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30 Days of Women: Day 23
Day 23: Favourite female platonic relationship
Cimorene and Kazul (Enchanted Forest Chronicles). Dragonsbane was the book of my childhood. Cimorene is a princess being stifled by the life she is expected to live: she is only educated in dancing, embroidery, drawing and ettiquette, but keeps persuading people to teach her magic, Latin, swordfighting, cooking, economics and juggling. She’s bored. So when she is sixteen, and finds out that she is engaged, she runs away and asks to be taken captive by a dragon. She ends up with Kazul, who is educated, sarcastic and looking for someone competent to get her library and treasury in order. Cimorene spends a lot of her time persuading knights who have come to rescue her to go away, while trying to perfect a fireproofing spell and discover the conspiracy at the heart of the court of the dragons.
“I did hear something about fencing lessons,” the knight said doubtfully, “but knights aren’t supposed to pay attention to that kind of thing. We’re supposed to be above rumours and gossip.”
“The fencing lessons were just the beginning,” Cimorene assured him. “So you see why I’m perfectly happy being a dragon’s princess.”
“Um, yes,” said the knight, but he did not look convinced. “Speaking of dragons, where’s yours?”
“Kazul’s not my dragon,” Cimorene said sharply. “I’m her princess. You’ll never have any luck dealing with dragons if you don’t get these things straight. She’s gone to the Enchanted Forest on the other side of the mountains to borrow a crepe pan from a witch she knows.”
“She’s what?” said the knight.
Kazul lets Cimorene get away with almost anything, and goes out of her way to get her the items that she needs in order to explore her talents further. They solve mysteries together, eat dinner together and always, always trust each other. And when Kazul becomes King of the Dragons she asks Cimorene to become her Royal Librarian, and she gladly accepts. Although Kazul makes a pretense of only keeping her around because she’s useful, there is geniune respect and affection between these two independent women.
