Samantha Edwhan

End of the Winter Star

Chapter 5

Gerold relaxed as he exited the Throne Room. He let out a deep sigh and a cloud of smoke escaped his mouth. At least no one was around to see it. Adelaide emerged from the Throne Room a moment later with Markos, Luana, and Jakob in tow. Gerold tried to ignore the anger he felt when he saw her. Adelaide glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, then nudged Jakob and Luana.

“Go and play in the Sun Room, you three,” she said gently. “I need to talk to your father.”

“Okay Mama.” Jakob grinned, none the wiser to the tension in the air.

Markos wrapped a wing over each of his siblings and hurried them to the spiral staircase down the hall. Gerold waited until they were gone before he turned back to Adelaide.

“Don’t do that again,” Adelaide growled before Gerold could open his mouth. “Luana and Markos are only fledglings. They shouldn’t be responsible for your job.”

Gerold suppressed a growl before he replied, “I wasn’t making them do my job, Adelaide. I already explained that to you. This was an opportunity for them to practise critical and strategic thinking.”

“You can use all the fancy words you like. It won’t change the fact that you tried to make Luana do something she clearly didn’t want to do,” Adelaide shot back.

“You mean something you didn’t want her to do. Luana was happy to offer her suggestions before you made her feel stupid for saying anything,” Gerold told her.

“I did no such thing!” Adelaide snapped.

“Yes, you did!” Gerold growled, unable to stop the smoke rising from his nostrils. “She had a brilliant idea that I will be considering, but you made her feel silly and insignificant.”

“She’s a fledgling. She doesn’t have the same ability to comprehend how her words might affect others as you or I,” Adelaide said.

“She can absolutely understand how the things she says affects others. Can you?” Gerold asked.

Adelaide glared at Gerold and huffed out a cloud of smoke. The air around them had become thick with it.

“How dare you insinuate that I have less mental capacity than our blind daughter!” Adelaide growled.

Gerold felt his entire body flare with the angry fire in his chest. “How dare you suggest our daughter is incapable because of a disability! Luana is smart! She’ll be a great dragon one day. You would do well to remember that!”

Adelaide huffed again and stormed past him. Gerold watched her march down the hall and turn for the stairs to the ground floor. Once she was out of sight, he took a deep, slow breath and allowed the smoke around him to dissipate. But the fire in his chest still flared with rage. The only thing he could do to calm down was to read. So he headed up the spiral staircase.

Upon entering the library, Gerold instantly felt calmer. The smell of paper and leather made him feel at home. He would spend all day here if it were possible.

But as he breathed in the smells and relished in the silence, he heard a small sniffle. Instantly, Gerold’s eyes were wide open and his ears were twitching. Where did that sound come from? Another sniffle came, followed by a choked cough. Gerold crossed the library and turned to the desk tucked in the back corner. Underneath it, Luana was curled up on the floor with her front feet over her ears. Gerold’s heart twisted at seeing her cry. Carefully, he crouched down beside the desk and nudged Luana with his wing.

“Hey. Are you okay?” he asked softly.

Luana sniffed and pulled her head off the floor. “Y-you and M-Mum were fighting a-a-about me.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry,” Gerold apologised. “You shouldn’t have to hear such things from your parents.”

Gerold managed to shuffle his wing under the desk and wrapped it around Luana. She huddled closer to him.

“D-does she really think I’m use-useless?” Luana asked through her sobs.

Gerold pulled Luana closer to his side. “No, Luana. Your mother is just a bit misguided in her thinking. You know as well as I do that you’re just as capable as anyone. She just wants to look after you.”

“She does this all the time,” Luana said quietly. “She interferes and stops me from doing things, even if you’re there.”

“I’m sure she’ll ease up eventually,” Gerold reassured her. “As you grow up, she’ll see how capable you are and allow you more independence.”

Even as Gerold spoke, he wasn’t sure if that was true. Adelaide always focused so much on what Luana should and shouldn’t be allowed to do. It was endearing when Luana was a nestling, but now as she grew, it was more and more often a point of tension. Gerold wasn’t sure if Adelaide would ever stop being overprotective. But he could pretend for now and discuss that later, once the fight was behind them.

“Would you like me to read you a book?” Gerold asked, giving Luana a gentle squeeze.

Luana smiled slightly. “That would be nice.”

Gerold smiled and reached for a book on the desk. He’d left it there the last time he was reading. It was a fictional take on the founders of Laili Island and was full of exciting twists and turns. He knew Luana would enjoy it. He put the book down in front of them and opened to the first page.

“Once upon a time, there were five dragons. They were the last of their kind, that they knew of, and had to find a new, safe home,” Gerold said dramatically.

Luana giggled. “Does it really say that?”

Gerold chuckled. “No. But it is a story about those dragons.”

Luana smiled and nestled into his side. Gerold readjusted his wing so that it was comfortable and began actually reading the book. Luana listened intently with a smile on her face. Gerold still ensured to be dramatic at points, earning him laughter for his efforts. But eventually, Luana rested her head on his side and began to doze off. Gerold kept reading until he was sure she had fallen asleep, then quietly closed the book and rested his head on his feet.

Even though he had other responsibilities to attend to, Gerold stayed where he was. He wanted Luana to have a peaceful nap and he would only wake her up if he were to move. As he lay there, his eyes grew heavier. Eventually, he dozed off as well.

Gerold woke later to a gentle shake. He looked up and saw Markos and Jakob standing in front of him. Luana was already awake and had slipped out from under Gerold’s wing.

“Dad, it’s dinnertime,” Markos said.

“Already?” Gerold blinked and sat up. He hadn’t expected to sleep the entire day.

Markos nodded. Gerold hauled himself to his feet and quickly led them down to the Great Hall.

The Great Hall was half filled with castle staff having their dinner. Griffin and Misti were sitting near the head table with Modesty and Clement. Meanwhile, Adelaide was the only one at the head table. Gerold hurried over and sat in his spot while Markos, Luana, and Jakob all took their respective positions.

“You’re late,” Adelaide muttered. She still sounded bitter about their fight.

“Sorry about that,” Gerold apologised. “I had to console Luana and we dozed off in the library.”

Adelaide merely grunted in response. Gerold sighed and looked down at his food. How could he possibly eat when there was still so much tension?

“Adelaide, I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you this morning,” Gerold apologised. “I shouldn’t be raising my voice like that, especially to you.”

“I accept your apology,” Adelaide said evenly.

Gerold couldn’t tell whether she was being sincere or just saying it to be the bigger dragon. But the tension eased a little. Gerold mentally sighed and turned back to his plate.

“I’m sorry too,” Adelaide said, suddenly sounding a lot more genuine. “I, too, should not be yelling at you.”

“Thank you, Adelaide. I accept your apology,” Gerold said.

He was grateful that she also apologised. He hadn’t expected it since she didn’t say it immediately. But he was glad all the same. Perhaps now they could feel like spouses again.