He cut two bread slices with a sharp knife and placed them on a blue platter before nudging them toward Gwenyth. Leo shunted the butter and cheese closer to her. “Would you prefer strawberry jam?”
His dragon grumbled a complaint because he had a sweet tooth and hated to share.
“Cheese is fine,” she said, accepting the knife he handed her. “Tell me about this aerial fighting. It sounds…interesting.”
“Her words do not match her expression,”his dragon said, bristling with disapproval.“She is like other females who say one thing and mean another.”
“Did you receive your scars from these battles?”
“Yes,” Leo said.
“Hmm, I suppose it is no different from men or women pummeling each other on the rugby field or in the boxing ring. They also receive injuries.”
Leo wasn’t sure who her words were meant for, nor did he understand their meaning.
“Is this aerial fighting a sport?” she continued.
“A sport?”
“Yes,” she said. “Entertainment for other dragons to watch. Is there prize money or a special status that comes with winning the aerial battles? Apart from the title, I mean.”
“I have my title, and I used the prize money to purchase my land,” Leo said.
“That makes sense,” Gwenyth said and popped a piece of cheese into her mouth.
Mesmerized, Leo watched her eyes close and her lips purse as she savored the tidbit.
“This is excellent cheese.”
“She confuses me. Intrigues me,”his dragon said.
Leo agreed and set about gathering the ingredients to make his pastry. During his younger years, before his growth spurt, he’d spent as many hours hiding in the kitchen as he had learning to fabricate jewelry. The cook had set Leo to work, teaching him skills to become self-sufficient.
“Tell me more about your battles,” Gwenyth said. “Is that topic allowable?”
“It is.” Leo settled into the familiar routine of cooking. It relaxed him and his dragon after a tense day or a demand visit to his family. “We have smaller, less prestigious aerial battles on this island and the other islands also host battles. I trained and won several of the smaller ones to earn enough for the entrance fee of the more important yearly aerial combat battle. Growing up, I was the runt, and my older brothers bullied me. After one particularly nasty encounter, I sought an older, retired champion to train me.”
Gwenyth cocked her head, interest sparkling in her brown eyes. “Did he help?”
“Not at first. He recognized me as a son of the ruling family and assumed I was a spoiled brat. Outsiders don’t always understand the castle dynamics. When I persisted, he told me I had to start at the bottom. Later, he confessed he thought I’d give up in a week. He and his champions wagered on how long I’d last.”
“They lost their money,” Gwenyth stated, delight shining on her face.
“They did. All the physical grunt work I completed strengthened my muscles and Alfric demonstrated other exercises I could use to increase my fitness. I went on training flights with Alfric and his men. Instead of hiding in the castle to avoid my brothers, I visited Perfume Isle and Smoking Isle. On those islands, the dragons didn’t recognize me. While they knew of me, they never matched my face with my position. After working hard for over a year, I won my bouts instead of receiving the first blood. My reputation grew until I earned enough to enter the biggest and most important battle.”
“Did your parents not wonder where you were? Worry about why you weren’t at home?”
“No,” Leo said. “I told them I was staying with my friends and wanted to attend school on Perfume Isle.” He shrugged. “They didn’t care since I was the youngest, and they had three other sons should something happen to me.”
“That’s terrible. I would never treat my child so,” Gwenyth snapped.
“How would you handle a child?” Leo asked.
“I would love them, support them, and try to help them get ahead in the world. I would teach them right from wrong and show them by deed they have worth. Your parents—they sound selfish and irresponsible. I’m not excited to meet them. Or have we already met?”
“No, you haven’t met my family.” He flashed a grin. “Your lecture is not something I’d tell them to their faces,” Leo said, even as he sought the meaning and veracity of her words. Did she speak the truth, or was she merely saying that to win him around?
“Your parents might have ignored you and treated you as disposable, but they’ve taught you there is a better way to raise and nurture children. You will raise your offspring differently and not in the way they behaved with you.”
