Chương 271: 13.5

Jewel missed supper in the Rochford feasting hall. Even sitting here at her family's familiar table it was no longer the same. She only spoke as little as she could afford to and the tension of propriety hung over everything. It was not for lack of warmth between her family. Alexander, her father and mother, all of them were just as warm in private. But one of her family shrank from Jewel's voice, turned away from her gaze. Hid in her mother's skirt when they passed in the hallway. Gwenn.

Her sister was afraid of Jewel. And far too little time had been available to repair her trust. Instead of having time to reassure Jewel had to go to Kaeketeh. She had to go to the Capital right afterwards. Her dear sister was terrified of Jewel, but at the very least she still loved Gem. Which was why that despite sitting there in her family's hall and eating at the same table with all of her loved ones in attendance, she missed family meals.

Because this was no longer a simple time to bond together as a family, it was an official dinner, it was the bare minimum that little Gwenn could stand. And not a moment more. Jewel would remember hugging her sister, she would remember comforting her, listening to her youthful fears. She would even recall how Gwenn worried over her, over Gem. Confided in secret how terrible it must be to have a monster have to take her away all the time.

And Jewel's heart was too torn by those words as her smaller self to even begin to try and explain the truth. The very thought of making her dear sister somehow fearful of both of her selves cut sharper than could be borne. Even if she could manage the composure to speak anything coherent under that specter. So instead Jewel only imposed upon her sister exactly as much as was strictly necessary and not a moment more.

She met with her family for meals that were studiously polite, with all the grace and gentleness of a countess. But Jewel was not a sister or a daughter in those dinners, she was not part of the family anymore. Not for Gwenn. Jewel squeezed her sister's shoulder with the diminutive hand of Gem. She saw the strained smile of her mother at that. Her sister was still frightened. Just like Imre had been. They sat, they ate. Alexander, brave, foolish Alexander seemed to be not aware of the situation at all.

Then again their sister had seen less of him then Jewel. But what was simply shyness and uncertainty of the strange young man was still the strained effort of bravery from her sister. Jewel was proud of Gwenn, she could smell the girl's fear. But she faced it with bravery, with no more support than the presence of her mother. But it still stung, Jewel wondered if maybe she could ask Thurzo to visit so that Imre could share his 'secret'. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road.

Support the author by reading it there. But she suspected her little sister was too clever for something so foolish to work. Empty words, spoken as sparsely as could be managed, passed Jewel's lips. Dead statements around the slightly less strained discourse. Her sister was slowly growing distracted from Jewel's presence by Alexander's boastful stories of the Eyrie.

"So then Blizzardwrath tried to swallow the entire goat! Nevermind it was only yay big!" He gestured with his hands just half again as wide as his own shoulders, inspired warm chuckles and a peel of laughter from Gwenn. Jewel could only smile with her larger self. But she joined with Gem's trilling laughter for the antics of the gryphon chick in past years. It was almost right. But as her father spoke up of the old tale of how Zephyrvam had behaved as a chick (he was afraid of rain for years!) Jewel saw her sister's gaze meet her own and then turn away to hide in Mother's dress. A soft squeeze and a whisper of comfort was offered and by the time that their father had finished his story Gwenn was again at least showing her face. Trying to focus on her plate of mashed peas and honeyed pork, but with a tension to her shoulders. Jewel eats only enough to not insult her family's table. Slowly lifting a haunch of ham to delicately bite off slivers of meat and softly chew and swallow them.

No motion too rushed or violent. Nothing to remind her sister of her presence. With Gem she could be more properly feasting. Grasping the honestly a bit oversized haunch of pig shoulder with both little hands, tearing into the crispy honey of the skin with her many dainty teeth. Chewing and swallowing with the proper gusto of a feasting participant. Making faces with her sister to distract and amuse. All to keep her eyes off of the gently moving wyrm in the background.

Trying to help keep up the facade of a family dinner alive. So much attention that even with two heads and two sets of eyes and two hearts to use in the effort it was slowly draining and exhausting Jewel to maintain it. Even the practice she had with the feasts in Kaeketeh or the meals shared in the Capital were not so hard. But every night at her family's table was a gauntlet. They were only ten days away from the longest night. She'd set aside time to finally enjoy the winter season with her family.

With all of her family, for the first time in years. This should have been joyous. It should have been an opportunity for her to play with Gwenn just as she once had with Alexander. In a way it was. As Gem she still could. But Gem was just one part of Jewel. And despite how much she wished for it she could not cut off the misery of the wyrm. Could not forget how even in the joy she had as her spawn there was another half of her yearning what she could not have. This could not continue. Jewel had to do something.

As she swallowed a far too big mouthful with Gem's relatively minute jaws. Astounding her sister/aunt with the sheer volume that her neck could extend to pass food Jewel began to plot. At least until Gwenn took it as a challenge and nearly choked herself on ham trying to match Gem's own ability. Then her mother had to help clear the girl's throat with a heavy blow to the back. The momentary panic inspired laughter and comments at how brave she was.

Mother brought up one of the many times Alexander had done similar trying to match Jewel's own capacity to devour supper. Which unfortunately drew her sister's gaze back to Jewel. Eyes fixing on the wyrm's lips. The jaws that could almost certainly finish off the girl in one bite if Jewel set her mind to it. Gem's arms were wrapped around her sister before she even realized it and gave her the firmest hug she could. Jewel could only shake her head, something had to be done about this!