Tiger Wings

Chapter 9

By the next afternoon, they arrived. It wasn't a large town, but it was filled with the wealthy. Every house was painted white, then accented in a variety of colors, but no two colors were the same. In the background, behind the roofs and chimneys, were the mountains. They were always covered in white snow. Sometimes they were also covered in white clouds, but when they rode toward them, the sky was clear blue.

The king and queen owned one house in the village. It was larger than any of the others, but couldn't compare in size to the palace in South Cenna. It was separated from the town like the palace, though, with its own grounds of considerable distance. There were more trees, and had been as they moved south, than in Cenna. The village itself was quite different. The main roads were plain dirt paths. There were courtyards around which existed homes where numerous families, or families and their extended relatives, lived or lived in for the summer. There were no shops, only a large building full of merchants and farmers and their goods.

The house was divided for the princes and princesses. The girls would take the rooms on the third floor. On the second floor the servants would live, and on the ground floor the princes would take their rooms. There were two cottages as well where other servants lived, who lived there with their families all year long.

The first day, as usual, they rested inside with cool drinks and long talks, mostly separately though they all ate dinner together. The second day a picnic was arranged for whichever of the princes and princesses wanted to go. They would ride horses to the small lake which was a twenty minute ride away and make a day trip of it. They left in time to arrive for a cold lunch, riding their horses along the dirt road that led all the way to their destination.

Klyde urged his horse next to Jravic. "Have you thought of making a list."

Jravic chuckled. "I don't think it's neccessary."

"But it would have been fun sport to make fun of you."

"Nice try."

"At least you know who it isn't. Lots of those, aren't there."

"Plenty," the crown prince agreed. "The group here doesn't look so bad."

Klyde looked at his brother in amusement, but didn't say anything else.

The rest of the ride was mostly silent, there was some whispering between Quinn and Tevra who were leading the way, but nothing else. When they arrived they tied their horses to the trees that surrounded most of the lake and camped upon the sandy part nearby. Lunch was served; cold meats, cheese, bread, and fruit. It was small, but appetizing since dinner would be cooked upon an open fire not many hours later.

When lunch had been eaten they looked at each other in silence. "Let's play a word game," Chrael suggested.

"Twenty questions," Tevra decided. "It's an easy, comfortable game. Who wants to start?"

"I'll start," Yemma volunteered.

"You start everything," Tevra said with a look toward her sister. "But go on, what will it be?"

Yemma gave herself a moment to pout before she said, "Animal."

"Youngest to oldest questioning," Tevra said before anyone could ask that question.

Eloanna straightened as she thought of her question. "Does it have four legs?"

"Yes."

"Is it purple?" Harley blurted.

Yemma raised an eyebrow. "No."

"Is it a large animal?" Leandra questioned.

"No."