“Yes, Heath dragged me,” said Percival unashamedly.
“You’re very gallant.” Their grandmother said the words with a chuckle, and Percival grinned responsively.
“It’s not your company that’s the problem, of course, Grandmother. It’s sitting still and drinking tea.” He raised an eyebrow hopefully. “I don’t suppose you want to race me to the falls, do you?”
Percival sounded like he was only half joking, and Heath cast his eyes toward the ceiling.
“I’m a bit past that, I’m afraid,” said their grandmother, still chuckling. “Your grandfather would probably take you on. He forgets how old he is.”
Her eyes passed to Heath. “I’m sorry you’re stuck here so long. I’ve been trying to convince the king that it’s time to release you all. Matlock is like his father, very meticulous and methodical about everything he does. Which is very admirable,” she hastened to add. “But his own sons are so well behaved, it’s easy for him to forget that most young people don’t deal well with boredom.”
“You mean your sons weren’t well behaved?” Heath asked mischievously.
She laughed aloud. “If only. The things your father got up to…” She smiled at him, and the laugh in her eyes faded to something more serious. “How are you faring, Heath?”
“I’m fine,” Heath shrugged. “I’d like to go home, of course.”
“Home?” Percival snorted. “It’s not home he’s missing.”
“Oh?” The elderly princess raised an inquiring eyebrow at Heath, and he fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat.
“It’s nothing,” he said quickly. “Reka and I had been exploring together, and it’s true that I’m missing the freedom.”
“Every week,” interjected Percival, now examining the pitcher of cream. “Like clockwork. They’d disappear for the entire day, but Heath refuses to say where they’ve been.”
His grandmother pinned Heath with a searching look, and he squirmed even more.
“Hm,” she said at last, turning her attention to her cup of tea.
Heath let out a long breath. She wasn’t going to interrogate him in front of Percival. He should have known he could count on her not to put him in a corner.
“Rekavidur?” she said instead. “Elddreki and Raqisa’s dragonling? The one who attended the ceremony this year? I knew you had a connection of sorts, even before he singled you out at the Winter Solstice. But I didn’t realize you spent so much time together.”
“Just recently,” Heath shrugged. “And he’s not really a dragonling anymore. I was as surprised as anyone that he greeted me at the ceremony.” He grimaced. “He didn’t give me much of a reason for it when I asked him, but I’ve given it a lot of thought. I think he was trying to give me the status of dragonfriend to help counteract my lack of power.”
His grandmother gave him a skeptical look. “Somehow I don’t think that’s it, Heath.”
“What do you think about this whole ceremony requirement?” Percival cut in abruptly. “It’s an insult, surely?”
Their grandmother hesitated, her eyes measuring the irate young man before her. “If you can find a way to not view it as an insult, I think that would be wise.”
“That’s not really an answer, Grandmother,” said Percival, unimpressed. “I was asking your opinion.”
She smiled, but there was a sadness to it. “Royalty has to be careful with the luxury of opinions,” she said.
Her shrewd gaze made Heath wonder uncomfortably if she, too, had heard about Percival’s slip of the tongue. He grimaced. If only he could wind back time and stop his brother from ever opening his mouth on the subject.
Percival didn’t seem to share Heath’s discomfort. He probably had no thought of that long-ago conversation in his mind at all, and he looked mutinous at their grandmother’s refusal to weigh in.
The elderly princess sighed as she took in his expression. “Don’t think too harshly of the king, Percival. He’s inherited a complicated situation, that was none of his making, and he’s trying his best to find a way through it.”
“It wasn’t of your making either, Grandmother,” said Heath, frowning at the guilt he saw lurking behind her gentle words. “You didn’t choose to be born with power, and you’ve benefited the kingdom so many times by using your gifts.”
She patted his hand fondly. “Thank you, Heath. You have a kind heart.” She smiled. “And an observant eye. I can’t deny that I have been troubled by all this. The possibility of passing my power to my descendants was one of my greatest fears when I was your age. But that was before I learned to see it as a force for good, not evil. I keep reminding myself that it’s not a bad thing to have magic growing in our community.”
“Of course it’s not a bad thing!” said Percival, looking shocked and a little offended at this sign of uncertainty from the family’s original power-wielder. “Like Heath said, you’ve done so much good with your gift.” His tone turned hopeful. “Are you sure you couldn’t do it now?”
The elderly princess shook her head firmly. “I’m sorry, Percival, but I’m very sure. This isn’t some crisis, brought on by evil interference, which requires the help of my power to break its hold. This is a real and complex problem, and we need to find a resolution in the natural way. If I used my power to change King Matlock’s mind for the benefit of our family, it would not only exacerbate everyone’s fears, it would prove them to be justified.”