Sighing, I sat back and slipped free of his hands. “Very well.”
“Will you tell me a story to distract us?”
My hand went to my pocket where my story-knot waited. “What story do you want to hear?”
“Any you're willing to share.”
I handed him the story-knot. “Will you show me how to tie it?”
“Of course.” He spread the cords out and waited.
I pushed back and up to sit on the edge of my bench. The King's clothing lay beside me, and I knew his story-knot was tucked in his cloak. If I gave him a piece of me, he'd give me a piece of him.
“Fledglings fly by the age of two.” I leaned over and opened the curtains, needing to see the sky.
“But you flew sooner?” Raven prompted.
I looked back at him. “Yes. When I was three months old, I leapt from my father's arms and glided to the ground.” I paused, watching his fingers twist the cords.
“This loop is for flight, you see?” He showed it to me. “And I twist under it three times to indicate your age.”
I nodded. “My mother was scared, but father knew it was time. He took me out onto the terrace outside our front door and held me up. He called out to the tribe to witness it and waited.”
“Here is your mother's fear.” Raven turned the cords into a frazzled ball. “And then your father's confidence. I turn the outer cords in, you see?”
“I see it.” I smiled. “When the tribe came out of their homes and stood on their platforms to watch, my father kissed my cheek and tossed me off the side.”
Raven jerked forward. “He what?!”
“It's how we learn to fly.” I chuckled. “Our homes are in the trees, many feet in the air. I had time to spread my wings and catch the wind.”
“Dear Gods.”
I tapped the knot he was forming. “What next?”
“Oh! Uh.” Raven's fingers started moving, creating a dramatic swoosh. “Your leap witnessed by your tribe.” He looked up at me. “You flew, I assume?”
“I did. It was another historic event, credited to our goddess.”
Raven finished the knot, showing me how to pull it all tight, and then handed it to me. “Thank you for sharing that with me.” He frowned. “It feels as if your goddess knew you'd need the strength of the sky as soon as possible.”
I went still. “I've never thought of it like that.”
He cupped my cheek. “She made you brave and strong, my foundling. You've just forgotten it. Like your song.”
Letting out a long sigh, I reached for his cloak and handed it to him. “Your turn. You promised.”
Raven chuckled and pulled out his story-knot. “I have a similar story for you. My second knot—the second major event in my life—was my first flight as well.”
“It was?” I looked down at the knot below his birth knot.
“Yes. But I had to shapeshift as well. This is the story of my dragon's birth.”
A shiver ran over me. “Your dragon. Is he separate from you?”
“No, we are one, but he is my primal self, with his own needs and urges. The man in me had to learn to control the beast. Dragon children can be rambunctious until that happens.”
“I can imagine.”
