The truth of the matter lay between them, unspoken, but Xandrie felt no weight, no dread, no foreboding from the maidservant. Galdia faced her own possible death with such cheer, it was an inspiration.
There was a knock at the door and before Galdia had moved to open it, Demelza stuck her head into the room. “Got a sec?”
Xandrie waved her in, surprised and delighted to see her friend - she would have thought that she’d be out of door, down to the Arena, surveying her competition.
“Close your eyes,” said Demelza.
Trusting her friend implicitly, she did as she was bid, and heard the door squeak on its hinges, then the swish of Demelza’s arms against her steel breastplate, but there was another, gentler sound, a padding of giant paws. She felt her adrenaline tick up; no, it wasn’t possible, right? She hardly dared hope. She’d made the journey between the Var and Farden - almost a day of flight. It already blew her mind that Demelza had made such a trip every week to meet her; her friend wouldn’t have gone that far and back, just for an animal.
“Open,” said Demelza, and there he was.
She hardly could believe her eyes. Claws, her darling tiger cub, pressed his head into her lap, purring up a storm.
“I figured he needed you as much as you need him, but I’m telling you, think twice before loading a tiger onto your back. The guy has gained some serious muscle.”
“How on Eartia did you bring him back all the way?”
“Well, I had to coax him into a cage - and he didn’t like that very much, but each time I said that he’d see you again, he relented a little. Vincent came with me, and Rhey officially authorized it, so that the Elders wouldn’t fret overmuch. We convinced them tigers were common pets nowadays.”
As Demelza spoke, all smiles, Xandrie ran her hands over Claws’ massive shoulders, marveling at how much he’d grown.
“I owe you,” the words were failing her. “Whatever, whenever. This kindness means I’ll hide a body with you, if you so require.”
“I shall recall that pledge, Alexandria. When I say the word, bring the shovel. Right, I really ought to show my face now. See you down there.” Demelza pecked her on the cheek and marched out of her room.
“What a beauty,” Galdia said, bringing a hand close to Claws’ silken fur. A low growl warned her away, and she wisely retracted it before his jaw could close on her fingers. Claws was a softie - to her, and to Demelza, by extension. The rest of the world, she wouldn’t vouch for.
“You’ll look quite fierce, strolling in the Arena with a wild beast by your side,” she told her.
“You think I can bring him with me?”
Galdia just shrugged. “Can’t see why not, so long as he doesn’t take to dragon flesh. The King allowed it, or so the mistress says. Now, let’s get that silly dress off. If you’re going in with a tiger, might as well thoroughly look the part.”
Xandrie was relieved when the woman found soft leather breeches, a tunic and a silver trimmed coat to adorn her; it was still noble attire, she could tell.
“There. Much better.”
It was, and more comfortable, too. Xandrie’s reflection showed the woman she’d known for her first twenty five years and seven months on Eartia, but her bushy hair was soft, and elegantly plaited to one side of her face, her green cloak was a deep teal, rather than an almost-grey, and there was no hole or dent that she could see. Just an upgrade on good old Xandrie.
“Now, do you need me to show the way, or will you find the Arena?”
“Down to the town square, right and downhill,” she recited, and therefore was allowed to go on her way unescorted.
A little later, she realized her error - perhaps having someone with her might have saved her from quite so many glances; everyone she passed stared at her like she’d grown a second head. At first, she thought it was because of what she was - the human His Highness had brought to their Kingdom was bound to cause some talk - but when she’d almost made it to the Arena, a child detached its little hand from his father and trotted towards her; the entire crowd seem to hold its breath. So, that was what they were wary of - her tiger, not her. She shook her head; there went her assumptions.
“Avgar,” the father yelled, rushing to their side, but the happy little boy reached them too quickly.
Xandrie dropped to her knees, and kept her hand firmly on Claws’ head, fixing him under her gaze. The animal couldn’t literally roll his eyes, but his expression said it all - really? He seemed to ask. You think I’d eat a cub? Idiot.
“Hey there,” she smiled at Avgar, who blushed and showed off his set of dimples. “His name is Claws, and he likes it best when he’s scratched between the ears.”
Avgar asked shyly, “Can I?”
Could he? She thought so. She wasn’t quite a hundred percent certain, though, and testing her belief with a six year old may possibly not be the best of ideas out there.
“I believe you may. Approach slowly, alright?”
The crowd circling them released their breath alongside her, when Claws leaned into the child’s touch and released a deep, happy growl that wasn’t a purr.
“He doesn’t have the presence of a pet,” a man close by told her.
She thought she recognized him; she’d seen him with a handful of well-dressed officials Demelza had told her were the Elders of the Realm; the wise men who formed the King’s council. “This is a wild animal, and yet, he listens to you.”
She shrugged, “I cared for him as a cub.”
The man nodded, deep in his thoughts, but a woman - dressed in armor, visibly ready to fight for the King’s hand - pulled his sleeve before he could add anything else.
“Nathos, they’ve called for registration - we’re already late.”
They went on their way, and so did Xandrie. Vran, the child’s father, accompanied her, as Avgar wouldn’t be parted from his newfound, furry friend.
“So, is it true that you hail from the Northern Var?” someone asked to her left.
“Are you really one hundred percent human?” someone else tried.
She replied, and just like that, the matter was closed - introductions followed an invitation to sit with them. Xandrie did have a place reserved with the nobles… but she refrained from saying so, and went with them, glad to have some company.
“I’m a half-blood,” a woman who’d introduced herself as Lucie said. “Bear and Dragon. It’s not unusual around there - there’s plenty of bears amongst the guards, and a few wolves, too.”
“So, it’s not only a dragon Kingdom?”
“It’s a shifter Kingdom,” she replied with a shrug. “The dragons just rule it - and with good reason. Don’t get me wrong, we’re all tough. I can take any Elf, any Fae, and most fiends you throw my way, but only dragons can fight dragons and live to tell the tale.”
Xandrie frowned; did Demelza downplay her skills that much with her, then? Because while she still lost against her, it wasn’t by much.
“Oh, we better pay attention. The Claiming’s starting.”
Lily