Chapter
1
Celie stared across the courtyard of the Royal Palace of Grath. An endless sea of tiny dogs stared back.
“It’s strangely terrifying,” Rolf whispered.
“So many eyes,” Celie whispered back.
The round, dark eyes of the countless dogs blinked moistly at them.
“I’m going to make a run for it,” Rolf said.
“Don’t you dare,” Queen Celina murmured, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“They’re just dogs,” Lilah said. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
“Hello! Hello! Our tiny only darlings!” Prince Lulath of Grath danced forward into the endless expanse of dogs.
The little beasts went wild, yapping and leaping, prancing on their hind legs. Tails waved like ostrich-plume fans. Little pink tongues shot out and tried to lick the prince’s fluttering hands as Lulath attempted to pat every fluffy head.
“So many dogs,” Rolf murmured.
“Mio! O mio! My son!”
The doors of the palace were flung open, and a tall man burst out of them. He was wearing a bright-yellow coat that dripped lace from cuffs and collar, scarlet trousers with gold embroidery up the sides, and gleaming black boots with red heels. His gray hair had been teased into a high arrangement of curls, and a golden crown nestled within the formation.
Celie and her family had plenty of time to observe this man’s elaborate clothes and coiffure, as his grand flight from the palace doors was hampered by the dogs. Undaunted, arms still outstretched, he waded through them toward Lulath.
“That’s the king of Grath?” Celie said in disbelief, though really, she shouldn’t have been all that surprised. She’d known Lulath, who was also fond of small dogs and fancy clothes, for over a year now. But even Lulath didn’t curl his straight blond hair.
“I feel ill,” Lilah said.
Celie turned to look at her older sister, who was the entire reason they had traveled to Grath. Celie and Rolf and their mother were Lilah’s escort as she met her future husband’s family.
“You’re fine,” Rolf said. “You love dogs.” He paused. “And Lulath,” he added.
“I feel so underdressed,” Queen Celina muttered, which startled Celie. She had never heard her mother sound uncertain about anything before.
A woman appeared in the doors of the palace.
“Oh, my,” Celie said.
“We’re all underdressed,” Rolf said unhelpfully.
The woman almost filled the double doorway. Not that she herself was wide—in fact she was quite slim, and very tall. But her gown flowed out to each side of her in kilted layers of green and pink, trimmed with silver lace. The gown had a high flared collar of lace and a long floating cape behind it. Her hair was even higher and more elaborate than her husband’s, and her crown was so encrusted with diamonds that the afternoon sun made it appear to shoot off sparks.
“O all my loves!” the woman cried, and she, too, began to make her slow progress through the dogs. “Oh, the silliness!” she finally cried, stopping in the middle in irritation.
She put two long fingers to her lips and whistled, a shockingly loud and piercing sound. The little dogs all turned and trotted obediently back inside the palace. The king looked at his queen as though he had never seen anything so amazing in his life. He exclaimed, in Grathian, that his wife was like a mighty goddess, which Celie translated for her mother.
The king and queen embraced their son, kissed his cheeks, and rejoiced in their native language that they were reunited at last. Lilah, who had studied Grathian with Rolf and Celie, made a gulping noise.
“They talk so fast,” she whispered.
Her comment, of course, fell into the sudden silence as the king and queen released Lulath and turned expectantly to them. Lilah turned red to the roots of her shining dark hair.
Queen Celina stepped forward and graciously inclined her head. The king and queen of Grath did the same. Then Lilah and Celie both curtsied deeply, and Rolf bowed.
“O my father, O my mother,” Lulath intoned in Sleynth. “I am being ever pleased to put before us the noble and beautiful queen, the very Celina of Sleyne!” He turned and flourished a hand toward his parents. “My very Queen Celina, here is being my noble father, my graceful mother, being King Kurlath and Queen Amatopeia.”
They all bowed or curtsied, the Grathian couple with many more flourishes than their guests from Sleyne.
“O gracious mother and gracious father,” Lulath continued. “I have so much the pleasure, truly so much, to also say to you, here is to be my bride, this vision of the vision, this Princess Delilah!”
Lilah curtsied even more deeply, and the Grathians curtsied and bowed back.
“And also it is being mine the delight to say to you, behold, here is a youngest brother and an only sister to my Delilah, who are as to me as dearest of friends and brother and sister also, the only Crown Prince Rolf, chosen by the very Castle Glower as the king the next, and the only Princess Cecelia, she for whom the Castle Glower and all the griffins have the greatest love!”
More curtsies, more bows, and then suddenly: hugging.
The king and queen of Grath, having finished their elaborate formal greetings, now rushed forward with arms outstretched. Queen Amatopeia swept Lilah up in a hug, literally lifting her off the ground and placing kisses on both her cheeks. King Kurlath gathered up Queen Celina, kissed her loudly on both cheeks, and then shook her a little, calling her his “queen sister.” Then they switched, with the king hugging and kissing Lilah, the queen doing the same to Queen Celina, and then, to Celie’s discomfort, turning their attention to herself and Rolf. Rolf and Celie soon found themselves enveloped in silk and lace and also lifted off the ground. The queen’s kisses left sticky spots of lip rouge on Celie’s cheeks, but she was pleased that the king’s kisses were actually warm and dry. From the smacking noises she’d expected something a bit more moist.
“And now that is being the finish,” King Kurlath announced. “We can be coming into the palace and having of food and comfort.”
“How lovely,” Queen Celina said.
They all began to move toward the doors of the palace, and servants started to appear out of other, smaller doors, to take care of the carriage and the luggage. They were ascending the shallow steps to the palace, which Celie noticed with fascination were set with seashells, when Rufus came screeching down from the sky to land on the top step in front of them.
Celie braced herself, figuring that Queen Amatopeia was probably going to scream. Most ladies did when they saw a griffin for the first time, and Lulath’s mother was a very vocal person to begin with.
But she’d forgotten about the queen’s competent dog handling. This was a woman who knew animals, and loved them. And so, too, did the king.
The royal couple instantly went still, which was the best thing they could have done. Then, in a reverent and hushed voice, the queen asked if she could approach the griffin.
“What whom does he seek?” the king asked, also in a very quiet voice.
“It’s, er, Rufus,” Celie said. “He’s mine. I suppose he’s seeking me.”
She stepped forward and grabbed hold of Rufus’s harness. She gave him a little shake and then stroked his head. He cooed and butted her in the chest.