'Prelude' by Brennan

Softwin covered her ears with her talons in anguish. She didn't understand how these bards had the slightest inkling that they could sing. Listening to dying animals was more pleasant. She glanced across to her brother, Lytetalon, and grinned ruefully. The blue gryphon with purple face markings and striking golden wings winked and grinned back. The Court's previous Royal Bard, a grizzled old gryph, had recently passed away, and these bards were trying their luck to have His Majesty, Lord Taylwin, and Her Eminence, Lady Nightsky, to appoint him/her to the position of Royal Bard. Unfortunately, this was the best one so far. Softwin was about to try for the position herself if this nonsense kept up. Quite a few of the courtiers looked that way, too. Royal gatherings ranged from dull to mediocre. In all the books she had read, court life was portrayed as exciting and adventurous. Where in Hades these writers got their ideas from, she had no idea. And tomorrow the neighboring Lord of Kandamarra was visiting, with all pomp. How fun. Softwin closed her eyes and tried not to listen to the music, if it could be called that.

Trumpets blared as the herald announced to the court, "Presenting the High King of Adalia, King of Tyrrian, Duke of the Chutni Sea, Conqueror of the Faighst Desert, Unifier of the Twelve Clans, General of the Esteemed Red Eagles, Lord Taylwin Clan Rocwynd!"
All eyes in the Grand Throne Room turned toward the heavy golden doors, which swung open as the Lord strode in. Resplendent in his meticulously groomed plumage of dark green, purple, and gold, Taylwin looked like the High King in every inch. Towering over even the tallest gryphons in the hall, he stilled moved with utter gracefulness. As he sat down, the page announced the next member of royalty, the Lady Nightsky.

Softwin patiently (well, almost) waited her turn to be announced. The Royal Heralds must be chosen on how well they drone on, she thought. He brother had just been admitted, now it was her turn.
"Presenting the High Princess of Adalia, Duchess of the Western March, heir of the Chutni Sea, Lady of the Whispering Pines, Heart of the High King and Lady, Soul to the Heir, Princess Softwin!"
Softwin stifled a sigh as she walked down the aisle to the royal dais. Sure, it was neat having a long title like that, but she wasn't even sure if it meant anything beyond words. Words ment nothing to her.

Lytetalon watched his sister walk up the aisle after him. Colored in almost the same pattern as their father, she may not have been the best looking female gryphon there, but the thing that set her apart from the beauties was that she didn't care that she wasn't the best looking. Lytetalon wondered if she would ever find a mate, they way she shoved off all possible suitors without even speaking to them. Of course, it didn't much matter now, since she was still only fifteen, not yet of marriable age. He envied her especially in that area. Every day, young court ladies were practically shoved on him, in hopes that he would wed one of them. What lady wouldn't want to marry him?! He was going to be the High King of Blah-Blah-Blah. Quite a catch. He almost wished he wasn't the Heir, if he had to marry one of those giggling doofuses in the court.....

Softwin grunted as Commander Highbreeze, an extremely muscular dark brown gryphon, managed to knock her down again. She quickly rolled over and jumped up, then made a pass with her padded talons at the Commander. He nimbly avoided the punch.
"Princess, you really must concentrate more," he said, "You timing is getting more and more off as we progress through the exorcise. You are not only a Princess, you are an honorary member of the Red Eagles! If we were ever in the front line of a battle, you need to know how to fight and defend yourself!"
"I understand, Commander. I will not make the mistake again." Softwin could not remember how many times she had said that.
Their sparring continued, Softwin always a few steps behind Highbreeze.

Softwin lay on her back on the dark maroon pillow-bed that adored the corner of her aerie. She turned a large red ruby over in her talons. One of many in her horde made up of every little piece of anything she could get her talons on. Jewels, plain old rocks, books, stuffed animals, bits of cloth, you name it, it was probably in here. Taylwin chuckled, and she gasped as she looked up at him. Just like me when I was young, he thought.
"Baaa, father!!" Softwin squeaked.
Taylwin sat down next to her and chuckled again. "So sick of royal life that you're become a sheep now, eh?"
She blushed and said, "Well, you frightened me."
He grinned. "What were you thinking about?"
Softwin sighed. "The same old stuff. Mostly leaving the kingdom." She often talked to her father of going off on grand adventures, seeing the world, typical teenager stuff. Taylwin was hoping that this urge would go away in a few years, but the sense of longing never left some gryphons, and sometimes it made them go mad if they couldn't wander. He had come here to talk of this with her.
"Yes. You mother and I have talked, and," he winked, "with a little persuasion from my side, we have come to a conclusion. On your eighteenth birthday, we will allow you to leave the Great Aerie and adventure where you will." Softwin was practically on the edge of joyous hysteria. "Of course, you cannot go alone. By this time, you will have at least four loyal friends to follow you around the earth at your whim. I think this traveling time may help you when your brother becomes King and you one of his closest confidants. Well, what do you say to that?"
Softwin leaped off the floor and nuzzled her father. "This is just GREAT!!! Wait 'til I tell my friends! I'm sure that the years will just fly by, and I'll be off before you know it!!" She leaped again and was out the door in a flash.
Taylwin watched her go. She was too much like him for her own good. "I hope not, my Heart. I hope not."

Softwin loped down the hallways of the Great Aerie, trying (sometimes not so successfully) not to run over the other courtiers in the halls. The Guards tried to hail her as she ran out the main entrance, but she was already in the air by the time they got two words out. She sped out from the mountains in which Clan Rocwynd made their home, and soared over the Tyrrian jungle. It was absolutely gorgeous out here. The sun on her back, the wind in her face, and a lush paradise below. She carefully landed in a small clearing near a bubbling brook. Tyroe was already waiting for her. The 5-foot tall tree dragon looked up at her and grinned. Tree dragons were a smaller species of dragon in Adalia, furry and extremely agile, with two opposable fingers on each of their four legs. They lived in the trees of the jungles.
"Hello, Softwin. Took your good old time getting here, didn't ya?" he asked, still grinning.
"You knew I was coming, why hurry?" Softwin retorted while she play-shoved her friend. Tree dragons were powerful psionists, Tyroe could probably feel she was coming from the time she left the Great Aerie.
Tyroe rolled over and leaped halfway up a tree and looked down at her. "So, your father's going to let you go when you're eighteen, eh? You ARE going to take me, yes?"
Softwin chuckled and nodded. "Of course I am!"
He nodded. "Very good. I would've come anyway."
"I know. Might as well make you THINK I wanted you to come!"
Tyroe snorted and leaped off the tree to pounce her. Softwin wasn't quick enough to escape all the mock batters. She laughed. "Hey, no fair, you're smaller than me!"
"And your bigger than me, and can fly to boot," he replied.
"Well, if you had wings, they'd get stuck in the branches!"
"As we've seen by some embarrassing displays by you!"

"I have to talk to you, Your Majesty!!
Lady Nightsky, a light blue and green gryphon, stormed into the library, where Taylwin was looking over a map of the Tyrrian. He looked up in alarm as she marched in.
"What is it, Night?" he asked.
"You said that Softwin's longing for adventure would leave by now! That was the only reason I agreed to that contract! Right now, she and her friends are getting ready to leave! My baby can't go out there, it's dangerous!"
"Peace, love," replied Taylwin, "She'll be just fine. Sunfire, Highbreeze's son, is going with them. There's nothing short of a Great Dragon who could stop that one!"
"Maybe, I just don't want to think of her out there on those cold nights, and what about....."

There was a light in Softwin's eyes which her friends had never seen before. Finally, she was going out to see the world! She forced herself to think straight while they were packing. But she just couldn't wait! The group she was traveling with consisted of Tyroe and Afala, tree dragons, Sunfire, a golden gryphon, and Wyndheart, a black and purple gryphon, her friend from Clan Moonsoft. Tomorrow morning they would depart, and then who knows what adventures would come?

The sunrise the next morning seemed even more spectacular then Softwin had ever seen. She looked back to say goodbye to her family. Lytetalon bounded up, and nuzzled her. "Gee, Softwin, it won't be the same here without you!" he grinned. "I have a present for you." He placed a necklace with a shimmering ruby on her neck. He shuffled nervously, "I suits you, you know."
Softwin grinned. "Thanks so much! I'll miss you too."
Her mother walked up. "Please take care of yourself! Don't get into any trouble, or hang with any rowdies, or.."
"Yes, mother," said Softwin as she hugged her goodbye.
"Daughter," Taylwin boomed.
"Yes, father?"
"I know you will make me proud. You have the blood of the greatest Lords and Ladies in your veins. Never forget that we love you, and that we will always love you, no matter what. I will miss you much, my Heart."
"Oh, daddy," Softwin said as she hugged him, "thank you."

Softwin and her friends gathered together at the foot of the mountains. They were really leaving now. She took one long look back at the Great Aerie, and her family, and then they started off.