Meredith's Dragon

Chapter 1

"Where could Gwen be?" I asked, stroking Ebba's golden hair after setting a bowl of soup before her.

Ebba looked down at her bowl. "I'm sure she'll be here soon."

There was a scuffling of feet in the leaves beyond the open cottage door and Gwen appeared with her usual bustling of footsteps and softly swooshing woolen dress and tossings of curls. "Oh good, the soup is ready, I get so hungry after, uh, watching those sheep all day." My sister dropped into her chair and quickly swiped her hands across her skirt. "I got a little rip in my sleeve today, would you mind sewing it up for me later, Meredith dear?"

I caught her arm as she reached for her spoon. "A little rip? Gwen, it's near as long as your forearm. And that's quite a scratch you have too. What happened?"

"Just an accident." She pulled her arm away and wouldn't meet my eyes. "So will you fix it?"

"Of course, but -"

"Did you finish that blanket today?"

I frowned. "Yes. I'll take it to Hilda tomorrow."

"You should show her your embroidery. I'm sure she would love to sell that at market."

I shook my head. "Embroidery takes too much time. People need clothing and blankets. If I can get a bit extra for a decorative border, I'll do it, but I have to make what will sell if we want to keep warm and fed through next winter."

"Well, I think if you like embroidery and you're good at it, you should make a tapestry. Someone'll buy it, and if not, at least you'll have the satisfaction of making it."

"It's not that simple," I said. It was an old argument and I knew Gwen was just trying to distract me. She had a knack for deflecting a conversation away from topics she wanted to avoid, but though she could outtalk me, even distract me for a while, I wasn't satisfied with being told the tear in her sleeve was simply an "accident." There'd been too many "accidents" recently, from a twisted ankle this winter to a knot on her head in early spring and a number of bruises and scratches in between. Gwen and Ebba began discussing other topics - Ebba's pea plants, Gwen's lambs - but I resolved to find out Gwen's secret. Especially once I began sewing up her sleeve by the last scrap of daylight. The tear was clean cut.

The next morning, after washing out the porridge bowls and setting Ebba to work in the garden, I followed the path up to the open meadow where Gwen led our little flock every day from their pen to graze.

She wasn't there.

Our flock was there all right, but instead of Gwen, I saw our friend Marliss watching over both our flock and hers. She looked startled to see me. "Where's Gwen?" I asked.

"I...I oughtn't be the one to say." She blushed.

"Why?" I asked. "What is going on, Marliss?"

Marliss fiddled with the ends of her honey-colored curls. "She said you wouldn't like it, but you know Gwen, there wasn't any stopping her."

I rather thought Marliss admired Gwen for that.

"If you just tell me where she is, I won't let her know who told me."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to get Ebba in trouble."

"Ebba knows about this?" I thought back to Ebba's lack of surprise when Gwen would come home late and with a new injury. She would simply offer to help Gwen with her chores. "Of course she knows." I'd been the head of our family for eight years now, since Mother died in childbirth and Father in a doomed dragon hunt. I knew my sisters conspired against me. I just hadn't expected Marliss to be involved in Gwen's mischief.