapes that I peeked out of as we moved through the city.

The spire was only a short walk to the castle, but because Roslin was a rider and I was a guest, we were meant to go through the front, which required going around the entire building.

"Remember Aster, most of the elven family will be in attendance. they have a daughter and son attending, as well as the king having his own children there, and they will be attending the academy." Roslin helpfully reminded me for the sixth time this afternoon.

She had changed as the dinner approached, taking on a teaching role for what she called noble etiquette. The entire idea of etiquette made no sense to me. I mean, why would you bend your body to say hello to someone? Then, they used three different types of forks and spoons to eat. I couldn't understand it, and she had agreed on the last point. It was all so weird.

She had narrowed it down to three rules for tonight that I could follow. First, I would let Roslin or someone else introduce us, as she would be with me the entire time. Second, don't start any conversation that might cause issues. Third and most important, don't insult or challenge anyone.

Apparently, challenges during court were a common thing in Arilon. Having a way for people to settle grudges without a duel to the death seemed like common knowledge to me. The whole idea was like in the forest when the wolves would fight for food or to show off to one another.

The castle gate was well-lit as we went through it, and guards in full metal that reflected the light watched on the top of the walls in groups of three. I identified one of the two guards at the gate entrance as he waved us through.

[Human - Castle Guard - Level: Unknown]

I blinked in surprise. I’d gotten the guard’s second class but not their level. It meant he wasn't using an item to block my Identify, just that he was a higher level. It was something I learned by identifying people in the city. Apparently, an item blocked almost everything someone would see, but higher levels just blocked your level.

"What's the average level in Arilon?" I asked

Roslin, who had been looking outside as well, turned her head. "Well, that depends on what age and profession someone is usually. For most people, I would put it around a seventy to a ninety, but an adventurer or a guard is more likely to be around a hundred or higher."

I wanted to ask more, but the carriage was slowing down. The castle might have looked bland outside the wall, but inside the walls, however, it was amazing. The stone was clean, with trees lining both sides, and the pathway was made of white marble that led to wide stairs. Beyond that, two massive doors were opened with an inviting glow. I felt my excitement rise. I didn't know why, but this building felt special. The spire was taller and more imposing, but the castle had the feel of authority, like the difference between the inner and the outer areas back in the forest. A book I'd read a while back used the words 'the belly of the best.' I felt like those words fit perfectly.

Roslin got out first, and as I followed her using the hand, she offered me to balance as I stepped out. People were stationed on either side dressed in clothes that were all styled but uniform. Walking up, I let Roslin take the lead, looking around. A man was waiting at the top with his hands behind his back. He was dressed in similar clothes, a fancy but slim-looking cloth with a tie around his neck.

"Lady Roslin, and Lady Aster?" The man asked, and we both nodded. He gave a big smile and bowed.

"His Majesty is still with his family preparing. Allow me to take you to the dining hall.” He bent his body, giving a low bow before turning

Roslin and I followed him into the main hall of the castle, and I was blown away at the size. A dragon the size of Roslin’s or Baldwin’s could fit in here easily. I gave an excited jump, a small one. The lights hanging in the air above looked like they were floating, but I could see a thin thread holding each one of them up. I wanted to explore every inch of this building. My jump earned a look from Roslin, and I huffed. Why make a place look so cool when you couldn't get excited about it?

The room we were led to, the dining hall, was just as fancy, probably more so. The high ceiling with the long table and two rows of chairs being the only furniture gave the room an open feeling. There were four people sitting down, three of whom were elves and the other Baldwin. I gave him a smile as we met, eyes and a wave. I would have said hi if it wasn't for the snort of the elves. I turned to look at them. One was an older-looking woman with graying hair, sitting straight up and giving a disapproving look to a young male elf whose features matched her own. He was scowling at the moment, looking away from everyone. The last elf was a girl who looked around the same age as the male but was a good foot taller with broader shoulders. She was looking at me with a curious interest in her eyes. They all had the same green irises, blonde hair, and smooth skin, even compared to the other elves I'd seen in the city this morning.

“Ah, Lady Aster and Lady Roslin, you both look wonderful,” Baldwin said, standing up. He gestured to a seat next to him opposite and a little down of the elves pulling it out. “Please sit.” I sat first, a slight motion from Roslin, and she sat on the other side of me, letting Baldwin pull out her chair. After that, there was a small silence as I tried to avoid staring at the elves across the table.

Baldwin gave a small cough. “Apologies, allow me to introduce Queen Sinoa Lennox and her children, Lady Holly Lennox and Sir Yarran Lennox.” Turning to the elves, he bowed. “May I introduce you to Rider Roslin Harrow and Lady Aster.” With that, he sat

There was a noise from Yarran, and I turned from inspecting the room to look at him. He was staring at me in disbelief, but it was the girl, Holly, who spoke. “Does that mean you don't have a surname?” She asked.

I opened my mouth and then paused. I may have had one, but Kulni had never gone by a second name. “I don’t think so,” I answered slowly, my mind going through all my memories, but nothing came up. “At least that I know of.”

I didn’t really care about having more than one name, but I guess if someone had my name, I would have had to talk to them in the same room.

“Why is she here then?” Yarran asked, his tone was somehow grating.

Those words earned a shrug from me but a glare from almost everyone else. Before I could comment, Sinoa replied, her voice scathing, “Before you insult someone who is at the castle by the wish of a king, you should think first, my son.” Her eyes could have melted snow, and Yarran withered under her glare. I subconsciously scooted back in my chair an inch.

The queen of the elves turned her gaze to me, her expression changing from one who could melt stone to a friendly smile that would attract a deer.

“My apologies, Lady Aster, it appears my son has yet to understand how to act around people.”

There was a small laugh from the doorway, and everyone at the table turned. Five more people were making their way into the room. It was obvious most were all related as well by their matching black hair and blue eyes. Everyone stood up except for me untill I was half-lifted by Roslin.

“His Majesty Rasmoth Arilon and the Queen Lira Arilon, Prince Lucan Arilon, Princess Alica Arilon, and Flight Master Cassin Noel.” The man who spoke was the same one who led us in.

Everyone bowed slightly, including me, with a small tug from Roslin. The entire family was dressed in blue and gold. The king wore a crown made of gold and a silver-looking metal. His eyes scanned the room the same way I did the forest when I was out on a hunt. He had a smile on his face, and the room was quiet until he spoke. “Oh please, take a seat. This isn’t court. We are all here as equals today to celebrate the first and second years of our children or relations attending the academy.”

Those words seemed to break the mood as both queens made their way to each other and started whispering. Everyone made their way to their seats, the king sitting at the front of the table, his family sitting on his left, and elves on the right, both queens next to him. Cassin sat next to Baldwin. There was soft talking, and I tried to avoid listening to anything that I knew I wasn’t meant to hear. Instead, I tried the red liquid in the glass cup that was in front of me next to an empty plate. It had sweet, fruity smell, so I figured it would be sweat and took a large swallow. The bitter taste that filled my mouth was the opposite of what I expected and it had my face scrunching up.

“Wine not to your liking?” Roslin chuckled as she reached to pick up a pitcher, pouring a cup of water and passing it to me. “I suppose it might be for the best to avoid alcohol. There is no telling how much you could handle depending even if you had a high constitution.”

I downed the cup of water. “I don’t like it anyway.”

“Lady Aster.” I turned at the voice. It was Baldwin speaking, and seeing he had my attention, he continued to speak, “This is Flight Master Cassin.”

My eyes turned to the person next to him. The man was slightly smaller than Baldwin. His short white hair and blue eyes did nothing to hide the non-human looks he had. His eyes had the shape of slits and scale-like skin around the corners of his neck and eyes.

Blinking, I thought it might have been his race class being related to his dragon, but I decided to ask him to be sure “Is your race class related to your dragon?” I tilted my head.

His laugh didn’t hold the quiet everyone else did, and I felt everyone turn their attention to us.

“I see Roslin wasn’t wrong when she said you were straightforward with your curiosity. I like that, and yes, my looks are because of my bond with Hemlock.” He gave me a grin that reminded me of the way Umbra smiled. "I take it your looks are for a similar reason, no?"

I nodded, then shook my head. "Uhm, well, yes and no? My looks are from a race class but not a bond. They're from my mother, Kulni."

"Do you mean Kulni as in the Guardian Kulni?"

A new voice spoke, and turning, I saw it was Queen Sinoa.

I grinned, nodding. "Yup! She's still in the forest, though."

A mirthful laugh from the head of the table sounded, and Rasmoth spoke, "My apologies, Queen Sinoa. I meant to inform you when Lady Aster arrived from the forest, but before we continue this talk, let us have food in front of us first."

As if on cue, multiple people came from doors around the room, bringing trays of food out.

There were three plates set in front of everyone, one loaded with greens, berries, and other vegetables, one full of all different kinds of meat. The last plate was set the furthest away, making me think it was meant to be the last thing we ate. It was brown and circular, and the smell coming from it was so sweet I almost missed the question asked to me in my trance.

"Does that mean you lived in the forest? What was it like?" The question was from the son of the king. Lucan, if I remembered right, he was looking not directly at me but at my ears with curiosity.

"It, um, was normal?" I didn't really know how to answer. To me, the forest was, well, the forest. "I hunted a lot more...Oh! The trees are a lot bigger there too well everything is, and I suppose there's a lot more animals but no cows or sheep."

That earned a chuckle from a few people.

"I guess they wouldn't last long there. What would you say is the toughest animal or monster you fought there? For obvious reasons, we don't get many beasts around the capital unless it's an event." The king said, leaning forward.

"Oh dear, we're all eating. Asking a Lady about fights at the table is improper," Lira admonished a hand on his.

"My apologies, Lady Aster, just the one question, and I shall ask no more until after the dinner."

I didn’t see a problem talking about fights, but I didn't answer right away, instead putting a big slice of pre-cut meat into my mouth. The smell of the food was too good to pass up. As I chewed, I thought of all of the beasts that I'd fought recently, nudging Umbra through the bond to get her input. She was eating and talking to the other dragons in the back of the castle. Apparently, they were also having a type of feast, and she had met Cassin’s bond. I got a vague image of the white dragon, and I was surprised by how well Cassin's eyes matched his.

"I guess it would be a Jagged Limb Spider. I think it was level seventy-four, but there were wolves around that helped. Kulni wasn't happy when she learned it had made its way to the inner forest. She had the whole nest destroyed." I took another bite, confused at the stares I got. Was it normal for people to look at you without blinking?

An awkward clearing of the throat, and the king frowned. "If I may ask, and by all means, feel free not to answer, but what level did you say you were?"

"Thirty-two."

The king nodded and put a piece of food into his mouth. I followed his lead. I didn’t know how they made the food taste this good, but I wanted to learn.

“Mother, you wanted to ask about the coin?” The sound was a whisper that I probably shouldn't have heard, but I just picked it up. It was Alica, the princess, who had spoken.

“We can ask later. Let her eat for now.”

“Say, Lira, have your children thought about the classes they're going to take?” Sinoa asked

The human queen let out a chuckle. “Oh they have, I can hear them whispering even now, but they refuse to tell me or their father. They say they want it to be a secret, but with them being twins, I suppose they’ll be taking similar classes. They do enjoy working together.” She covered her mouth with her hand as she chuckled when Alica and Lucan, who had been talking in low voices, looked up to her. Lira and Sinoa shared a knowing look. “What about yours?”

“Mine.” She looked at her children. “Are the same, but with Holly in her second year, I have my suspicions.”

“Mom and Queen Lira, we are all here,” Holly said.

“Oh, Holly, just call me Lira. I was there when you were born, and we aren't at court,” Lira said.

I was starting on the plate with the greens, having cleaned the plate. I had to adjust the way I was sitting more than once. The corset was even more uncomfortable when sitting down. I silently promised myself the next dress I had to wear would not have one. I must have missed something because the conservation had changed.

“Darling, what do you say to the idea of it?” Lira ask.

There was a humming noise from the king. “I suppose it would be fine. We can set it up after dinner, but it is up to the children.” He said and turned his gaze to Sinoa. “That is if you approve?”

The elven queen let out a laugh. “My kids always enjoy a challenge, and I can’t deny my curiosity. Might I recommend Lord Baldwin as the judge?”

I leaned toward Roslin and whispered, “What's going on?”

“They’re discussing a friendly duel of twos.” She replied, and at my titled head, she elaborated, “Everyone enjoys a good friendly feud, and without them being in the academy exams, I bet they're itching to show off. This would be the fighting in a training of a sort. There’s a whole set of rules for it.”

I perked up. I hadn’t seen any other fighting skills used by humans or elves, and I wondered at the idea of watching them fight.

“You know this will be too easy. Holly and I would win in moments.” Yarran scoffed. His tone was arrogant but also a challenge, daring anyone to disagree.

That seemed to light the fuse, and in less than a few seconds, Yarran, Holly, Lucan, and Alica were all throwing jabs. No one did anything to dissuade them. In fact, I caught a gleam in both mother's eyes. I couldn't help my excitement either, and I felt my tail start to sway.

I’d get to see a fight!