restored to safety and not have to spend the rest of my short life with that repulsive Frelt.”
“You don’t have to give up hope unless you don’t blush when you’re close to a dragon who loves you,” Amer said. “It’s repeated doses of this that really do harm. Besides, don’t overrate the risks of marriage. You speak of a short life as if that’s the lot of every bride, but your mother didn’t sicken until her third clutch, and they say such things go by blood. If you’re careful, both of you, and if you marry a dragon who will be satisfied with two clutches, not too close together, you may live to be dowagers gloating over grandchildren yet.”
“I think it’s terrible that maidens must give up their gold and marry,” Haner said. “Both their dowry gold and their own natural golden color. I don’t wish to die as mother did, as so many dragons do.”
“It’s just as bad to be an old maid,” said Amer. “You toughen under the chin, and then your gold turns gray.” Amer herself was almost the same color of the rock of the caves. She picked up the pot of tea, sniffed at it, then strained it carefully into a cup.
“If I can’t marry, I’ll give you my dowry, Haner,” Selendra said, as she took the cup. “With both of our shares, and your delicatebeauty, you can make a splendid match to some very considerate August or Eminent, and I can come and live with you and be an aunt to your single clutch of dragonets.” She sipped the tea, wrinkling her snout at the bitterness.
“Or if you find you can marry, I could do the same and come and live with you,” Haner said. “Let’s say that we will not agree to marry any dragon the other does not know and esteem, and that we will make our establishment together in that way.”
Selendra drained the cup. “I can agree to that,” she said. “But it seems as if you would have a much better chance of finding a good husband if it were known that you have sixteen thousand crowns worth of gold, instead of a mere eight.”
“Most likely the tea won’t have any bad effect,” Amer said. “The more you fret about it the worse it will be.”
“I’m feeling better already,” Selendra said. Indeed, she seemed to be returning at once to her natural gold.
“Fretting about not being able to blush can stop you doing it just as much as my medicine,” Amer said.
“I’m not fretting,” Selendra said. “I’m just talking about Haner’s marriage prospects. There’s that friend of Daverak’s, Dignified Londaver, he danced with you twice at Berend’s ball.”
“He’s nothing to me,” Haner insisted, but she smiled.
“I’d esteem him,” Selendra went on.
“You’ll like as not marry yourself and be happy,” Amer said. She scraped the remaining herbs from the pot and threw them on the fire where they sizzled and shrivelled with an acrid smell.
“I’m feeling sleepy,” Selendra said.
“That’s the medicine working,” Amer said, taking the cup from Selendra. “I’ll just wash this for you. Go to your cave and sleep, when you wake you’ll be as good as new.”
Haner went through the passages behind her sister. As soon asthey went into their sleeping cave, Selendra settled down on her gold.
“I mean it you know,” she said to her sister. “Tell everyone you have sixteen thousand.”
“Then you do the same,” Haner said. “If it should be that you can’t marry, you’ll find that out. If not, then whichever of us shall first find a husband will also give a home to the other. It would be so good to live together as we always have. I shall miss you so much when I am with Berend.”
“I shall come and visit you there,” Selendra said. “Berend invited me. I shall come for a few weeks or a month next spring. There will not be room in Penn’s parsonage for you to visit me, but we shall not become strangers to each other.”
“But then if you meet some dragon you wish to marry in Benandi he will be quite a stranger to
“You don’t have to give up hope unless you don’t blush when you’re close to a dragon who loves you,” Amer said. “It’s repeated doses of this that really do harm. Besides, don’t overrate the risks of marriage. You speak of a short life as if that’s the lot of every bride, but your mother didn’t sicken until her third clutch, and they say such things go by blood. If you’re careful, both of you, and if you marry a dragon who will be satisfied with two clutches, not too close together, you may live to be dowagers gloating over grandchildren yet.”
“I think it’s terrible that maidens must give up their gold and marry,” Haner said. “Both their dowry gold and their own natural golden color. I don’t wish to die as mother did, as so many dragons do.”
“It’s just as bad to be an old maid,” said Amer. “You toughen under the chin, and then your gold turns gray.” Amer herself was almost the same color of the rock of the caves. She picked up the pot of tea, sniffed at it, then strained it carefully into a cup.
“If I can’t marry, I’ll give you my dowry, Haner,” Selendra said, as she took the cup. “With both of our shares, and your delicatebeauty, you can make a splendid match to some very considerate August or Eminent, and I can come and live with you and be an aunt to your single clutch of dragonets.” She sipped the tea, wrinkling her snout at the bitterness.
“Or if you find you can marry, I could do the same and come and live with you,” Haner said. “Let’s say that we will not agree to marry any dragon the other does not know and esteem, and that we will make our establishment together in that way.”
Selendra drained the cup. “I can agree to that,” she said. “But it seems as if you would have a much better chance of finding a good husband if it were known that you have sixteen thousand crowns worth of gold, instead of a mere eight.”
“Most likely the tea won’t have any bad effect,” Amer said. “The more you fret about it the worse it will be.”
“I’m feeling better already,” Selendra said. Indeed, she seemed to be returning at once to her natural gold.
“Fretting about not being able to blush can stop you doing it just as much as my medicine,” Amer said.
“I’m not fretting,” Selendra said. “I’m just talking about Haner’s marriage prospects. There’s that friend of Daverak’s, Dignified Londaver, he danced with you twice at Berend’s ball.”
“He’s nothing to me,” Haner insisted, but she smiled.
“I’d esteem him,” Selendra went on.
“You’ll like as not marry yourself and be happy,” Amer said. She scraped the remaining herbs from the pot and threw them on the fire where they sizzled and shrivelled with an acrid smell.
“I’m feeling sleepy,” Selendra said.
“That’s the medicine working,” Amer said, taking the cup from Selendra. “I’ll just wash this for you. Go to your cave and sleep, when you wake you’ll be as good as new.”
Haner went through the passages behind her sister. As soon asthey went into their sleeping cave, Selendra settled down on her gold.
“I mean it you know,” she said to her sister. “Tell everyone you have sixteen thousand.”
“Then you do the same,” Haner said. “If it should be that you can’t marry, you’ll find that out. If not, then whichever of us shall first find a husband will also give a home to the other. It would be so good to live together as we always have. I shall miss you so much when I am with Berend.”
“I shall come and visit you there,” Selendra said. “Berend invited me. I shall come for a few weeks or a month next spring. There will not be room in Penn’s parsonage for you to visit me, but we shall not become strangers to each other.”
“But then if you meet some dragon you wish to marry in Benandi he will be quite a stranger to
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