The Dragon King's Bride
, with Ethan entertaining me with stories of daring heroes and as I relayed my imaginary deeds to him
anted servants he had conjured from shadows. The servants greeted us upon arri
aid gently. "They will tre
ruined clothes and silent, drew a bath,
as the servants left and I dared to relax, a cluck of disapproval came from the door. In danced a crone of a woman, a sunny smile on her field-furrow face. She was dressed in a fine si
with?" she mused, her voice like a bow across a cello. She
arrassed. I shielded my ch
as old when this kingdom was young. I am Beira, Hag of the Woods, Witch of the
"I'm Aza- I mean, yes, I
d to be demure, child: I know what gir
y, she was a woman, and that meant things were different. I could relax around this Beira like I could around the servants
ing. "She'll do," King Duventhal had sniffed, and walked awa
smiled. "Hush, child. Heroes don't cry. You mu
Why did the terribl
s my woods in return for my services. I taught him all the
ingdom of Wedgewood –
gold. To them, it's just a pretty met
s outlawed in
t is, for humans
like globes. "Y
es. I noticed her teeth. They were wooden. And her skin: it was rough and whorled, like she was carved from bark. Her
hich w
The trees are my children, the squirr
to eke out the sounds
this castle my home. Once, long ago, before m
wh
ry of worshiping a spirit covered in dirt. They craved cleaner
to the hero's aid. Here was my mentor before me, in the bath no less, regaling
child. Magic isn't all it's cracked up to be. It is something of darkness and blood, and the
t am I to
t's what! Ethan i
a dr
took a bar of soap and took to scrubbing her feet. "The servants do well cleaning, but servants conjured of shadow fear light. They do not deal well with stoves or flues. Fire scares them. That is why
on't know how to cook. Food w
you r
es
ou will