The young man bowed first. "Princess Sivvet," he greeted me. "Enjoying your stay so far?" There was a twinkle of mischief in his garnet eyes, and a shadowy smile playing on his handsome, fair features. His hair was the same black as his uncle's, but worn longer, curling about the nape of his neck and stopping at his eyebrows in the front. "Indeed, sir," I said, as warmly as I could manage, although warmth and genteel were both something I was rather lacking in. The princess smiled gently, and she caught my eye as a strong willed, fiery young woman. "I am Princess Oliza." she said with a smile that was considerably more pleasant than mine. "This is my cousin and friend, Salem Cobriana. We were hoping to show you around so that you might see the Nest, and the people who live here." Her eyes were as golden as her mother's, with skin to match, and her hair was black, streaked with red and gold, very like mine, although I lacked the reddish bits. The feathers at her neck ranged from red to gold.
I inclined my head slightly. "I would be honored." I informed them. I followed the pair out of my rooms, rolling my eyes in exasperation, then switching my expression to carefully blank when they turned to look at me. I had wanted to finish that paperwork, as it was important, and I wasn't interested in wandering about aimlessly. That was, of course, what Mendres always said my problem was. "You spend more time with things than with people, Sivvy," he'd tell me. "You wonder why no one approaches you, but it's because you make yourself unattainable." The princess and her cousin would find that out soon enough, I supposed.
The two young people stopped me in front of the dais I had seen earlier. "This is the dais where the dancers perform." Salem said. I watched his garnet eyes appraise me slowly, in heated debate, perhaps over whether I was suitable to be here. "Are there no singers?" I asked, a bit confused. Oliza jumped in. "Yes, but they generally only provide the music for the dancers. They rarely perform on their own." she answered. I nodded slowly, but it made little sense. "To my people, singing is the greatest joy. My guard Mendres has a lovely voice. Someday, if your people wish, I will have him perform for you." Salem grinned. "Can't you sing, Princess?" he asked, rather mockingly I thought. "I can," I returned briefly. "I just don't enjoy performing, that is all."
The tour continued, with stops at various fountains, art rooms, shops and other places both inside the Nest, and in the streets surrounding it. I found myself enjoying it, particularly the company I was keeping with Salem and Oliza, who both seemed pleasant and friendly, although Salem was a bit of a jokester. I had many questions about avian society, serpiente society, and the two cultures combined, as they were here in the Wyvern's Nest. The two people, who were roughly my age, although Oliza seemed to be about a year older, and Salem about two, seemed to like showing me about their city which I could only fathom as being because there were few they had given the tour to before.
Finally, though, the sun began to sink behind the hills of the north. We returned to our rooms, smiling at something Salem had just said, and making promises to see each other in the morning. I stopped at my door and smiled at my guards, who seemed a bit taken aback. "Princess Sivvet," began Oliza, but it was Salem who finished. "We are having a performance tonight, or the dancers are, anyway. Oliza will be performing an ancient blade dance, and the various troupes will be performing in groups. Afterward there will be music and food. We will be honored if you would come." I considered this for a moment. It gave me little time to get ready, but I decided that it would be the best way to meet people, and to talk with agents that the loup people had put here.
"I would enjoy that greatly." I said diplomatically. "And please, call me Sivvy." With few other words, I slipped into my rooms. I flopped on my bed, something I never did, having too much dignity, and stared up at my ceiling. Only a few hours, and already I was getting too attached to the locals. I resolved to tighten my grasp on my emotions, and to hide them much more thoroughly.
I dug through my traveling bags, hoping to find something that even remotely resembled either a dress, or formal wear. At the bottom I found it: A green dress of the same shade as my eyes, cut low in the back and mid-chest at the front, with a hem that settled about my feet. I donned it quickly, untying the thong that held up my hair and giving it a quick brushing before tying it back again. A knock on the door awoke me from my attempt at looking nice. "Please enter." I called. it was Oliza, and she smiled when she saw my frustration with my hair as it stubbornly refused to go back up in a horsetail. "May I?" she asked, reaching for my comb. I nodded, and she took it off of the armoire and ran it through my hair. "Leave it down," she suggested. "You're giving the impression that you don't do so very often." I smiled slightly, but face gave nothing away. 'It is hard to work when you have hair in your eyes," I said with a shrug. "I never had a reason to leave it down."
Oliza took my arm and led me out the door. Mendres grinned when he saw the dress and my hair. "I always knew there was a girl under there somewhere." he said with a laugh. I glared pointedly, but his grin stayed on his face. We found Salem at the bottom of the staircase, dashing in a velvet black tunic and silk trousers. He glanced from his cousin's golden dress to my green one, and let out a low whistle. "I get two lovely women to escort tonight." he said brightly, offering an arm to each of us. I hadn't any idea what to do with the arm, and mimicked Oliza when she rested one hand on it lightly.
The room of the dais, which I now knew to be the actual heart of the Wyvern's Nest, was buzzing with excitement. Musicians tuned their instruments, the dancers stretched, and the audience held lively conversations. My eyes searched the room for familiar faces, but the only ones I saw were those of the Diente and Tuuli Thea, and the Captain of the Guard, Ailbhe, who stood stalwartly at the door. Salem led us to eats at the front, courteously inviting us to sit down, but neither I nor Oliza did. Oliza took my hand and guided me to wear a black haired girl spoke with a tall, pale haired young man. "Nicias," she greeted him, touching his shoulder. "Hello, Hai." she added to the girl.