What a Dragon Should Know Read Free

bread and tore it apart. “The new batch of puppies looks very promising, Father. Very strong. Powerful.” She tore the half of bread in her hands once more and gave Canute a portion.
    Her father grunted again, but instead of waiting for an answer she didn’t expect, Dagmar dug into the hot porridge one of the servants placed before her. Their mornings together, when he wasn’t off defending his lands, were often like this. In fact, she’d become so very used to the silence or occasional grunt that when her father suddenly did speak to her, Dagmar nearly choked on her food.
    “Pardon?” she said, once she’d swallowed.
    “I said what message did you send out a few days ago with my seal on it?”
    Dammit.
“You allow me to use your seal and sign your name to almost all correspondence. So you’ll have to be more specific, Fa—”
    “Cut to it,” he snarled.
    So she would. “I sent a message to Annwyl of the Dark Plains.”
    He stared at her for so long, she knew he had no idea who she meant. “All right.”
    Without another word, he stood and picked up his favorite battle ax. Mornings were for battle training in the Northlands, when the two suns were in the sky but the air was still at its coldest. As her father walked out of the Main Hall, Kikka put down her spoon and loudly asked, “Isn’t Annwyl of Dark Plains also called the Mad Bitch of Garbhán Isle?”
    Dagmar had only a moment to look coldly across the table at her worthless sister-in-law when The Reinholdt stormed back in, Dagmar’s brothers suddenly disappearing in the face of their father’s rage.
    The blade of The Reinholdt’s ax slammed into the dining table, the sound of cracking wood scattering the remaining servants. Before Dagmar could speak a word, her father yelled,
“You sent a message to that crazy bitch?”
    Gwenvael stared at the Queen of Dark Plains and worried. She seemed so weak. Weaker than he’d ever seen her before. And pale, which didn’t fit a warrior queen who spent most of her time outdoors with her troops, killing all those in her way. Her skin had always been golden brown from the sun. Not as brown as Talaith and Izzy, but they were from the deserts of Alsandair where everyone was born in varying shades of brown. Annwyl was not.
    Yet these last few months, as her belly grew larger and her twins more active inside her, Annwyl had seemed to have none of the glow of other first-time human mothers he’d seen throughout his travels. Instead, she looked drawn and tired.
    “What is it, Annwyl?”
    At least she’d finally stopped crying, but now she stood at the window and silently stared down into the courtyard.
    “What’s wrong, my queen? You’re not your usual self.”
    She smiled. “I’m not your queen.”
    “You are when I’m here. And as your loyal and most loving of subjects, I just want to help.”
    “I know you do.”
    “So what is it, Annwyl? What is it that has you so worried that I’d bet five gold pieces you haven’t even told Fearghus.” When she turned farther away from him, he sat down in one of the sturdy straight-back chairs and held his hand out to Annwyl—he wasn’t fool enough to approach her again when she was in a mood. Not with those damn swords no more than arm’s length from her. “Come tell Gwenvael what you cannot tell my dear—but not nearly as handsome or charming—brother.”
    After a long moment, Annwyl took Gwenvael’s hand and allowed him to place her on his lap. He stroked her back while she dug into the pocket of her gown. She handed over the piece of parchment, and Gwenvael immediately looked at the wax seal still stuck to part of it. He didn’t bother immediately reading the letter itself because he’d found that
who
letters came from mattered almost as much, if not more, than what was actually stated inside.
    “Whose seal is this? I don’t recognize it.”
    Annwyl let out a sigh. “The Reinholdt.”
    “The Reinholdt?” He frowned in thought; then his body