Guinevere

Guinevere watched as her mother and sister discussed the clan. She listened as they talked politics and her mother told Arwen how to handle certain members who needed special care. Contralto and Impa came up regularly, as a warning mostly. Guinevere saw the worry in her mother's face, her furtive glances in Contralto's direction. She also noticed his glances in her direction, watching her movements and actions like an inspector.

She watched Magnum, noticing the way he avoided his father and his ex-mate, the pain on his face when she passed evident for all to see. Karli sat with her one evening, explaining her place in the clan. "You are my daughter, which makes you very special and very important. Many dragons are going to try to take advantage of you, use you for themselves. It's up to you to decide what you really want." She looked over at Magnum. "He's a very sweet young dragon who has had his heart broken. Time can heal wounds, but so can building new relationships."

"But isn't he Contralto's son? Wouldn't that be counterproductive to what we want to do?"

Karli's eyes shone with pride. "O baby you have been listening. No, it's not counterproductive. Magnum despises his father, he would never take his side. He would make a great asset to you, even if it's just as a friend. You are young, no need to rush these kind of decisions."

Guinevere approached Magnum slowly at first, worried she would spook him, or worse yet, annoy him. At first it was with questions about hunting, which he gladly answered. Then it was with questions about the clan, how things worked or what his opinions were on things. He looked at her in confusion one evening as she asked another round of twenty questions. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

She looked down at the fire before them. "Because I like you," she whispered. When she looked up, his eyes had gotten wider, shock evident on his face.

"You like me?"

"You're nice to me. You take the time to talk to me. You don't treat me like a child or like a pawn. You also don't watch every move I make." She looked over at Contralto, watching her from Impa's side.

"Does it bother you? That he watches you?"

She nodded. "Sometimes. It's weird. I can feel his eyes following me all the time."Magnum nodded, standing up, pulling himself up to his full height. He stomped over to Contralto, attracting the glances of the other dragons.

Contralto tore his gaze from Guinevere, looking up at his son. "Yes?"

"Stop staring at her. It's creepy."

Contralto shook his wings out, stretching. "Creepy? I'm just admiring our clan leader's second daughter. That's not allowed?"

"Not like this. Look somewhere else. How about at your new mate?"

Contralto gulped, something Guinevere could see from her spot by the fire. "I didn't think I was doing anything wrong."

Magnum ducked his head down to Contralto's eye level, his nose inches from Contralto's. "Well you were. Leave her alone." He turned and stalked back over to Guinevere, sitting next to her with his back to his father.

"You didn't have to do that," Guinevere whispered when he returned to her side. "He is your father."

"No. If he had truly been my father, he wouldn't have done what he did to me. And I won't have him treating you badly."

She looked up at him, seeing his heart for the first time. "Really?"

He smiled, bumping her with his head. "Really. Only I'm allowed to make you feel uncomfortable."

Karli stood before the clan to announce that Guinevere had chosen a mate. Magnum stood next to her, his wing resting against her side. Guinevere looked at the clan before her, feeling so loved and accepted. Arwen stood at the front, clapping and cheering her little sister on. She had asked Karli if she could take Guinevere under her wing and train her to be an advisor. "It never hurts to surround yourself with dragons you can trust."

Contralto stood back from the others, watching his son. Impa crouched at his side, steam pouring out of her nostrils. Tempest stood near them, her ear trained in their direction. "Did you see this coming?" Impa demanded.

"How could I? My own son, betraying me like this. Going to the enemy's side."

Impa snorted. "What did you expect after how we treated him? We didn't do anything to make him accept us."

Contralto whirled on her. "You said it wouldn't matter, that he would understand. You acted like it didn't matter what we were doing to him. And then you gave me three girls, knowing that I couldn't use ANY of them to gain access to the leadership!"

Impa cowered down in front of him. "I gave you girls? There were two of us involved in that process."

"It doesn't matter. Now that she's chosen him, that line is closed off to us. We won't be able to gain access that way." He stalked off, leaving her there alone.

Tempest moved away, towards Arwen and Gambatte. "Contralto's losing it. He blamed Impa for the three daughters they had."

"But what can he say? Guinevere picked one of his line. That's what he wanted."

"Yea but not the right line I think." Tempest rolled her eyes, moving away again. Guinevere joined Arwen, looking around the lair.

"Did it work, do you think?"

Arwen nodded. "For now. You may have given Mom the respite she needed from all this. You did good, little sister." Guinevere beamed with pride, then love at Magnum. Maybe now things would settle down.