Book 2, Chapter 11:

Pandra yawned. It had been a hard night for her. Sometimes her curiosity was to her disadvantage. Last night when she had gotten up to go to the bathroom she had seen Brigora creeping through the hallways and she couldn’t help but follow her. She had unlocked a wooden door and went in. Pandra had waited by the door for about two hours before giving up and going back to bed.

Today Pandra would be tired. She shouldn’t have let her curiosity get ahead of her. She yawned again. Pandra got up and pulled on her dress she had gotten for being made Sar Din Dae. Today was a big test. Pandra was going to go in the contest to see if she would be able to be the one Sar Din Dae to rule over all others. If she didn’t claim the position, she hoped Iva did. She ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame it. Pandra ran out her door and didn’t close the door behind her. She raced through the hallways, lifting her skirt so as not to trip on it. Brigora’s eyes widened as Pandra flew past her in the corridor. Pandra finally reached the gates that led outside of the castle. She flung them open. She kept running towards the Grand Hall.

Finally she arrived, breathless, and lined up with all the other ruler wannabes. Then somebody struck a gong and the long line filed inside. Iva joined on to the end of the line just as the line began to move. Pandra was glad to see that Iva was also out of breath. She hadn’t been the only one in a hurry! The doors shut behind Ivatan.

Book 2, Chapter 10: A Midnight Walk

When Brigora had found out about her and Ladaria’s thing she had done a dance. Then she began breathing deeply and said, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5-” Brigora shot Ladaria a death squint, for Ladaria was doubled over on the bench, laughing and hooting and making odd noises. Then Ladaria tried to speak through her laughter and in the attempt almost choked herself. Then a strange look of dread flashed over Ladaria’s face. It was only for an instant and then Ladaria plastered a sunny smile onto her face.
“I gotta go,” she said, and then dashed away before Brigora could get a word in.

That night Brigora lay in bed. She was so happy for her and Ladaria. She had to get her energy out somehow. She considered screaming into her pillow, but that might wake Symbol, who was sleeping in the room next to her. She decided she would go on a walk. She carefully pulled down her blankets, layer by layer. She styled her hair into a hasty braid and got a green and blue dress to pull on over her nightie. She quietly opened the door, wincing as it made a high creaking noise. She slipped out and eased the door shut. She didn’t know where to go. She could go anywhere or do anything. Then Brigora decided. She would go to the garden.

The garden was always beautiful at night. So Brigora crept down the twisting, winding, and forked hallways that most people would have thought impossible to navigate. Then she came to the ornately carved oak door with a lock. It was the door to Brigora’s private garden. She took the key out of her pocket, her hand catching on a thread inside. She fitted the silver key into the iron lock and turned it. The doors opened. Brigora felt herself relax. This was one of the only places where she could be herself. In joy she shot a jet of snow into the air and stuck out her tongue to catch it. Then she did a cartwheel. She giggled. She imagined her father’s face If he saw her now, cart wheeling amongst the daffodils. She took a long deep sniff. It was the smell of roses, daffodils, day-lilies, rhododendrons, tulips, and other flower’s scents that mingled so much that she couldn’t tell what they were. It was night-time in the garden.

Book 2, Chapter 9: More Family

Brigora was having the time of her life. She had quickly learned how to fly the dragon and successfully do a loop-de- loop. Now she sat casually upon the dragon’s back. The pink scales glinted in the sun as light bounced off them. Brigora’s hair had been neatly braided with a blue satin ribbon but the strip of fabric had come out and her braid unravelled. She had slept on her braid so her hair now streamed through the air with natural bouncy looking curls of her white hair. Her dress was made to fit tightly around her skin, but it attempted to fly about her as well. Brigora’s eyes watered and the wind whistled annoyingly in her ears. She flattened her body against the dragon’s back as Pinkie began his descent. He pulled out of his nose dive just in time to make a perfect landing.

Elsaic was nowhere to be seen. Brigora then dismounted the reptile and strode through the garden with rhododendrons and day lilies brushing her sides as her steel toed flats clicked on the cobblestone path. She was lost in thought and the magnificent scent of roses did not catch her attention.

She was snapped to reality when Ladaria called to her from a bench on the other side of the garden. Brigora adopted a warm look as she walked to sit with Ladaria.
“Hey,” said Brigora, “How are your parents, Ladaria?” At this Ladaria’s face clouded.
Then she mumbled, “I’ve been meaning to tell you Brigora. Yesterday I got a letter from Master Sunwell. It said I was adopted and my real last name was….well.. Dewleaf.”
Then Brigora smiled,
“So you’re my sister!” she said.
“Yes.”