Chapter One

  The day she died marked the day I died as well. I knew that, as the horse-drawn hearse guided the procession to the royal mausoleum, carrying the lead-lined coffin draped in gold satin. I knew that, as I kept a hand on the backs of each of her children, my niece and nephew, their heads bowed in despair over the loss of their mother. And I knew that, as we continued to walk through the cobblestone roads of Thanases, not even her birthplace, and my so-called brother-in-law sat in his stone castle with his stone-cold heart with no ounce of remorse given to the one who continued his dynasty.

  As we turned down another road, it felt as though the sky closed up and poured out the tears that I refused to, at least not yet, and not in front of the children.

  I peered up for a moment, soaking in the dreary atmosphere, my hair that matched the golden hues of hers now sticking in darkened clumps against my forehead.

  All around us in the streets sounded whimpering, sniffling, and the occasional wail echoing as the people bid their farewells. And how I felt the anger boil from deep within my chest as they wept for a queen who gave everything for their prosperity and continuation.

  Yes, my heart had darkened toward the people. Yes, my hatred for Marek grew with each passing step that I took behind her corpse and knowing that he was nowhere to be found. However, I couldn’t bring myself to harden my heart against them - her children.

  At only ten-years-old, they still had so much growing up to do. Sweet and small Celina, who was a mirror of myself and Aurora, walked silently but her puffy red eyes and tear-stained cheeks screamed out her inner heartbreak. Her reaction left me some comfort. However, it was his, as I looked at my young nephew, that left me unsettled.

  Elek, always the reserved one, kept his head down, his hair neatly tied back with not a single strand out of place, remained silent, and shed just as many tears as I had. It was boiling from within him though - the fury and resentment, as it came off him in waves and hugged him tightly. Even as the guards lifted the coffin to place it gently on a stone slab of the tomb, Elek’s expression did not melt.

  An old, red-cloaked dragon, with long silvery whiskers, stood before the coffin and faced the procession. His arthritic hands pulled forth a scroll and a staff from within his robes before he began the prayer.

  At least she will have the words of her people, I thought bitterly.

  “Thanatos and Hypnos, please guide this child into Eternity, where age will not touch her, ailments will not harm her, and she will fly with the mighty wings you blessed her with at birth,” the man’s raspy voice prayed, shaking the staff occasionally in intricate patterns for the prayer.

  Fly? When had she last flown? I wondered, blankly staring at the satin cloth. When did she last transform and feel the freedom that only the skies brought?

  He never liked her beautiful rose-gold scales. He never liked how powerful she truly was. As soon as he had her, he clipped those Sun-envying wings by having her contribute to this country the only way she was allowed - by giving birth. A birth that would cement her suffering.

  I hated him. I hated how he treated her, hated the way he spoke to her, hated how he viewed her children as pawns, and I hated even more that I couldn’t just kill him myself.

  “Auncle Huri,” a meek voice pulled me up from my darkness.

  Celina’s golden eyes had only become more puffy as the prayer went on. Leaning down, I reached into a pocket for a handkerchief and wiped her eyes before handing it to her in order to clean her nose.  Lightly kissing her forehead, I rose to look my nephew in the eye.

  Still not a single tear in those eyes. Only contempt. Was it reserved for me, his father, his mother? I couldn’t say for certain.

  It wasn’t until the last mourner left the tomb that Elek finally spoke. His eyes, too much like his fathers, stared right into my own as he squared his small shoulders.

  “You blame us, don’t you?” he asked, though there was no malice in his words. It seemed to be more out of curiosity.

  “Why would I?”

  “She died because she had us,” Elek stated as a matter of fact.

  I shook my head in denial and before he pressed further and suggested that we travel to Hyperion to see the people my sister had loved so much. It was my hope that her children would still hold a piece of her if they understood our culture. On the way there, with Celina tucked safely in my arms and Elek close beside me, I allowed for the memories to flood in and begin to wreak havoc on my soul as I looked back upon my failures.

If only I was able to save her before it was too late...

Chapter Two

Thirty years prior…

The city was glorious at twilight. Luminous with the mystical dragon lit orbs floating about the streets. Crowds bustled to and from shops and restaurants, each patron in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some kept their wings out, others walked on hind-legs in shrunken dragon forms, and many took on their human forms with various exotic hair colors. 

Inhaling deeply, I soaked in the nostalgic atmosphere and chaotic echoing as I viewed my dragon-kin from the high perch of the Counselor’s Balcony of the Dragon Palace, nestled into the mountainside. Vibrant colors waved through the streets, weaving in and out of shops and diners as everyone bustled around in excitement.

My carmine robes, a symbol of my bloodline in the hierarchy of our society, bellowed in the wind, inviting me to take the plunge as the gusts allowed me to ride them to the top of the mountain range and then back down to join my people. It had been some time since I indulged in such a carefree flight. Years away from home had that odd effect on a person, I supposed.

Just as my foot turned to hop onto the marble railing, the echo of footsteps caught me before my leap began. 

I suppose the flight can wait, I thought as my heart deflated at the fleeting opportunity to enjoy a solo flight.

Turning, I didn’t need his voice to greet me to know who it was by the sharp clicks on the marble floor. Aeneus, King of the Dragons, my father, stood just behind me. His youthful face did little to mask the age of his golden eyes as his star-silver hair danced around him with his beard resting trimmed and neat against his chin and cheeks. The man appeared to be in his late twenties to early thirties, and I never asked him for his true age, but it wasn’t a secret that the number was in the thousands.

“Huri,” he smiled and raised out his arms to embrace me, “you’re finally home.”

He sounded as though I had only gone away for a summer rather than five years - and at his request to boot. Dragons may not hold much power on the world stage, but our influence rarely had to be direct or visible - which is why my father utilized my expertise. After these five years of training, traveling, and political maneuvering, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had more Eyes in the world than he did. 

“It feels good to be home,” I returned the embrace, taking in his scent. The scent of burning cedar, from his extensive time in his office, I imagined.

The glint in his eyes was bright as he pulled back to face me. He was beaming, making it difficult to ignore the enthusiasm rolling off him in massive waves. I had never known him to be a giddy type of dragon.

“Let’s go for a fly,” he offered, unfurling quicksilver wings, the membranes shimmering in the setting Sun with an iridescent hue, yet with him still keeping his human form.

Letting out my own golden-scaled wings, with my rose-colored membranes not nearly as bright as his, maneuvering through the thin slits in my robes, I took a step towards the railing.

“Sure,” I replied as I jumped up to catch the wind, rising high above the city that was built within the mountain range.

What started as a leisurely trip around the city turned into a high velocity race to the large lake where Hyperion lands met with the border of Ignatia. My father banked before the water, causing a spray to burst upwards. Dodging the mist, I sped up to catch him to then pause my flight so as to not collide with him. Gliding to the ground, I landed and waited for him to do the same.

Through his panting he continued to beam up at me, his grin wide under his whiskers.

Like a teenager, I thought with a hint of amusement playing in the back of my mind.

“I have amazing news, my child,” he began while resting a broad palm on my shoulder. “Your mother is pregnant again.”

The rarity it was for full-blooded dragons, such as ourselves, to have offspring, let alone more than one was near impossible. The mortality rate for dragon mothers was higher than other races, though they were less at risk when they mated with another full-blooded dragon. They couldn’t even transform and rely on their dragon’s blood to heal them if something went wrong. Despite this knowledge, I smiled back. I was sure that my mother was just as happy, and who was I to bring them down? 

Everything should be fine…

“This is wonderful news,” I said, attempting to mirror his optimism with a wide smile.

Perhaps this will end his expectations of me remaining as heir apparent. 

However, as though he were reading my thoughts, he placed his remaining hand on my other shoulder and trapped my gaze.

“I want you to take this time to really think about who you want to be, my child. Most of our kind have a permanent self by the time their scales come in. Your mutation is a unique one, giving you a choice but you have been stubborn long enough. It’s time to just pick one.”

Stubborn? I couldn’t fight the disappointment from creeping up and leaking onto my face as I had hoped he would understand by now. Releasing a slow breath, I backed away from him, letting his hands fall back to his sides.

“I have no interest in ever finding a mate, not that finding one plays a role in my decision to not go through a permanent change, Father. I’m happy with the way I am and I wish that you would accept me for everything that you find to be a fault,” my voice cracked as I finished my statement. I wish it hadn’t. I wish he hadn’t seen just how much his words hurt. He didn’t need to know how they affected me.

His brow furrowed and his eyes seemed to become hard as they focused on me.

“Huri, it’s not natural and you can’t keep changing between the two. It confuses people,” though his tone was soft his face became more cross as his eyes went from the light of excitement to extinguish into the darker tone of boiling rage.

“I don’t care if others don’t like it. Besides, there have been plenty of others who did not go through a full change,” I countered, finding my voice becoming stronger as the heat of frustration rose up the back of my neck.

“They were not the child of a ruler!” his voice rose as he advanced towards me. “Our people need to know that their next leader can make the tough decisions and that they won't just change their stance on important matters.”

“What does my reproductive organs have to do with signing laws into existence? Nothing!” my voice rose to meet his. “And I never wanted to be your successor, which you have known for many years. Maybe now that you have a new child coming you will redirect your attention to them and stop pressuring me.”

“That’s not how the passing of leadership works, and I have been grooming you since birth to one day take over. No matter if your mother and I have another child, or ten more, the next ruler of our people is going to be you. You cannot run away from your responsibilities, Huri. It’s time you come to terms with that.”

“No,” it came out like ice, and I hoped it would cut through him before I launched myself up into the clouds and as far away from him as possible.

Chapter Three

Although my father was furious with me, he still permitted me to be near my mother. Every day I observed her belly swell and her radiant glow spread through every fiber of her being. And seeing her so happy, and feeling so blessed, was enough for me to overlook my father’s stubborn ways.

“I wonder what they will choose,” she cooed one afternoon, leaning back in her rocking chair and swirling her fingers against her bump. Her youthful face displayed only serenity and love.

Sitting by the sun-filled window and the crackling fire close behind her, gave her the aura of a celestial, bright and warm. Queen Caeliora, the epitome of royal grace with her long golden hair that matched my own in shade, flowing gracefully off her shoulders. Her golden eyes held a soft and loving warmth that I had come to only see mothers possess while with child. I wondered if she was aware that she would absently hum short melodies, seemingly lost in her dreams of seeing this new potential come to life.

I smiled up at her from my sitting position on the floor beside her. The same position I always took as a child in order to be as close to her as possible without sitting snugly in her lap.

“Whatever they choose, I’m sure they will come out perfect,” I said in a soft tone, as if the vibrations of my voice were forceful enough to wake the unborn dragon.

“You’re absolutely right, my love,” then she let out a small sigh as her mind seemed to trail off.

Reaching up, I grasped her small hand lightly in my own.

“Does it bother you, Mother? That I have never had the urge to make a permanent change?” A solid force of air sat stuck in my chest as I put the words between us. My father’s opinion was one thing, but my mother’s words were of great value to me. She had always been the constant source of unconditional love that, for some reason, Aeneus never seemed to display.

Her eyes snapped up to capture mine and my heart sank, knowing I had upset her - especially when her answer was so predictable.

“You know that I have never been bothered by you, Huri. Some just don’t make that biological change and that’s fine. If you are happy being the way you are, then I will love you for it regardless of what anyone else may think. And I would never want you to feel pressured to be something that you are not. It would hurt my soul knowing that my own child conformed to society’s expectations unwillingly,” she said with confidence. Such confidence that it was difficult for me to not smile at her words.

I rose to my knees and reached up to peck her soft cheek.

“Thank you, Mom,” I said before looking over at the cradle that sat in the corner of my mother’s room.

It was made of a light colored wood with a translucent sunflower canopy cascading over it and off to the sides. Inside was a single toy for comfort, a stuffed dragon that I crafted myself for my new sibling. Its rose-gold scales shimmered on the fabric.

“I think they will be a little girl,” I mentioned casually, picking up the toy and sweeping my fingers over the wings. “And I think she will be the most beautiful dragon our city has ever seen.”

A light giggle sounded from behind me and I turned to watch my mother slowly rise from the chair and walk over to me.

“You know, I think you'll be right. A mother knows,” she winked up at me.

“Even with me?” I gave a small smile over at her.

“Yes, even you. I had no clue how you were going to come out so I guess I did know after all,” she laughed lightly, but then abruptly stopped.

“Mom?”

With eyes clenched shut she hunched over, using the cradle to keep her footing stable and holding onto her abdomen. Letting out a slow and ragged breath she looked back up at me and attempted another smile.

“It’s been so long since I had you that I forgot what contractions felt like,” then she closed her eyes tightly again.

“Let’s lay you down and I’ll call for the physician,” I offered as I started guiding her to the bright yellow covered bed.

I grabbed the first person to cross my path in the corridors and sent them to alert all the necessary people before returning to her side. However, when I returned, it was evident that something was gravely wrong.

The first contraction happened only moments before but when I approached her bed the metallic scent filled my senses before the horror that met my eyes. She shrieked in agony, a thick sheet of sweat covering her forehead, causing her golden hair to darken as it sat pasted to her skin, and her bed was soaked in dark red blood.

Rushing to her side, I held on to her delicate hand tightly. Something was wrong. And when she gazed up at me, it was clear that she was thinking the same thing.

“If something happens…”

“Don’t say that!” I cried but she continued through gasps of breath.

“Be there for them. Promise that you will watch over them,” her voice was quiet and forced as the pain seemed to rush through her in waves.

Before I answered, the door slammed open and my father ran in with the physician. When he saw me his nostrils flared and his gaze hardened.

“What happened?” he demanded.

“I don’t know. She was fine just moments ago and then the contractions started,” I stammered as he pushed me aside and took my place beside her.

As more people funneled into the room, her eyes never left mine. And through her pain her eyes remained pleading towards me. Before I was ushered out, I mouthed the words I love you, and I promise.

That day I lost my mother, became the guardian of an infant, and watched my father descend into despair.

Chapter Four

Twenty-Eight Years Prior…

“Aurora, get down! You’ll hurt yourself!” I called from the ground of a massive sycamore tree as my toddler sister managed to perch herself on the highest branch she could find. Hues of golds, reds, and yellows swayed around her in the breeze, threatening to snap the very branch sitting under her.

Before I had time to unfurl my wings and shoot up after her, glimmering rose-gold wings sprouted from her back as she leapt and began to plummet. My stomach and heart went through the ground as I sprung up to catch her, only to miss as she slipped through my fingers. Her laughter grew louder as her rosy membranes caught the wind and she landed on both feet. I thought my breakfast was going to make a comeback as I fell to the ground beside her and lay on my back against the forest floor.

“Again! Again!” She squealed in delight, her small body plopping onto my stomach, truly making my breakfast want to escape.

“Oomf” escaped as a foot met my sternum and a gasp of air left my lungs. 

“I think…” I panted, attempting to pull my head up enough to look her in the eyes, “I think I have to literally ground you now.”

With that, I laid my head back onto the fallen leaves of the ground and attempted to regain myself.

Bringing her to the woods for a relaxing hike quickly transformed into my hair nearly turning as silver as our father’s when her scales came in and she took advantage of a strong breeze that passed us on the climb up the mountain.

While the timing was right for them to come in, it was just so inconvenient for them to emerge as we were in the middle of nowhere.

Rather than take the risk of her wings being punctured by the branches - that I now found excessively dangerous, I scooped her giggling form in my arms and flew her back home. It seemed to be enough for her to fly with me rather than using her own newfound ability. 

I didn’t release her until we reached the safe confines of her brightly pink painted bedroom, formerly our mother's, with all the frills and laces that I thought any princess would love. One of my new major faults was visiting too many shops that were able to supply me with extravagant things to decorate her room with. Fortunately, my father wasn’t around enough to check the books on our expenses. Since the horrific day of Aurora’s birth, he avoided being in the same air space as her and her care had become solely my responsibility. 

“Aurora, you can’t fly so recklessly,” I said, placing her on the bed with her wings still spread out wide. She continued to giggle, her cheeks as rosy as the membranes in those beautiful wings. Letting out a sigh of partial defeat, I laid down beside her and cuddled her close.

She pressed her soft cheek against my own, a sign of affection we had developed in these short couple of years.

“I wuv you, Huri,” she settled quietly, giving a wide yawn.

Nap time, I thought looking down at her.

“I love you too, my sweet Sun.”

Once her small chest rose and fell in a soft and steady rhythm, I carefully extracted myself and made my escape after kissing her forehead. There was never a moment, whether she was asleep or awake, that I wanted her to ever doubt that she was loved and wanted. I just hoped my efforts countered the negligence of my father.

I walked across the corridor, carpeted in plush red covering that I had put in when Aurora took her first steps and would cringe when her toes touched the stone floors. Opening the door, leaving it ajar to listen for her stirring, I went over to my sleek desk by the fireplace and took out a small, leather-bound journal.

Every time Aurora did something new I recorded it. When I learned that she hated eating the pasta sauce I made for her by throwing it at my face, when she set her pink curtains on fire with a flick of her tiny finger, cut her first tooth, and now when her wings first sprouted. It was all written down to not only keep track of her growth, but also something that brought me joy to look back on with fondness.

A light rap sounded at my door-frame, revealing a young and frightened appearing maid with mousy brownish hair and wide amber eyes.

First day, perhaps, I wondered as she curtsied low before coming in.

“You don’t have to curtsy. I would actually prefer it if you didn’t,” I acknowledged politely, beckoning her in. 

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Your Highness…”

“Huri,” I interjected, seeming to frighten her even more as she curtsied again.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Your Highness Huri…”

“Just Huri... you know what? Never mind. How can I help you?” If it was her first day I didn’t want to make things worse for her.

“Umm… yes, well I was told to bring this message to you,” she finished, pulling an envelope with my father’s seal from a pocket on her brown dress. 

It’s not a very flattering outfit, I thought as I took the letter.

“Thank you,” I said before she made a hasty retreat.

Am I that scary to look at? Before opening the envelope, I peered into a mirror to see if there was something about my appearance that may be seen as intimidating or menacing. I found nothing other than myself, a blonde-haired, golden-eyed person, who kept themselves on the shorter end to not seem intimidating. It was possible that her hesitance had nothing to do with me.

Come to the balcony. Now.

Looking up at the clock, I tried to determine how long Aurora would be asleep before she called for me. Not any longer than an hour, I concluded and went into an adjacent room with a window to leap from.

Of course he can’t be bothered to see his own daughter and come to us in person, I thought bitterly when I descended before him in his crimson robes that mirrored mine, customary clothes of nobility.

“Come inside,” he ushered without any greeting and walked in before I had both feet on the ground.

“Sure, Father,” I couldn’t help but bite out and followed.

When he motioned to a seat beside his own at the massive round marble table I remained standing.

“I need to get back as soon as I can. I wouldn’t want Aurora to think I abandoned her.” 

Rather than falter, his expression hardened as he sat down and leaned into his chair. It had been close to a year since I had seen him last and it was then that I noticed he was letting his age show. What was once a neatly trimmed bearded face now had stubble and wisps in every direction. His once silvery hair lost its shimmer and lay around him in dull grays and whites. He was getting old, and not as a human but as a dragon. 

“You should leave her care to a nanny. Your contribution isn’t necessary. What you really need to start working on is taking on more responsibilities for Hyperion.”

Heat rose up my neck but I squashed it back down trying to ignore the callous nature he had adopted.

“I think my time is being well spent taking care of the daughter you decided to abandon. And if you really want to think about retiring maybe you should also think about what’s really important,” I countered.

“Do you have everything you need?” he began, tone like stone as he spread his arms out and motioned to the walls around us. “Does she have food? clothes? How about a warm bed and toys? I have abandoned no one because if I had you both would have nothing. Not even the robes you are wearing right now.”

“Oh,” I bowed dramatically, “why thank you so much for your generosity, my Lord.”

Spinning on my heel, I was ready to go back to my main priority.

“You need to be ready to take over!” he called as I approached the railing.

“No, I think you have a few more years in you,” I returned before plunging off the ledge.

Right on time, I thought, catching the small child in my arms and twirling her around when I entered the room from her open window. My cheeks began stinging from the gleeful strain as she giggled ferociously. Perhaps one day she would be the one to lead the dragon race, but on that day she was just a sweet little girl who just sprouted her wings and was going to get her first safety lesson.

Chapter Five

For weeks he persisted with the letters, sending that anxious new maid to deliver them. It was to the point that I personally designed and pieced together a new dress for her as an apology, in a far more attractive lilac color. Yet, I found my time being taken up by someone far more worthy of my attention.

Aurora was a natural with her wings and took to the skies like a bird. It wasn’t long before she was fully transforming while mid-free diving. Taking the time to teach her how to fly safely and to always acknowledge her form when in tight spaces had been easy enough. Though, having to be pulled away every time a new message came from the throne above us had my resentment growing for the older dragon by each piece of parchment brought to me.

“Huri!” a gleeful shriek came from above my head and I looked up in time to witness her go from a glittering dragon to a small human child and caught her before she fell to the ground. She continued to shriek with laughter. “You caught me! You caught me!”

“Of course I caught you, my sweet little Sun. I will always be there to catch you. That’s what older siblings do for their little siblings.” The corners of my lips curled up as she embraced me tightly. One day she was going to grow up and holding her like this wasn’t going to be the same anymore, but I would take all the moments that I was given.

After our lesson I brought her to the special play area set up for all the children. It had accommodations for their newly discovered wings and abilities, with most of the equipment being near indestructible. Not all had an affinity for fire. Some would accidentally spew noxious gas from their mouths or turn an occasional tail into an icicle. Aurora had been established as a fire-user, which was not surprising given our genetics, but I was certain her curtains would have preferred to have been turned to ice rather than shriveled up and turned to ash.

That day the play area was quite full, with most of the children being around her age, if not a few years older. Of course, for those children, parents tended to bring them in hopes of socializing. To have a sibling was rare, and those that did saw age gaps so great that the older sibling had already left and began their own lives. I never left home though - at least never permanently. But rather than be the older sibling, I found myself in a role that I had never envisioned. I was a parent in every meaning of the word except for the title. I sat with the other parents, spoke to them about disliked behaviors, and took advice on how to raise a child who had met their milestones. 

And Aurora, so far, had met every milestone expected of her. Unlike me, she even had a permanent self before her second birthday. Part of me, admittedly a spiteful part, had wished she hadn’t gone through the change on time - just for no other reason than to piss my father off. Though, watching her play, I knew that I wouldn’t change anything about her.

“She’s grown so much, Huri,” one mother gushed in my direction.

“Yes, she has,” I smiled in return.

“I heard that her scales are golden, like your mother’s. Is that true?” another parent inquired, one who was more like me but still reproduced. It wasn’t uncommon for us without a permanent self to have children, though it was an interesting conversation as to how they decided to go about it.

“Almost,” I began, keeping my eyes on her as she played with a young boy on the slide. “They have a pinkish hue to them and her membranes are a vibrant pink, but they are beautiful nonetheless. When she is older and takes to the skies, I feel as though even the Sun will bow to her.”

Am I being too prideful? Though when I looked over at the other guardians, they all seemed more intrigued by my prediction rather than put off.

The yawn was the first sign that it was time to leave. The second was the careless fall from layered bars that sent her to the ground with a scraped knee and bumped head. Though, she didn’t cry. If anything, she seemed more angry at the betrayal of the bars than her own clumsiness. Lifting her in my arms, I brought her home and cleaned her up before making dinner myself. 

Many of the workers in the palace would give me disapproving glances each time they caught me in the kitchen, but I didn’t care. The fact was that I enjoyed making her food and sharing our meals together. It was something that my mother had done when I was small and I wanted Aurora to have a piece of that experience.

“Huri?”

I looked up from the small dining table set up in her room as her eyes cast downwards in what seemed like embarrassment. I started to wonder if she had done something wrong while we were out that day. Perhaps harmed another child, but as I thought back on the day I couldn’t recall any child around her crying.

“Yes, my little Sun,” I responded lightly.

“Umm… I was just wondering…” she began to fidget in her seat.

“Yes?”

“Why are you not a boy like Dedrick, or a girl like me?” her cheeks flushed and I bit back a laugh at how much easier of a question it was than some of the others she had posed to me.

“Well, it’s simple. You went through a full change that made you happy. I was stubborn and I didn’t want to.”

“Oh… so can you not change anymore?” she continued.

Rather than explain it to her, it was clear that seeing was believing. My usual short gold hair grew down to my shoulders, I didn’t want too much to cut later. Softening my features, I gave myself more of a feminine front. Her mouth dropped at my subtle changes.

“You look just like Mommy!” she said in excitement and ran over to her night stand to pull out a small heart-shaped locket that held our mother’s portrait. She would look at it every night before falling asleep, something I began with her the day after she was born.

“No,” I shook my head as she brought the portrait over. “You look like Mommy. I just look like me, which sometimes changes from day to day. If I want to put on a ballgown and find a prince to dance with, then I have a look. If I want to appear big, strong, and mean, I have a look for that as well.”

I lifted her in my lap before continuing.

“You see, my little Sun, some may think that I don’t know what I want in life and that’s why I have never settled on a permanent self, though I like being this way. I like the ability to change myself based on how I’m feeling any given day. Though some say I’m indecisive, I look at it as me knowing exactly what I want.” Then I bowed my forehead to rest it on hers. “But no one’s opinion matters to me other than yours. So, I’ll ask you a question. How would you rather me look?”

She pushed herself back in my grasp as her eyes scanned my features and roamed over my hair. Tiny fingers twirled the ends near my shoulder before her eyes returned to my face.

“I just want you to look like you.”

So innocent, I thought and hugged her close before having her finish her dinner. And although she was still only a toddler, a smart toddler, it was clear I would never be the leader that she could be to our people.

Exhaling slowly as I entered my room, I went over to my night stand and pulled out a pair of scissors before standing before the mirror. 

Why do some of us not make the change? Is it biological or psychological? I never put much thought into how I appeared to others. Being a decent amount of others who shared the same ability as myself, it’s not something I thought important to fret about. But… why? When most dragons reach the age of two they retain the ability to alter their appearance yet not their sex. Did I choose this or was it chosen for me?

Oh, well, I thought to myself with a shrug. It didn’t really matter. 

Chapter Six

Twenty-five years prior…

Just when I believed he had more important things to do, another message came for me in the early morning hours. I wasn’t expecting for him to acknowledge Aurora’s birthday, that would be far too much of an ask. However, I was hoping that he would give me some peace that day.

Balcony. Now.

Should I ignore my commander and go back to sleep until I have to set up the ballroom for little Sun’s party? Ultimately, I chose to meet with him as I didn’t want a slew of messages coming in as I was entertaining guests.

Although it was the same castle, I rarely went to the wing that housed him or hosted the political meetings. I kept Aurora and myself on the warm side, where expectations were few and the servants were kind and relaxed. Relaxed staff meant a relaxed and stable child, which also meant a more stress-free Huri. Stress of child raising could be frustrating at times, but I would take raising her over whatever stress-induced drama Aeneus wanted to drag me through any day.

“I have important things to accomplish today, so let’s make this quick,” I mentioned as I walked through the open double doors.

My father kept his back towards me as he appeared to survey the metropolis below us.

“Because, you know, someone should remind Aurora that today is a special day. The party starts at noon if you care,” I continued, coming to stand behind him.

His shoulders visibly tensed and I thought I heard his knuckles turn white as he gripped the railing with a cracking vibration. I hoped that it was eating away at him. I hoped it would eat away at him everyday for the rest of his life. 

“She’s getting married,” his voice called over, absolute and strained.

“Who is?” though I was quickly understanding who he was talking about.

“Her.” 

The back of my neck tightened at the disregard for his own.

“She has a name, which is Aurora by the way. And she’s five today. We won’t be discussing any sort of marriage plans when she only just stopped wetting the bed.” I began to make my way out of the room when his cold voice echoed over me.

“She’ll be going to Prince Marek of Demarcus when she comes of age. There won’t be any argument over it, I want you to begin having her lessons geared more towards Demarcus customs.”

Balled fists quivered at my sides. Don’t lose it, don’t lose it.

“Her party starts at noon,” I repeated tightly before taking my exit.

Drowning myself in party favors and balloons, I readied the ballroom for Aurora’s celebration. 

May he rot in Eternity, I kept repeating in my mind with bitterness as I formed crystal-like fiery orbs to hover in the room.

As the party games were underway, and at least twenty children were running amok with pink frosting all over their mouths, I couldn’t fight the tension headache fighting to burst through the surface. 

How can he be so cold? I thought as I pinned a canvased pink dragon up on a wall with wings waiting to be pinned on a neighboring table. 

As the children twirled around blindfolded, I glanced up at the grandfather clock to find we were three hours in. The merest thought that he may have showed up had vanished and I found myself neither disappointed nor upset. If anything, it was a weight off my chest.

“Huri! Presents!” she called from a long table in our ballroom. Her paper crown sat lopsided on her head as her hand smeared more pink frosting across her face in an attempt to remove it.

My heart became light as I sat her down and nestled within a large pile of brightly colored boxes and bags. 

“Of course, my little Sun,” I said, moving one of my presents closer for her to reach.

****

Guests gone, goody bags dispersed, and torn colored paper everywhere left me escaping with Aurora into the city to our favorite ice cream parlor. Something about ice cream made from frost dragons just had it taste far superior than any other I had tried over my extensive years of life. No other nation had come close to the technique, texture, or flavor to the ice cream in Hyperion.

“Thank you,” Aurora’s light voice rang as I handed her the cone as we sat at one of the circular tables outside facing the street.

We sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying our treats until the air became crowded with the chiming of bells. They sounded heavy and the rhythm was slow. I didn’t need the black banners making their way down the road to know that it was a funeral procession. 

Aurora’s small face fell when the flat bed of a wagon, carrying an open lead coffin came rolling slowly past us. For the whole world to see, a young female dragon, with silky ebony hair, lay resting with a small bundle in her folded arms. Wails of pain echoed around us as the mourners sniffled into their handkerchiefs.

That poor girl, I thought to myself, understanding the reason for her untimely demise. Death in childbirth had become such an epidemic within the community that many were going to great lengths to check lineages of intended matches. However, even pure-blooded matches were not a guarantee.

What is it that causes them to lose their abilities when pregnant? I often wondered if it was a mutation.

Looking over, I watched as Aurora’s lips formed a thin line as a long trail of melted ice cream rolled down over her hand. It wasn’t the first time she had seen one of these processions, but I did try to keep her exposure limited. Knowing that your body took on the permanent sex that faced such possibilities was daunting and too much for a small child to think about.

“Will that happen to me?” she asked once the cart was away from us, yet she kept her gaze on the tail end of the procession until they turned the corner to the tombs deep within the mountains.

She was too young for this conversation. But I also knew that she was intelligent enough to seek out the information if I didn’t provide it.

“I hope not, little Sun. Nothing is ever guaranteed unless you don’t have children,” I explained as simply as I was able.

“Is that why you don’t become female forever?” her eyes met mine with curiosity. I didn’t need to think about the answer for long.

“Honestly, no. I just don’t have an interest in finding a mate or having children. Besides,” I started and tried to give her a small smile. “Why would I have any other children when I love you too much to replace you?”

She let the conversation go with a meek smile before returning to her melting cone. Though, it began to plague my own thoughts. If Aeneas was determined to marry her to a human-dragon hybrid, then I had to use everything at my disposal to keep her safe. 

There’s still time, I hoped.

Chapter Seven

Twenty-Three Years Prior…

I don’t believe that he thought himself as clever when a young boy, with jet colored hair and indigo eyes, showed up in the dining hall and introduced himself as Prince Marek Drakonis of Demarcus. To be honest, I didn’t believe my father knew how to be humorous at the expense of others. 

Refraining from bursting my wings out and flying through the walls to strangle my father within a breath of his life, I welcomed the ten-year-old boy to join Aurora and myself for breakfast. 

It's not the boy's fault.

Aurora was quick to leave my side and host the Dragon Prince.

Dragon Prince, what a laugh, I thought, thinking of the ridiculous moniker the Drakonis family gave their presumptive heirs. I was certain that Marek’s closest full-blooded dragon relative was a singular grandparent. 

“Thank you, Princess,” Marek acknowledged with a nod and slight smile at her, causing her cheeks to visibly tinge pink against her pale skin. The boy didn’t even have to use charm and she was already beguiled by him.

My chest tightened watching the exchange, knowing that a mix of the two of them could cause problems down the road. Aeneas just didn’t seem to understand. She was all that was left of Queen Caeliora, and was far more valuable than an alliance with a nation that was guaranteed regardless if there was a match.

I wished that my worries stayed at the dining table as the three of us walked around the city. I attempted to keep myself between them, casually, but she maneuvered herself to be in the middle each time. I didn’t want her to become attached. I didn’t want him to have it in his mind that this contract was locked in. He was ten, not ignorant. 

When it was finally time to confront Aeneas, I was at my limit of patience and slammed the door to his office behind me. He didn’t even look up from the small stack of papers before him. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I gritted out, halting in front of his desk - the only thing keeping me from wrapping my fingers around his throat and popping his head off.

“Paperwork for new trade agreements,” he said simply, keeping his gaze down.

Talons cut through my human skin as I took a swipe over his desk and caused punctured papers to scramble onto the floor. His eyes flashed at the thrown, shredded papers and then to me, causing the limit to break. Slamming my transformed claws down on his desk, I lowered my tone.

“How can you be so heartless? How can you just treat your own child like some sort of exported goods? You can send any other female, why her?” 

“Because I can.”

Fire licked at my skin, begging to be released. Begging to challenge him to a Drako Duel of Power, traditional and legal. If I lost there was no greater humiliation compared to a defeated dragon in the arena, but if I won I had the opportunity to overthrow him and take the job I never wanted. I still didn’t want it but…

I would do it for little Sun.

Heat from licking flames spread up into my eyes, a wave of power rose from the core of my stomach to the outer reaches of my skin, seeming to want to burst from my pores. I can save her. I had to. Sending a full dragon female to marry someone with a quarter of the blood, if that, meant a near-certain death in childbirth. Straightening my back, I stood tall and glared down at him.

“Aeneas of Thanatos, King of the Dragons, I challenge you to an honorable Drako Duel of Power.” 

He gave out a snort and remained seated.

“No you don’t,”he responded, pulling a new stack of paper towards him.

“I’ll meet you in the arena tomorrow at dawn. If you don’t show I’ll consider it my win,” I finished before turning my heel only to pause with my hand on the door knob. Tilting my head slightly I wanted to drive the point home. “Unlike you, I will do anything to keep my family safe. Even if it means I take your place when I never wanted it. She’s worth giving up my own selfish desires.”

****

If I died, then he would have only one heir left and the likelihood of him having more was near nonexistent. If it was only her then he would have to acknowledge Aurora’s existence. But, if I subdued him, then I can stop the contract from going through. Either way, I stood in the middle of the colossal stone arena under the mountain waiting for him to appear. The walls rose up to a ceiling drowned in darkness. Full-grown and transformed dragons were able to duel easily enough in the arena, being able to fly up a good distance before hitting the top. 

The enclosed space ensured that neither opponent was able to leave and the spectators, though seemingly few for such a match, kept the duel honest. 

Something’s not right…

The night before I left, I handed Aurora over to Shelly, our timid maid. She didn’t need to witness her surviving family members fighting, potentially to the death. I hugged her, kissed her, and told her that my life was dedicated to her happiness. I just hoped she knew how much I loved her. Although being so young, I wasn’t certain if she understood the gravity of my words.

“Be good to Shelly while I’m away, little Sun,” I finished, kissing the top of her head one, possibly final, time.

“I promise,” and in her soft golden eyes I could see the confusion and uncertainty staring back at me.

Thanatos, Hypnos, please protect her.

Shaking the memory away, I dragged my focus to the stands. Each body, of only seven spectators - all counselors and aristocrats I noted, took seats with solemn faces and lay a heavy blanket of silence around them. My nerves began to buzz. 

The sun hadn’t risen yet, as rays would begin to cascade in through the vented holes in the walls. But, I knew the time was drawing closer. Surely, he would come rather than take a hit to his pride. He had to. I needed him to. I had something to prove.

Just as the merest hint of rays wisped through the vents the echoing of heavy, taloned footsteps came from the massive double doors that lead to a poorly lit corridor and left open. It was the entrance for the defender.

Pulsating rushes thundered in my ears as my palms became itchy at my sides. I lived a long life. I just wished that I could have had more time with my little Sun.

No, I can’t think like that. I can’t give up now!

The ground quaked. Pebbles leapt from the ground. From the depths of the shadows first emerged a translucent breath of steam followed by the slightest of glints of talons.

This is it. This is when everything matters. 

A foot with scales as black as jet began to protrude from the darkness, causing my heart to plummet. It was not my father coming to face me. Rather, as more of the enormous frame came into view, it became evident that this black dragon was not of typical origins.

I had never met him before, nor did I think he was still alive. Dragons grew old, sure, but being over five-thousand years old was simply unheard of. Not that any part of his massive physique gave away his age. I assumed that he looked nearly identical to the day Belinha brought him to life, raising him up from the magma deep within our mines.

A caving sensation spread through my chest as I listened to my instincts and did not transform. How was I able to when in the view of such a presence?

My mind barely had the functioning skills to acknowledge that my father did finally enter the arena, but was sitting with the counselors high above. High above the carnage, I was certain to face before this legendary beast that was as close to a god as one was allowed to be. For one of the few times in my extended life, I wasn’t sure of what to do next.

There was no time to think, however, as Alexius shifted into the form of a human man in his thirties. His height eclipsed my own and I wondered if it cost him energy to appear so young or if he naturally looked that way. His dark hair rested on his shoulders as his indigo eyes seemed to survey me.

A block of air sat at the bottom of my lungs as he drew closer, his expression passive.

"Huri, correct?" His tenor voice asked stiffly, though his shoulders appeared relaxed. A subtle nod was all I managed.

"I need to show you something."

One of his large hands came up to rest on my shoulder as his gaze bore into my own. Swallowing hard, I nodded again knowing to not look away as the indigo color expanded and took over my vision. What replaced it was a rapid succession of images containing a beautiful young woman with golden hair as she rubbed light circles over her swollen belly, followed by a vision of the same woman laying in a plush and elegant bed with two identical bundles in each arm. I floated closer to the bundles to peer inside them. One baby had a patch of golden hair, like the young woman and myself, the other had hair as black as the dragon before me.

Seemingly floating backwards, I was paused a short distance away as the image fluttered into a new one in a brightly lit ballroom. A black haired young boy with indigo eyes that held golden rings in them, shuffled from foot to foot, absently rubbing his chest as he fixated on someone from across the room. In a distant corner I could make out a little girl with just as dark of hair and bright green and gold flecked eyes being busied around the room by a boy who appeared similar to Regnum's young Prince Jovan. 

Just as the boy was about to walk up to the girl, the vision melted away again to reveal me, only with pinkish hair, appearing to berate a young man at his obsidian desk. The young man was clearly the boy from the last image. But before I was able to think about the similarities, a flash occurred showing a bright display of the new Black Dragon, his wings flared out with crimson catching the light, as he stared down at a young woman - the same from the ball, with massive glittering feathered wings protruding from her shoulder blades.

Hot trickles of liquid trailed down my cheeks. She was coming back - the Goddess. The moment that all of dragonkind was waiting for would finally come after five-thousand years. And maybe... perhaps... She could save our people from the sickness that plagued female dragons.

Indigo returned and receded back into the eyes of Alexius, the original Black Dragon - the one who belonged to Belinha.

"I'm not long for this world, Huri," he began softly as he lowered his hand. "I have lived too long and waited for the time to come to see her again. To hold her again."

Alexius paused, seemingly trailing away with his thoughts of a forgotten past. When he returned his gaze to me his eyes hardened and his mouth seemed to set firmly.

"She cannot return unless I'm born again. But I have to be born from a line that is of both Hypnos and Thanatos, as she will be born from the line of Belinha and Cato. There is no other way." 

No other way... because there is only one line that connects the two.

"So, you need Aurora," I concluded aloud. Alexius nodded, causing my heart to sink into the darkest depths of my mind. 

"Can you promise her survival?" It was all I wanted. It was all I needed to know. Just let her live.

Alexius' grimly lined mouth caused more tears to trickle down my face.

"I can't promise anything, Huri. For that, I'm sorry. However," the pitch of his tone grew lighter, "if anyone could help with this sickness that plagues our females, it would be Bel."

Hope? Could I live with that small trace of it and allow for my father to bargain Aurora away to the Dragon Prince? What if by the time Belinha came of age, it was too late? What if I lost my Sun regardless? 

I need to find a cure before she goes to Demarcus.

Chapter Eight

Seventeen Years Prior...

"Why can't I go?" Aurora screeched when I declined to let her fly off with Marek to who knows where, likely Demarcus.

"You're thirteen and need to learn when I say 'no' to something that it doesn't give you the option to plead your case," I said rather simply as I sat at my workbench in my newly renovated room. 

It now had a fully dedicated work area for my new hobby - finding a way to counteract the effects of pregnancy in female dragons.

What began as dabbling into the tomes of the past and the magics of the world had turned into an obsession. Daily I poured over any shred of notes and texts that could help me save Aurora.

No, not just her, but all of them.

Though Aurora often refused to leave me to my work. Usually, I liked having her in my room and listening to my ramblings of the mystical arts. Afterall, she was still my little Sun, even if her attitude had become defiant in recent years. The girl who listened to my every word had now become a teenager. A love-sick teenager at that and keeping her close was becoming more difficult by the day.

"But I'm going to marry him! Shouldn't I spend more time with him?"

"Of course you can, in the city where you can fly wherever you please. Leaving the mountain range is out of the question." I cemented.

"He's seen the mountain range hundreds of times! Can I please go to Demarcus? Thanases is less than an hour away. Please!" She pleaded with clasped hands against her chin as her lips puffed out. 

Children… I sighed.

"No."

Rather than walk away with the grace and dignity of a princess, she huffed, stomped her foot, and slammed my door behind her - causing a heavy, small, metal sphere to fly from a shelf above me and land loudly on the floor. 

I miss when she was smaller and minded herself better, I thought to myself as I picked the ball back up and checked for cracks. The contents were still intact, which was good. The gods knew I didn’t need noxious fumes spewing everywhere.

Time was running out and news was now flying in that Alexius was preparing for the end of his life. I was able to negotiate up to her twentieth birthday. That was it.

Only twenty, I exhaled slowly. Twenty years was nothing compared to the longevity given to most dragons, but for those who were of child-bearing maturity it was an ominous timer. Of course, Aurora's world view was obscured by her infatuation with the Demarian prince. There were concerning rumors that the prince was a tyrant in his home country. They made me more uneasy about sending Aurora to Demarcus for a season to grow accustomed to their culture. He treated her well enough under my gaze, but what if I looked away? 

Placing the sphere up on its pedestal, I sat back at my workbench. There was a method to the madness, to the scattered papers. PIt was the one area of the room I forbade the servants from cleaning.  One page out of place could be the difference between life and death.

Everything was connected from the many cases of maternal fatalities, papers on Belinha's disappearance, and topics on Eternity. How was it that Belinha and Alexius' souls were allowed to return, but there were no confirmed cases of others? 

If I could perhaps attach... But I squashed down the blossoming thought to turn to the door. 

I need to look for her. Leaping from the window in her room, I began my search. 

To call Hyperion a city was more like an inside joke that the rest of the world would never understand. The dragon population was quite small compared to the other races, pure dragons being even fewer. Though, even with the numbers seeming to dwindle as the centuries passed, the range of Hyperion did not grow smaller. In fact, it covered an entire mountain range that rivaled the size of most other nations. Although I told her to stay within its borders, finding Aurora was still going to be a challenge.

Tension built at the base of my skull as I searched, in vain, in her numerous haunts. That tension then turned to heart-sinking anxiety as each townsperson claimed they hadn't seen her.

Where did she go?

The feeling of my own stupidity hit me like a boulder, forcing me to soar as high as the tallest mountain peak and sharply pivot and race to the border where Hyperion lands met those closest to Thanases.

Just as the zephyr was sweeping the underside of my wings to spring me to the capital, a small figure sitting on a patch of dirt, surrounded by blades of dry grass caught my gaze. The knot in my neck melted as my feet met the ground and I watched as this small girl sat with her legs clutched tightly against her chest and her sweet face buried in her knees. Aurora's shoulders quaked as a light sob escaped into the space between us.

"Little Sun," I began gently, watching her body go still but she refused to look up. That was okay, I would lean down to her and sit cross-legged before her until she was ready to speak. Until then, I was going to say my peace. 

"Aurora, you have grown so much and too quickly. It's hard for me to see you as anyone other than that sweet little toddler who refused to take five steps without checking to see if I was close behind her,” I breathed slowly and deeply, knowing some concessions would need to be made on my part. "I am protective, stubborn, and hold on too tightly. But I also know it's due to my love for you and wanting to keep you safe."

I paused, hoping she would look up. Instead, her shoulders lowered while she tilted her head slightly upwards, as if to hear me better. So, I continued, laying it all out for her.

"On the day you were born, and I know I’ve said this before, my little Sun, I made a vow to our mother that I would take care of you. On that day..." I struggled, searching for a way to speak without breaking. It was because of my caring for Aurora that healing had become possible after losing our mother, but I wouldn't put that on her shoulders. But, I had to stress her importance to me in another way. "...I had to grant her last wish and make sure I gave you the best life possible. And that's what I have been trying to do ever since. You have become my pride and joy over these short years and I'm not ready to send you off just yet."

Lifting my hand, I rested it on her bright sun-kissed locks. "Please don't be in such a rush to leave me."

After a long pause, perhaps several, her mirroring, yet wet, golden eyes finally took a peek at my own. The corners of my lips turned upwards slightly as hers did the same.

"I'll try not to,” she whispered through a hiccup.

"That's all I can ask for,” I replied just as softly.

We took our time returning home, walking for most of the way. Something about her isolation troubled me and I dared to ask the question.

"I thought you were going flying with Marek?" It came out more as prying than a general question, but after some of the rumors I heard... I just wanted to make sure I was wrong.

She paused in her steps up the path to the mountain and hung her head low, her chin tucked nearly against her chest as she seemed desperate not to cry.

"He brought along someone to join us. But she couldn't fly. She’s from Durant. At first I didn't mind, but when I changed from my hybrid form to my full one..." Aurora's voice trailed as her small shoulders lean forward in a sag. After a moment she let out a breath. "Marek said that it wasn't polite to show off and become jealous. But I wasn't!"

Her voice rose as she turned to face me, tears seeming to become angry within flaring eyes.

"I just wanted the full rush of the winds, they were so strong today. I really didn't mind that he brought someone else. But then, after he told me that I was being vain and rude, he took off with the girl, I think her name is Regina, and left me at the bottom of the mountains. Before you came, I was trying to run through what happened again and again, but I couldn't think of where I went wrong to justify it." Then her gaze became soft again as her angry tears turned solemn. "Huri, is my dragon form really that gross?"

My legs nearly buckled from under me as I took in her words and I wanted to find that boy to beat him within an inch of his pathetic little life. But she was already so upset. I didn't think I had it in me to distress her further. Instead, I released my own wings from the slits of my robes and spread them out wide, allowing the rays of the sun to bounce off the scales and cast glimmering lights onto the ground. I looked at them and then to her as she appeared in awe.

"Do you think my scales are gross?" I asked, giving them a slight flap.

Aurora shook her head sharply.

"No! They are the most beautiful scales I have ever seen!" She cried, new tears forming in her eyes.

"Is that what you really think, my little Sun?" I pressed.

"Of course!"

Nodding and acknowledging her true thoughts, I moved closer to her and leant down to meet her gaze. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I lowered my voice, hoping she would listen well.

"If my scales are beautiful, then why would yours be any less so?"

Chapter Nine

Fourteen Years Prior...

Nothing. I found absolutely nothing to help and minimize the risks of childbirth. Time was running out and I had hardly any years left before I would be forced to send her to Thanases permanently. In four years time she would be married and likely preparing to be a mother, if she even lived through it.

Alexius' recent death left me rattled - not from a personal attachment to him, but for the hourglass that swiftly turned upside down signaling his end and the uncertainty it led to.

As the summer months rolled in, Marek's presence in the city became more frequent. Each visit, in the beginning, Aurora's face became light as she went to his side and acted as his personal tour guide, despite Marek knowing the city well enough. Though... There were times I noticed the light becoming dull when she was with him - particularly when the princess of Durant was brought up in conversation. Even though the desert princess was promised to Jovan of Regnum, Marek remained quite smitten with her. I could get over his boyish desires if only he didn’t bring it up so often to Aurora.

Some days I caught her left alone as Marek made day trips out to see Regina. The naga descended princess must have been quite the beauty for him to continually pass up the chance to spend time with a princess whose vibrancy rivaled that of the Sun’s.

"She's very pretty," my little Sun said one afternoon, her tone soft and defeated as she watched Marek exit the city for the third time that week from her bedroom window.

"You're very pretty," I countered, coming to stand beside her.

Her shoulders slumped forward as she hung her head lowly with golden strands blocking the view of her face. I placed a hand on her upper back, in hopes of giving comfort. Instead, her body lurched forward with a heavy sob. 

"You're biased, Huri," she whimpered after a long moment between us. Still, I kept my hand on her back, willing her to think better of herself.

"I would agree with you," I began, angling my head in an attempt to catch her gaze, "but how can I be biased if everyone that meets you says the same thing?"

"They're biased too." A hiccup and sniffle escaped with her words.

Teenagers and young love were such messy affairs. It had been some time since I was a teenager but... I nearly shuddered at a dusty old memory of a young man confessing his affection for me. Despite being flattered with their honesty, I couldn't find a reason to begin a relationship with him. Nor had I felt much interest in any of the others that confessed after him - both male, female, and those similar to myself. Starting a relationship based on a whim was not something constructive to do with my time, even back then. 

Perhaps I’m the odd one out… yet…

I continued to look at my sun-envying sixteen-year-old charge. She was in a very different situation than I had ever been in. Far different.

"Aurora, do you love him?" It came out accidentally as an inner thought, and part of me wished it stayed there. 

From under my palm, Aurora's body tensed sharply, as if I struck her with a hammer. When she exhaled slowly, lowering my palm in sync with her back, she continued to look away from me as she answered.

"It doesn't matter if I do or don't. Everything's been decided and I have a part to play."

Each word struck me in the heart with the force of a dagger. I had never told her about my encounter with Alexius and I began to wonder if she knew the extent of what her role would entail. Before I was able to hypothesize what she knew, she spoke again with a tone so soft it was ironically deafening.

"They came to see me... a couple years ago. He sought me out himself without prompt, and he brought that dark-haired man with him," she pulled her head up to stare blankly down at the city as the sun set and fiery balls came to life on the iron lamp posts of the streets. Without turning, or my vocal inquiring, she continued. 

"I imagined him to look a lot different... perhaps even close to a god. But... when he looked at me and spoke to me..." she paused, inhaling deeply, waiting for what felt like forever to release it. "... he just seemed so tired, old, and maybe even broken."

"Who?" it came out when I hadn't meant it too. Who could have had such an impact on my girl?

Continuing to stare at the streets she let it all out.

"Father. He came to see me when you were away for a few days two years ago... I think in Kai? But he came and saw me right here and stood right next to me, the way you are now. And he brought..." her voice hitched. A violent sob wrecked through her body as she hunched further into the windowsill. Still, I kept my hand on her back. It was probably useless, but it was all she would allow me to do.

Slowing her breaths she reached up with the back of her hand to wipe the mess of tears that refused to abate. 

"He brought the one I will give birth to after he dies."

Alexius. My heart lurched. Not only did our father come to see her, but had her believing there were no other options. Once she saw Alexius and knew the true purpose of her life... or at least the purpose our father had given her, I saw how she came to the finite conclusion of her future. She would not fight the marriage treaty, and she would not fight her fate - no matter how negligent Marek was to her.

It was after another small sob and a shallow breath that she finally turned to look at me, her golden eyes puffy, red, and what seemed like a small glimmer of light.

"You've been working so hard to try and help me. In more ways than I can think of, you are the parent I always needed. But..." she closed her eyes tightly, her face scrunching up in a way that only came from a heart in pain, and then planted herself in my arms. I held her tightly, wishing she was smaller again to cradle her completely in my arms. With her face buried in my chest she continued with not so much as a muffle in her words. "... I need you to know that whatever happens it will be okay. It will be what is meant to be. Please don't go to all these lengths just for me."

"It's not just for you, Aurora," I began and pulled her back to look her in the eyes. "It's for everyone. This fear of expanding our population has been hanging over us for generations and if something isn't done about it we will cease to exist. Although... I would be lying if I said you weren't my first priority. In truth, you just gave me the reason to begin my research."

Tears never seemed so large as hers did in that moment. My poor child, hurt and feeling hopeless. I needed to get her out of this room.

"Let's go for a fly, I'll treat you to some of your favorite ice cream," I lifted my lips up slightly, hoping it looked like an inviting smile.

Inhaling a deep sniffle and wiping her entire, messy face on the back of her sleeve - that I was not going to scold her about, she finally gave the barest hint of a nod.

Rays of the sun danced along the scales of her spread-out wings as she soared in all her form to catch a distant cloud. Even as she neared maturity, I loved that she held on to these simple games of ours. Bittersweet waves rushed through me thinking of the simpler times. The times when we would catch clouds, drop ice cream from the sky to see how fast we could dive in order to catch it, and enjoying being perched up on the crest of the tallest mountain... I couldn't fight the heavy breath that left me. 

She partially transformed before I did as we descended into the city and then, in the manner not seen in many young women, she raced me to our favorite shop.

At our usual spot, facing the bustling cobblestoned street, we enjoyed our treats and laughed about precious memories. It wasn't until she reached the middle of her cone that her troubling thoughts found her again as she began to look pensively towards the street.

"Do you remember that time when we sat here and that wagon went by?" her voice let out softly, almost a whisper - as if it were a secret only we shared.

Unfortunately, I did remember that day. It was not only her birthday, but the day I lost the most respect for our father. But for her, the young woman holding her infant child as they reached their place of eternal slumber had clung to her more fastly than the party earlier that day. To see one's own mortality in such a way could do that, even to a child.

We both seemed to know that I didn't need to respond, and she continued.

"Were there any signs? Anything at all that may have saved her from having me?" again, her voice was light and distant.

Mother...

"No, my little Sun, there wasn't - for both answers," I began mildly, remembering back to that dark day. "When we...well, when any of us are permanently female, or even in between, we can't transform when expecting. I'm not sure why it happens, perhaps a mutation from thousands of years ago when we evolved from eggs to live births, but something stops our blood from functioning properly. We can't transform, even partially, and we can't heal in the way our bodies usually would. And that's what makes the mortality rate so high."

I paused, thinking more on my hypothesis before continuing.

"So far, I have no answers. Only the goddess could possibly mend such a thing but I don't even know that for certain."

"But she's coming back," it was soft, almost sounding absent minded from Aurora's lips. It sounded as though she said it before to herself, like a mantra.

Reluctantly, I nodded when we locked eyes.

"In a way, but also not really," hunching over, I held her gaze to show all of my honest words. Hope was not necessarily on the table. "Reincarnation hasn't been fully studied. Only a few cases exist but they are so few and the details are so vague that I couldn't, in good conscience, say they are reliable sources. But from what I have found, returned souls are not the same as they were before. They have very few glimpses of memories from their past but do regain some, if not all, their past abilities. It's the abilities that can be tricky though. Say if Belinha comes back, she will be born to the humans and humans are not known for gifts. There is a chance her role in healing the world will be solely diplomatic as she may not have any abilities from when she first arrived."

Aurora's jaw seemed to tighten as her lips thinned. 

"But she could... she could regain everything," her voice wavered.

Oh, how badly I wanted to tell her to keep the faith and have hope. I wanted to tell her that the birth of the goddess would fix everything. Yet, I simply couldn't be that cruel.

"Aurora," I began, using her given name so that she would listen closely. "There is no guarantee. We are not even sure where her line is to know exactly where she will be reborn. I just don't want you to be misled."

Guilt ate at my chest as she sat in her seat. Even if the goddess comes back the way she was supposed to, it also wasn’t guaranteed that she would be able to save anyone before it was too late. No, I had to do all I could to find a cure myself. 

Four more years…

Chapter Ten

Twelve Years Prior…

Taking this form… using my own abilities to shift between the sexes brought me nowhere and was exhausting. Was it because it had been years since I took on the female form and had to go through an entire cycle before I could take the genetic tissue needed? 

Again, I sat painfully stiff on my stool and watched as the line attached to my arm filled with darkened crimson blood. It was out of the question to use anyone else’s. If people were to learn what I was attempting to do it could cause an imaginary sense of optimism. No, I had to use myself and only myself.

This time I filled ten vials, as opposed to my usual three. They just ran out so quickly, and my arms were becoming tender from all of the injections, even with the rapid healing of the puncture marks. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the end of taking samples from myself. Being able to harvest my own eggs was something I was grateful for in order to conduct the experiments, but the pain was worse than collecting my blood. Although bone marrow was becoming more promising for building artificial eggs I still hadn’t perfected it.

Placing the new samples into the special ice box I commissioned from a group of ice dragons, I pulled out three glass containers and placed them on the workbench near my notebook. 

With my new, painstakingly created spectacles, I looked at each glass tray to record any differences of the eggs. The glasses were the biggest breakthrough in all of my experimenting. With them, my analytical abilities increased ten fold, as they recorded my observations and made it possible to observe specimens on a microscopic level. Pouring in essences of my energy and aura, I adapted them to be the most intricate tool at my disposal, being able to detect living beings' auras and levels of power as well. And there was zero chance I would reproduce them for others. The process was just too difficult. A spare for myself was all I could manage.

Looking into the petri discs I focused the lenses on their contents. Perhaps the shape could be what caused issues, or maybe color? But then what causes them to not be identical? And which egg would be the culprit? Did it have anything to do with the eggs at all? Perhaps male sperm was the issue.

Personal ethics stopped me from cloning my genetic material by combining my male and female tissues. Though, desperation was likely to force my hand one of these days.

Three light taps sounded on my door. A sweep of a piece of paper slipped from the bottom of the threshold, folded neatly into a perfect square. One of my eyes had finally returned.

A tightening sensation gripped my lower abdomen as I stood to retrieve the letter. After all these years I had forgotten what a female cycle could feel like and it nearly had me bedridden. But I wouldn’t change back until I was satisfied with the collection I was building. Eggs were just so much harder to collect than sperm.

Unfolding the paper that had no visible markings on it, I lit my fingertips with a small flame to hover just under it. Words formed where all four creases met and for the first time in years I felt a small glimmer of hope.

Latonia Beckett

Oksana, Regnum

Pushing through the cramping and pain, I went to Aurora’s room across the hall, knocking on the door.

“Come in,” she called, smiling at me when I walked in. “Oh, hi Huri.”

It was impossible sometimes to comprehend that she was an adult in the eyes of the world. My once curious and impulsive little toddler was now a grown woman and preparing to leave me, which made what I was about to do all the more pressing. Time was up and this was a chance at something that could help.

“Hey, my little Sun,” I replied, coming to stand beside her at the window sill. Fortunately, the spoiled brat from Demarcus was going to be away for much of the time until the wedding so Aurora’s mood and outlook stayed consistently positive day-to-day. 

“I’m afraid that I have to take a trip for a couple of days, maybe a week. Something came up and I need to see to it personally.”

It wasn’t the first time I had to take trips away from home. I was still an agent to my homeland whether I agreed with my father or not and was tied to keeping the peace for our community. Most days I was sent to lend a helping hand and bring good will to various areas of Demarcus and Ignatia, but occasionally there were unpleasant individuals that I had to track as well. My small band of spies were invaluable for those situations, but it was not always possible to stay put in Hyperion. 

When I looked down her mouth slanted downwards and her brow creased. 

“Are you sure that you should be going anywhere? You’re awfully pale,” she said, placing the back of her hand against my forehead just as I would do for her as a small child. 

“It’s nothing too strenuous, I’ll be fine. But I would appreciate it if you kept yourself out of trouble while I’m away.” I pulled back from her hand and putting my hope between us. She wasn’t always well behaved… much to my chagrin of being the one to raise her.

A small hand flew, fingers outstretched, to her chest as she gasped out in feigned horror.

“I would never cause trouble.”

Gods, soon these moments will be gone.

“I’ll hold you to that while I’m away,” I smiled, giving a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

***

It was early evening when I reached the small, oceanfront village of Oksana. Pulling the hood of my red robes down, I approached an elderly woman behind a splintering wooden desk of the only inn I could find. While the building was remarkably clean, it clearly did not experience the same boom in tourism as places like Maris and Nautica - Regnum’s largest cities. 

Rough patch jobs were visible on the walls of withering paint and nearly all of the floor boards creaked under my weight. I made a mental note to leave a generous tip before I left.

“Good evening…” the raspy woman greeted me before her voice seemed to trail as she observed me. 

I supposed I should have changed some of my appearance - at least my clothes. 

Too late now.

“Good evening,” I returned and widened my mouth as much as I could, hoping I appeared friendly. “I was hoping to rent a room for the next few days and enjoy some of the magnificent scenery your area has.”

There was a long pause, as if the woman suddenly went mute. Rather than wait for a response, I continued towards the desk.

“Do you have one available?”

Her gray eyes blinked twice then cleared, as her senses seemed to return.

“Of course! My apologies for my rudeness. We don’t see a lot of foreign travelers in these parts.”

“That’s quite alright,” I continued to smile. “I am just taking a personal world tour and have been making a point to visit any smaller villages I come across. Your village is quite lovely.”

Her posture relaxed and there was a sense of pride infused with her aura. 

“Yes, I like to think so,” she smiled and pulled out a long, age-worned, ledger with arthritic swollen hands. “Any particular preference for your room? We have ones that overlook the ocean, but they are a bit pricier.”

“That sounds lovely, thank you. I would like to pay for three days now, if that’s alright and if I should like to stay longer I would pay at the end of the three days.” Clinking touched the desk between us as I flashed another smile before releasing the drawstring bag. Though I could see curiosity running through her, the inn owner didn’t ask any further questions before handing over the key.

The room was clean, simple, and quaint with its main focal point being a large arched window overlooking the sea from a safe distance. The inn was at least half a mile away from the shore and I wondered, briefly, if they experienced issues with flooding in the past.

Setting my small sack down on the patch-quilt covered bed, I prepared for my afternoon search. The first thing was going to be to change out of my conspicuous robes.

Chapter Eleven

I was intrigued by the amount of sea people I came across while walking down the condensed streets. The village was uniquely diverse and I wondered if it was due to remoteness from other landmarks. It brought up the theory that, perhaps, the offspring of the humans here were more likely to inherit the abilities of the non-human parent compared to the rest of Regnum. And if my information was anything to go off, I may  be lucky enough to test the theory some day.

Pulling a travel-sized journal from the pocket of my pleated maroon skirt, I tilted my straw summer hat down, shading my eyes enough to read my notes. A salty breeze rolled up from the bottom of the hill that led to the docks, causing my short-sleeved ruffled, white shirt to sway roughly against it and for my hair to whip my eyes.

I should have cut it before I left… 

Being on the inner crest of the country’s sea, the strong winds were unexpected and I was ill prepared for them. So horribly prepared that my small notebook flew from my hands and into the sky.

Letting a soft curse escape under my breath, I reached up to catch the book, not wanting to sprout my wings and cause a scene. My eyes would get me enough attention as it was, causing me to opt for a softer female oriented outfit to fit in better with the locals. Though, the sandals were impractical and not helpful when jumping for the stupid book. 

“Come back!” Why I was shouting at it, I didn’t know. It didn’t make me feel any better as it then flopped onto the ground to then roll into the sand banks of the beach.

It’s going to be unreadable at this rate!

Keeping my head down to avoid the curious glances and my focus on the rolling bain of my existence, I had no time to stop myself before I collided with a slender female body.

“Ooomf,” came out as my rear end hit the ground and my spectacles hung off from one ear.

“Oh my! Are you alright?” A small, pale hand extended into my line of sight, offering to help me up. 

Accepting the gesture, I rose to my feet and wiped as much sand off me as I could before facing the poor girl I ran into.

“I’m really…” my words caught in my throat at the young girl before me, perhaps only a couple of years younger than Aurora. There were enough illustrated books and stained glass windows in Hyperion to know those green eyes and that bright auburn hair. But it wasn’t her… was it?

“...sorry.”

Huh?

Her smile was bright, causing her eyes to take the form of twinkling crescents. Again her lips moved.

“I said that I’m really sorry. I wasn’t paying attention and just stood here like a scarecrow,” the young woman giggled.

Blinking away my confusion, I attempted to mimic her grin.

“Oh, no, I’m the one that needs to apologize. I was chasing after my…”

“This?” another female voice sounded from behind the girl. Looking over her shoulder, I could see a near identical young woman holding up my notebook. Though, her aura did not feel the same as the first’s. Her voice was not as light either.

“Yes, thank you,” I smiled and reached a hand out to take it.

“Why are you here?” the second girl inquired, her tone tight and her eyes held mine with ruthless suspicion. 

The first girl gave a dismissive wave before speaking, “Oh, Leena, you’re always so rude! Can’t you let someone enjoy their walk without thinking they are up to something nefarious?”

Leena’s eyes continued to harden as she narrowed them.

“And you, Diana, are too trusting. You would think that your time in the capital would teach you to have caution. Whoever comes through here either lives here or used to live here. No one just shows up for no reason.”

Clearing my throat, I felt compelled to answer this girl, if only partially.

“Actually, I am here to find someone. A Healer who goes by Latonia Beckett. Have you heard of her?”

Both Leena and Diana’s eyes seemed to widen. How unusual…

“What do you want with her?” Leena continued to question, her stance stiffening.

How much can I tell them without them becoming more suspicious?

Letting out a deep sigh and lowering my shoulders, I figured it was best to give more truth than fiction.

“My community suffers from a blight that targets the females during childbirth. I’m searching for the last known descendant of Belinha to hopefully help find a cure and I heard that this village had a possible lead.”

Diana’s face softened, though Leena’s was tighter than ever as she glared at her twin - or at least sister I concluded.

“We’re her daughters,” Diana began, shushing Leena’s protests as her lips began to form words. “I can take you to her, but I cannot promise if she will, or can help.”

Hope…

“I understand, thank you, Miss Diana.”

Through wind and dunes we reached the top of a cliff overlooking the vast ocean as a lush, green forest sat behind a two-story cottage. Outside was a roofed well, enclosed within a wooden fence that extended around the back of the house. Many different plants grew in organized clumps, all staying within the boundaries of the fence. Some I recognized as vegetables, such as squash and beans, while others appeared to be herbs.

Following them into the cottage, which opened into a well-stocked kitchen with herbs hanging to dry on the walls and from the beams of the ceiling, I was greeted with an earthy, yet clean, aroma. On the ground floor there seemed to be one bedroom off the side of the kitchen behind the stairs. I assumed there were more rooms on the second floor. 

As we moved in further, the back door opened, revealing a woman who looked similar to the other two, only older - my guess was by at least two decades. When she saw us she paused with a basket of freshly harvested carrots and cast me a curious glance before her face shifted into one of recognition. I was certain I had never met her before, but something about her said otherwise when she looked at me.

“Welcome home, girls. Who’s your friend?” Her voice was similar to Diana’s - light and warm.

“Uh…” Diana paused for a moment and then gave a light giggle before turning to face me. “I’m sorry, once again for my rudeness but…”

“Huri.” When she said it I wasn’t even sure I heard my own name correctly. Although she had been the one to ask the question, Latonia also answered it and spoke my name as if we were old friends.

Nodding, I stepped forward and bowed my head in respect. After all, I was in the presence of those who carried a bloodline even more renowned than my own. Removing my hat, I stepped forward.

“Yes, I am Huri of Thanatos and of the royal family in Hyperion. I have come here to ask for your help.”

The lines around her lips fell at my request as she put the basket onto the wooden table of the kitchen.

“Let’s go for a short walk,” she began and then looked at each of her daughters. “Girls, go finish your chores before dinner.”

Diana left through the front door, casting me a curious glance as she passed. Leena seemed to hesitate for a moment before also resigning to her mother’s orders. She continued to watch me with suspicion as she followed her sister.

Why is she so untrusting?

“Don’t mind Leena,” Latonia began, motioning me through the back door. “She has a strong sense for protecting her family. Though I’m not quite certain of where she gets it from.”

Latonia’s lips drew up into a warm, maternal-seeming smile as she ushered me out to the back garden. 

Green leaves and sprigs covered most areas of the fenced in garden. Leaves attached to vines climbing up tall archways bearing deep purple grapes hung over our heads as we sat on a small stone bench underneath them. Plants such as lavender and chamomile kept the air around us fragrant and fresh. The back of my mind tugged at me to build something similar when I returned home and to share it with Aurora. The sense of peace brought on by the plants was something I would be curious enough to replicate.

“I knew you would be coming to see me, I just didn’t know when,” Latonia began beside me, though she didn’t face me. Rather, she stared with a sense of longing at the plants, as if they held the answers she was searching for.

“You see, I couldn’t even cure my husband of his impotence. He was never meant to give me children to continue our line…”

“But you have two,” I interrupted, inwardly slapping myself for my rudeness. I was just so excited to get some answers that my mouth and brain didn’t want to ally with one another.

She continued to look away from me, causing my stomach to cave. My eyes followed the path we had come from to the two teen-aged girls by the well. Both occasionally looked back at me - Diana’s green eyes were merely curious while Leena’s gaze was as hard as obsidian. They were the next generation of Belinha’s line, their genetics couldn’t lie about that.

“They are not biologically my husbands. Of course, he’s their father in every other way…” Latonia trailed, her gaze seeming to shift to the crashing waves of the ocean just off the side of the cliff. “I had the responsibility to keep the line going, no matter the cost, as I knew she would be coming back. I had to do my part in any way I could. So I kneeled at the tip of that cliff right there,” she pointed to the edge of where her cottage met the end of the land, “and I prayed for a miracle. When he came to me and offered me the promise of children, I readily agreed and accepted his embrace. After that day I was blessed with twin girls and he has never touched me since.”

“He?” I asked, attempting to piece together her words as I, too, stared out into the ocean.

“Cato.”

My breath hitched in my throat. The sea dragon that was Belinha’s first creation took it upon himself to keep the line going. Even though humans did not carry the same risk that female dragons had in childbirth, Latonia took a risk and it paid off. The mixing of human and deity genetics was not only rare, it was unheard of. I wanted to ask about it but I stopped myself. My curiosity could wait. The cost of dragonkind had become an epidemic that had gone unnoticed for far too long.

“Do you know why dragons have such a hard time conceiving and giving birth?” I hoped she would know. I hoped with my entire soul she would know.

“I attempted to study it once but could never break the wall to discover the root cause. Although,” she stood and motioned for me to do the same, “I have some old journals for you to keep if you want. Perhaps they can help. I have the gift of Sight, seeing both the past and the future. Every time I have a vision, I write it down.”

“Thank you, I won’t forget your kindness…”

She paused me with an open palm. Then she looked into my eyes, showing me a sorrow that I had only seen in those who lost the most precious people in their lives. There were no tears, but in my heart I knew that there didn’t need to be. Again, her eyes wandered, this time over to her daughters.

“Knowing and not sharing can be the cruelest experience in this world. I cannot promise you the survival of your baby sister, as I know the mortality rate is high, and I need you to understand…” she returned to my gaze, her eyes still sorrow ridden, “we can sometimes prolong the inevitable, but we cannot deny it. My own sweet and precious Diana will be proof of that when the time comes.”

I followed her gaze to the sisters. Diana had managed to pull a heavy bucket from the well, only to put her hand in it and flick some of the water onto her sister’s face, giggling the entire time. Although Leena seemed annoyed, she did not scold her sister and instead took the bucket and brought it into the house with a rolling of her eyes.

“I’m sorry for your burden,” I murmured, imagining her suffering from a loss that hasn’t occurred yet but would regardless. 

“And no one but you will know of it.” Latonia’s voice solidified, implying the promise she was forcing onto me - which I accepted whole heartedly. Then she pulled a small, folded up, piece of paper from the pocket of her earth covered skirt and handed it to me.

Curious, I opened it right there to see a list of ingredients and measurements. My silent question when I looked up didn’t have to wait long for an answer.

“This medicine will not cure your kind but it may be able to prolong the lives of those who suffer from this ailment. At most, it offers them some borrowed time, maybe ten years at the most, but it’s all I have for now. Perhaps one day someone can come along and perfect it.”

Oh, gods! Heat rose to my cheeks and then streamed from my eyes. What she handed me was not only time but hope. Real, true, honest hope. If I could mass produce this then I could help all dragons and, especially, Aurora.

Chapter Twelve

Eleven years prior…

She was a vision. Golden strands sat elegantly pinned to the side with a sun-colored lotus blossom and the rest trailed down her back in delicate ringlets. 

The mostly white fabric of her gown shimmered in the Sun’s rays, giving Aurora the appearance of being an extension to the fiery ball in the sky. 

As she twirled by the window - the very window our mother sat near and hummed softly to Aurora as she grew inside her, as well as the window that I would hold her to watch the city or comfort her in times of distress… I had to force myself to choke back everything that wanted to burst out. 

Time is so cruel.

Slipping a light sigh through my lips, I stepped forward with her veil. Of all the pieces I put together for her wedding dress, the veil had become my most favorite.

It wasn’t just any dragons embroidered on the delicate lace - but the forms of myself, our mother, father, and Aurora. I debated about adding my father’s only to dismiss it when the political implications came to mind. As such, I put his form closer to the bottom hem of the veil, with the rest of us rising upwards as Aurora’s nearly reached the top. Specks of gold lay entwined with three of them with traces of silver on our father’s form. Her favorite lotus blossoms freckled the lace in various places. When I pinned it to the top of her crown, with a sparkling golden tiara to match, her look was complete and I was undone.

Fiery streams poured from my eyes as I took in this young woman who was just a child, my child. 

“Don’t do that now!” She giggled at my mess of a self.

But how could I not? It wasn’t just my little Sun getting married. She was leaving home with someone I knew she cared for but didn’t return her affections. This marriage was more for duty than happiness and she was being sacrificed for the hope that the goddess would return. This wasn’t a joyous beginning - it was a tragic end.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a small vial containing a deep blue liquid, placing it in her palm.

“I will send more in a few days, but this is the prototype of the elixir to prevent maternity sickness. I’ve only just begun distributing it to other females already pregnant. I can’t guarantee… uummff” 

Before I could finish, my nose collided with the tiara on her head as she embraced me tightly. 

“Thank you.”

Her tone was so soft that I barely heard her words, but I did and returned her embrace just as tightly. 

***

A spring sprinkle seemed appropriate, crying for my absence of tears, as I sat beside her, keeping her hand close to mine as if we were crossing the busy roads of Hyperion. Tight and secure. Our father sat across from us in an open carriage ride to the temple near the peak of the mountain range. Of course, he said nothing to either of us, not even how beautiful his precious daughter was in her wedding gown with her white lilies resting on her lap as she became a portrait of the divine. 

One part of me wanted the carriage ride to be over so that I wouldn’t have to be so close to him. Although, a much larger part of me hoped we would never reach the top. But eventually we did arrive and I was forced to relinquish her small, delicate hand - the hand that clung to mine during many fearful flights, through chaotic midnight thunderstorms, and in her grief over the heart she would never gain as she walked towards him now. 

And all I could do was watch her leave and pray to Thanatos and Hypnos that she would find happiness in some form and live a long enough life to enjoy that happiness.

Chapter Thirteen

Ten years prior…

Sitting in my established lair of the Thanases’ castle, I closed and locked the metal case to another shipment of Elixir F. I didn’t have the luxury of time when it came to naming the miracle potion, and just added the F for female. But it did what it was expected to do.

At least twenty females who faced complications in their pregnancies showed improvement - though their bodies were still weakened and many could no longer take their dragon forms. At least they were alive - for the time being.

Though I had attempted to add and deviate from the recipe, not much was available to strengthen the elixir and my work remained stagnant - even more so as I cared for a very with-child, no… children, Aurora.

Passing by the kitchens, I stopped to pull together her breakfast myself - ignoring the odd glances of the servants. Placing a delicate lotus blossom in a short, fluted vase and the vial of elixir on her tray, I advanced to her wing. Marek was away… again. Despite the fact that the princess from Durant was now married to Jovan of Regnum, it didn’t prevent Marek from visiting her anyways and leaving my sister alone in this frigid castle while nearing her due date. 

Even I was naive enough to think he would stay by her side when he found out she was carrying twins. Such a rarity and blessing would make most other soon-to-be fathers overjoyed and left doting on their partners. Not Marek. Even if he wasn’t physically unfaithful to Aurora, his negligence to her well-being was just as harmful to her mental state.

Lightly rapping three times on the door, I let myself in when I only received silence - which wasn’t unusual. Being thirty-two weeks along, her body was exhausted - even by human standards. As I suspected, she lay enveloped in her cream-colored bedding and all of the small windows tightly shut. 

Thanases was not temperature controlled by dragon technology, like Hyperion, and because it was in the most northern part of Demarcus every day was cold. 

Gingerly placing the silver tray on her nightstand, I placed a hand on the top of her head. She was so tired, and despite having two growing babies inside her, she was thin. Thinner than she had ever been.

“Little Sun, it’s time to eat,” I whispered, though I refrained from shaking her. She was never a heavy sleeper, even as a child.

Golden eyes, still as bright as the day she was born, smiled up at me, causing a twinge to nag at my heart.

How can she stay so optimistic?

“I brought you breakfast,” I continued softly as I helped her into a sitting position, propping plush pillows up and near her lower back before sliding the tray over her legs. Picking up the vial, I moved it closer to her. “This first.”

Obediently she downed the liquid in one gulp before moving over to her juice - another thing Demarcus lacked. Fruit seemed to be a commodity but I would damn my soul if I didn’t find her the most nutritious foods I could. My soul would be damned regardless if I let her down.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, pressing my fingers firmly into her open wrist to find her pulse.

“Tired,” she answered before lifting her neck so that I could check for any ill effects from the pregnancy.

Whether for her sake or my own, I smiled lightly before checking her ankles.

“Well, you’re eating for three. Just think of how tired you will be running after those two once they’re out.”

So swollen… I thought, pressing my pointer and middle fingers against her inner ankles. She had been on bed rest since she was twenty weeks along, but the swelling still hadn’t subsided.

Her giggle invaded my thoughts.

“I think I will like being their mother.”

So long as you live long enough…

“You’ll make a wonderful mother, just like our own. Her love always seemed so endless, and you were fortunate enough to inherit that.” 

Pulling the covers back over her legs, I came to sit beside her, only to see a few bites had been taken. Scolding her would do nothing, as I knew she had a hard enough time keeping food down.

At least her juice is gone… I’ll bring up more later.

“You inherited that too, Huri,” Aurora’s voice was soft - solemn. Her hand draped over mine. Her small, thin hand. “You never stopped loving me, even when I know how hard it is to see me like this. And you work so hard for me and for all of us.”

Her hand motioned to her swollen belly. The smile on her face faded causing my heart to tighten at a never-forgotten memory two decades prior. 

“Which is why…” she began but I flipped my hand up to grip hers, causing her to look up at me.

It was never a question… I just didn’t want to answer it out loud.

“Your children will always be loved and cared for - no matter what.”

Chapter Fourteen

Handing the attending nurse one more vial of Elixir F, I hurried to my room to find anything that could help Aurora during the birthing process - sedatives, antiseptics, as well anything to help with the pain. 

Thirty-three weeks was too early, even for twins and I was ill-prepared. But I didn’t trust myself to remain calm by her side, relying on others to deliver all of the medicinal tools at my disposal.

Having become accustomed to assisting in the birth of children in Hyperion after wanting to see the effects of Elixir F first hand, I knew I was qualified to assist. But my skills and my heart were not always aligned. One slight falter in judgement could prove fatal, and I wasn’t willing to risk any of their lives.

For what seemed like many hours, I sat on the floor just outside the door - all the while my little Sun didn’t cry out in pain once. I hoped my elixirs were helping. It hurt that only maids from Thanases were with her. There were no friends by her side - no family. 

Sitting there on the floor was all I could do, praying to Thanatos and Hypnos and waiting to hear the signs of healthy babies and a healthy mother.

Sconces of the corridors were lit with quick flicks from servants as they passed me by, signaling that the sun had set. How I hoped that wouldn’t be an omen as I continued to sit, my back as stiff as the stone behind it.

But then…

There… my exhausted mind lit up as faint wailing traveled through the door. A baby’s cry echoed into my heart as my cheeks became soaked. 

They sound healthy.

Standing to my feet, I moved closer to the door to listen for the second baby but the cry never came. 

When the door nudged open I immediately rushed in, barely acknowledging an apology to the maid I ran into. I didn’t have time for polite formalities.

The world fell silent and heavy on my shoulders as I took in the appearance of the bed. The maids were still rushing to bring fresh sheets and warm water to clean up. I couldn’t care less about the mess.

A never ending stream lit my cheeks on fire as I was met by my little Sun’s eyes - alert, bright, and alive. She survived and in her arms were two small bundles wrapped in the soft blankets I made. One was still whimpering from the traumatic experience of coming into this life, their hand occasionally reaching up to grasp at the air. The other was silent, but Aurora’s face remained light as she smiled.

“Come meet your niece and nephew,” she said and tilted her head to the spot beside her.

How was I breathing? How was my heart beating? How was anything normal when I faced the two most beautiful babies I had ever seen? 

“Elek and Celina,” she introduced, leaning her head towards each as she said their names. A boy and a girl, the sex already determined by their less-than full dragon blood. But they were perfect nonetheless.

Celina’s patch of golden hair rested neatly on her head as she continued to whimper from just coming into the world. I already knew, from the moment her golden eyes, with a hint of amethyst around the pupils, locked into mine she would have me wrapped around her tiny finger. And I couldn’t wait for that.

Elek was completely different. His aura, his demeanor, his expression. The patch of black hair matched that of Alexius, to the exact shade. He didn’t cry, not even a sniffle or whimper as his amethyst eyes with gold rings, contrasting perfectly with Celina’s, locked onto mine as if he were taking in all of my appearance with an analyst’s mind. He was someone I hoped to guide.

Even though I wanted to care for the twins, my priority was still my little Sun. For the next few months she would be the only being to have my full attention.

Chapter Fifteen

Eight years prior…

His wings were dark enough to block out the sun, with their crimson membranes appearing as if they swallowed the sun whole as it fought to be seen. 

Everything he did, saw, and listened to were meticulously stored away for later use - which became clear when Elek’s scales came in and he began speaking months before his sister. Being the holder of Alexius’ soul, I should have expected nothing less from Elek.

Though he didn’t seem to have knowledge of his past life, with me questioning him occasionally to try and spark something, his aura proved his identity. Massive, ominous, and fierce.

Then there was my delicate Celina, whose scales never showed - though at the age of two it wasn’t too late. They could still come. Some less-than full dragons didn’t acquire scales until they were three or four. So, for now, there was no need to worry.

It was Aurora that I was most concerned with. Like with many other female dragons after childbirth, she was unable to take her full form - unable to pull the energy to release those golden scales. A few times she managed wings, only to have to retract them shortly after stretching them. I wondered if we could do some form of physical therapy to regain her flight.

Just be happy she’s alive, I scolded inwardly as I sat with Aurora, watching Elek fly over the castle.

“Elek, sweetie!” Aurora called from the intricate metal table and chairs of her balcony facing the city and the mountain range of Hyperion. 

Before us was a spread of fresh fruits - that I personally flew in from Regnum, and high protein and calcium filled cheeses and meats. Anything I could get my hands on for her health was obtained, no matter the cost.

The toddler black dragon fell from the sky, transforming to his human form halfway down, and landed gracefully beside his mother. Celina sat beside me, in awe at her brother, and a stain of strawberry on her lips running down her pale chin. There didn’t seem to be any resentment for his talent, though I watched her regardless in hopes she would follow her brother’s growth soon. 

“I don’t like fruit,” Elek definitively remarked as his mother attempted to feed him some grapes. He spoke almost like an adult, leaving me unnerved by him at times.

“You can’t just eat meat! You need the nutrition!” Aurora fought back, still trying to push the grape past the little boy’s lips. Still, he turned his head away in defiance.

It wasn’t until Aurora’s hand visibly faltered from the strain of holding him and the grape that Elek relented and ate the small fruit. He was quite observant for a toddler, as this was not the first time I had seen him relent to his mother’s requests when he pushed her too far. Of course, we kept quiet about their mother’s weakening condition when it came to the children, but that didn’t stop Elek from taking notice anyways.

A soft sigh escaped her as she rested back into her chair and watched, contentedly, as Elek joined his sister, picking at the variety of foods.

“Where’s Marek?” I asked after the twins went into the castle play. Well… Celina played. She played with the handcrafted dollhouse I made for her. Elek sat in the library paging through books no toddler should have the mind to read.

“In Durant, I believe? He said something before he left about securing a fort that is near the borders of Demarcus, Ignatia, and Durant.” 

How convenient…

Him being physically unfaithful to my sister wasn’t my concern. It was the blatant neglect of her well-being, or that of his children. There was little reason for him to go to Durant anymore. Regina had been married to Jovan of Regnum for some time now. These days, it seemed as though he left for the intention of not seeing his family.

As if reading my mind, her small, near opaque hand reached over to overlap mine.

“It’s okay, really.”

How could it be? But I didn’t fight her, I didn’t want to make her feel worse. Even though she would tell me she didn’t mind, tell me that she was happy just being a mother, I knew that she wished more than anything for Marek to love her back. And, even though I knew better, some piece of her thought he might. For a world that already held so little in hope, I didn’t want to be the villain to take that dream from her as well.

Silence continued to linger between us with one wanting to keep up a facade of happiness and normalcy while the other tried to not break down the wall between realism and fantasy - for I knew that she was more aware of her situation than what she let on. There was no reason to be cruel.

“How about I take the twins to Hyperion for a few hours and get some ice cream? I’ll bring back your favorite,” I offered when the children came to check on us, attempting to soften my features. Celina was swift to clap her hands in excitement as soon as the words ‘ice cream’ left my lips but Elek remained reserved, watching me with mild suspicion.

Her thin shoulders seemed to lower with her sigh, in defeat or relief I was unsure, but she lifted her lips lightly into a weak smile before nodding.

Elek was gifted with speed and precision. At the same age, I could never trust Aurora to not crash at such high velocities. But his control was remarkable and kept up well as I carried his sister to the dragon city.

Chapter Sixteen

Six years prior…

Rest. She needed rest. Lightly kissing the crown of my Sun, I promised to return that evening with a fresh tray of food.

Many days were better than others. Many days saw her walking with the children to visit local shops. The people seemed to adore her, as their faces and auras warmed every time she approached. As if the snow yielded to the Sun’s rays and melted into soft droplets of water.

Then there were days like this one, that stole away her light and left her fatigued and weakened. 

Every morning as I prepared her breakfast, I would check with a maid to see if Aurora was still asleep. If she was awake by the time I set the tray it meant her day looked bright. Though, if she had yet to sit up in her bed, I took the liberty of adding a relaxing tea to her meal and would keep the children occupied for her to rest comfortably.

The soft click of the latch sounded from the door as I turned away from the room to head back to the kitchens with the tray. 

Passing one of the few tall windows of the castle, the darkened shadow of a juvenile dragon fluttered up from the base of the courtyard to above the spires on the far end. Elek had taken to flying multiple times a day, shifting between forms and falling at high velocities to then catch himself right as the ground would meet his feet. Yet, despite the thrill of flying, he never smiled during those free falls, or had a gleam of pride in his eyes when he beat his own record of racing around the city. It was never for fun, and Marek made certain of that.

But he’s still remarkable, I thought, as I entered the kitchen to leave the tray for washing. Perhaps hoping I could entice him to enjoy the rush it was to fly, I decided to head outside to glide alongside him. I didn’t make it to the door, however, when a soft whimpering stopped my feet at the top of the staircase to the entrance hall.

A golden-haired Celina sat on the lowest stair, huddled over tucked in knees and violently shaking in sobs.

“Sweet Cel, what’s the matter?” I asked, coming to sit beside her and resting a palm on her back. The poor girl jumped, as if she didn’t want anyone seeing her cry but soon relaxed when she looked up at me.

Her puffy red eyes continued to overflow as she attempted to wipe them away with the back of her long cream-colored sleeve. Pulling a handkerchief out from my pants pocket, I lightly wiped at her face and held it close to her nose for her to blow on. 

“Good girl,” I whispered before tucking the handkerchief away. “Now, tell me what happened.”

First came a hiccup, then a sniffle and then came her heartbreaking reply.

“Auncle Huri, I’m not wanted. I’m not wanted because I don’t have scales,” she replied as her face scrunched up horribly and her eyes shut tightly as if in pain.

Pulling her onto my lap, I embraced her closely. I knew it was a possibility that her scales would never come and that transforming was not going to be an option. Despite that, and how much I would assure her that it didn’t make her less of a dragon, I also knew that seeing her brother transform while she could not was painful. The amount of times I would take her out flying would validate that pain regularly when we had Elek with us. Still though, Elek knew better than to tease her about it.

“Why do you think that?” Stroking her hair as she leaned her head into my chest, I had a sneaking suspicion as to where she heard it before it had to be said.

“I was playing in the throne room, and I know I shouldn’t have been but when I heard Daddy coming I ran to hide behind his throne. He was talking to someone,” she paused to sniffle, “I don’t know who, but he said ‘that woman only gave me one useful kid.”

Burrowing her face further into my chest, she clutched onto my lavender blouse tightly as I tightened my embrace around her. Red wasn’t the color of my anger, it wasn’t a deep enough shade. I saw black. Black for his cruelty. Black for the disregard he had for his own wife and children. And black for casually speaking about them as if Aurora and Celina were faulty and of no consequence. 

One day, I’ll make him pay for everything. 

Pulling the little girl away from the damp fabric of my blouse, I pulled her chin up so that her eyes met mine. The amount of times I had to reassure Aurora of her importance to the world, to me, and not just as some pawn in a political game were too numerous to count. But I would reassure again and again - as many times as it took, to prove that their worth was not tied into alliances and bodily functions. I did that with Aurora and I was going to do that with Celina from then on. She was more than her bloodline or lack of genetic traits. She was a pure hearted child who was compassionate and worked far too hard for her father’s affections. 

I’ll let Aurora rest for today. Cel is the one who needs my help now. 

Chapter Seventeen

Five years prior…

I had taken over the twins’ lessons when it came to Dragon History, as their instructor was, for a lack of a more polite word, incompetent. Though both were exceedingly intelligent it was clear that their processing methods could not be more different from one another. Every day it was more evident they were twins in birth alone and no more.

Elek just sat, listening to my lectures, with no questions, and still managed to recite anything I asked of him. Celina organized all my lessons with colored-coded notes, asked concise questions, and aced every test I put before her. Even with her mutation, I was impressed by her dedication to learn all the material.

As I leaned on the lip of my desk, reciting the line of rulers to the Hyperion throne, a sharp knock rapped on the heavy door to the makeshift classroom. Without prompt, it opened to reveal a Demarian soldier with a look of contempt in his eyes. There was only one reason for one of Marek’s guards to come and seek out the children, and it was because once in a while Marek remembered they existed.

“The king wants Their Highnesses to come to the throne room immediately.” He left as soon as he came, with the door left wide open, giving little room to protest. 

With a deep breath I looked at the children, both with curious gazes facing back at me, as if wondering if I was going to stop them from leaving and finish their lessons. 

Oh, how badly I would love to do that… but I didn’t. Instead, I shrugged my head towards the door and escorted them down to the ground floor of the castle and into the massive stone-built throne room. 

“About time, bring them here,” Marek ordered, at me it seemed. It was a common occurrence that he forgot exactly who I was, seeing me as no more than the annoying companion to his wife - who sat silently beside him in her smaller chair.

It was only for her sake that I let his behavior extend so far, but one day I vowed to hold him accountable for all the actions I had knowledge of. After all, I had time while his less-than half blood would age him at a rate only slightly slower than a human’s. 

Taking my place, standing beside Aurora, the children were swift to take their dedicated locations as well. Elek stood beside his father, facing the room, while Celina climbed into her mother’s lap and clung close to her chest. While conditioning was something I was not above while raising Aurora, the way the twins had learned certain cues repulsed me.

“Bring them in!” Marek bellowed once the children were accounted for. 

What occurred next I was certain would stick with the twins for the rest of their lives. A group of six large guards ushered in a male elf and a female fae, both visibly shaking in fear with their eyes wide as they took in the royal family. The male had been obviously beaten, peppered in cuts and bruises with a busted lip, while the female’s appearance left me more infuriated as her dirt covered pale dress was shredded and hid nothing for her modesty. Her translucent wings were kept out but looked badly damaged with pieces torn off completely. They may never heal. Around their limbs and necks were chains of iron, subduing any abilities they may possess. 

One guard stepped ahead of the rest and knelt lowly on one knee before his king with an arm extending across his chest for a show of respect. All of them seemed to lack even the smallest trace of empathy - no doubt from the grueling training that Marek forced upon the soldiers. None were allowed to have an opinion on this sort of matter if it meant extending some form of sympathy out to another being.

“Your Majesty, these two were caught at the southern border. They claimed to be heading to Ignatia but had no papers with their identifications or purpose for crossing the border. We arrested them for suspicious behavior."

It was the most obvious attempt at an escape from Silvania I had heard in years. Those closer to the sea could sometimes stowaway on a ship heading towards Kai, but those on the northern border had a harder time, as the only way out was to cross into Demarcus before Ignatia. 

On the female’s left hand was a simple gold band on her ring finger. The male had a similar one to match on his left hand as well. 

Poor souls.

Elves and fae were barred from inter-marrying, despite interesting rumors going around about Oberron’s own children. Many of my eyes had come to me with horror stories of elves living in slavery or in slum-like conditions where food was scarce and sacrifices were often required to live through a barren season. For an elf and fairy to come to the decision of leaving would be a difficult one. There were so few options and Ignatia would be one of only three nations that would accept them with little issue. 

“Oberron never ceases to amaze me with the lengths he will go in order to spy on us,” Marek spat out, but no one dared to challenge his words. Even my outspoken little Sun seemed to avert her eyes, knowing the potential horror that was about to be unleashed in front of her own children. 

“We bbbeg for forgivvvv… forgiveness for our tresspasses,” the elf stammered only to have Marek audibly slam his palm down on the stone slab of his arm rest.

“Us dragon-kind do not appreciate Silvanian scum sneaking into our borders,” he began, speaking on behalf of an entire race that would denounce his words in an instant. “You are not welcome here. Now, what did Oberron send you to do? Spy on my army? Kidnap my wife? ASSASSINATE MY HEIR?!”

Each question became more belligerent than the last as his voice rose and his grip on the arm rests resulted in bone-white knuckles.

The fae’s face visibly broke as harsh tears spilled from her eyes, leaving her body to shake violently in fear.

“Please, Your Majesty! We are looking for sanctuary! Nothing more!” she pleaded, her hands clasped against her chest, practically bare from the torn threads of her dress. Her strikingly smooth skin, I noticed as she moved, was harshly bruised where it met the iron braces.

Marek’s face only hardened as he motioned for Elek to come closer to him.

“Son, this is something you will always have to remember. Those from Silvania will only wish harm and death on you. Don’t ever be fooled by their grace, beauty, and aura, they will use it against you. Remember that they will have you believing you are a fish and send you to drown.” 

The boy’s face remained emotionless, his eyes not straying from his father’s to even blink or nod. He just listened. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to say something.

“They’re innocent,” I began and moved to stand between the prisoners and Marek, who looked at me as if remembering I held some political weight in the world - and I was going to use it now. “Release them and I’ll personally escort them to the border. If you choose not to then I will claim them as refugees under the care of Thanatos and Hypnos and will take them regardless.”

If there was one thing he couldn’t stand, it was the fact that his children and wife held more blood from the deities than he did and it was one of the few leashes I had around his scumbag neck. Sure, he was a descendant as well, but his connection was thousands of years back with mingling and muddling with many other dragons in between… mine was only a handful of generations away and a direct line to both dragon gods.

Aurora watched me, her eyes lighting up, if only slightly, at the defiance I was allotted when she was given none. Elek’s emotionless face seemed to falter, but the flicker was gone within seconds, likely before his father caught his hesitation - but giving me all the more reason to show him that his father’s ideals were not the ones to strive towards. He didn’t have to be the man Marek was attempting to shape him into.

“Which will it be, Marek?” I challenged, being certain to push all the buttons within reach.

I had him - he knew it as his face became red in suppressed anger. What made the situation all the sweeter was that everyone in the room, including young Elek with his widening eyes, knew that Marek had nothing to counter my proclamation. Though, no one in the room knew it more so than Marek, himself.

Peering over my head, he sat tall and stiff, his knuckles still bone-white as his face only reddened further.

“Take them to the dungeon, I will deal with them later.”

More like they would mysteriously disappear from their cells as Marek put on a story of their execution, when in reality I was going to bring them to safety. But he wasn’t going to say that out loud - nor did he need to because I was going to take them that night without his permission.

Once the guards dragged the prisoners away Marek returned his gaze to his son.

“Remember this boy, when you take my place you will have a claim to their throne as well.” 

It was not a subtle threat, though I wondered if my young nephew understood what his father was implying. I needed to remain close to him and hope that his father’s corruption did not spread to his impressionable mind.

Chapter Eighteen

Five years prior…

My dear friend,

I wish to extend my most sincere condolences over the loss of Diana. The loss of a child, even when they have reached adulthood, is an immeasurable pain that I wish on no one. However, the pain you carry is all the more incomprehensible as you knew fate could not be challenged or avoided.

It is my hope to be of assistance to you during this time of uncertainty and assure you that I will do all I can to ensure the safety of your new infant granddaughter. It is my understanding that Regnum’s king has taken her into hiding but I will forever continue to provide any protection I can, even from a distance, to provide her with extra security and safety. 

Again, my heart plummets into despair for Diana’s end of life and I hope to ease your pain in any way you require. Please accept this small token of Elixir F, and know that without you this small miracle would have never been possible. I will, for always, be in your debt as every day with Aurora is a gift that you have given me and I will never hope to repay. 

I have also heard that your other daughter, Leena, was badly injured during an altercation on the night of Diana’s passing. If you have a way to bring it to her, I have also enclosed a salve that may help with her healing. It is infused with volcanic earth from Kai and crushed scales of merfolk scales. I know she does not think highly of me but I do wish her peace during this time of pain. Please reach out for any reason, you will always be answered.

Forever your friend and ally,

Huri of Thanatos

Chapter Nineteen

Two years prior…

I didn’t want to leave her side when her condition was deteriorating so rapidly. At the same time, I couldn’t allow Marek to take the children to Regnum unsupervised as he flirts carelessly with Jovan’s wife - the infamous Regina de Durant. He was going to be her little sick puppy dog as Jovan paraded around a child that wasn’t hers. All the while his own wife was severely ill back in Demarcus, from an illness only made possible because she gave him children.

Though, it would be a lie to say it was just to keep an eye on Marek and the children. It would be the first encounter that the souls of Alexius and Belinha would have in nearly five-thousand years. I needed to see what could happen. I needed to know if I could return home with hope for the future.

Elek had shown no signs of remembering his past life, though his talents were undeniably from the connection they shared. Perhaps, if Elek and the daughter of Diana faced one another it would spark something… recognition or perhaps something even more world-shifting. Would the world recognize them for who they were in that moment? Or, my heart sank just thinking about it, perhaps nothing would happen and the world would just go on as if they never existed at all. But, no matter what, I had to witness it.

Before I left, however, I wanted to see Aurora - just in case. She needed to know my love for her at all times, even if I had to leave her side for an extended period of time. Afterall, I was the only one in her life that ever would show up to tell her how important and loved she truly was. I was the only one in her life that would show up to tell her that she was more than a pawn of our father’s and that her worth as a person far outweighed anything he ever told her. I needed her to know. I needed her to feel it.

Stepping into her room I was left with thoughts I wish would stay at the door. But it was hard to fight resentment when her body had become so weakened.

Oh, how much I wished to bring her home and to place her in her own, soft and plush bed with all the stuffed toys I had made her over the years. To sit beside her and look out the window as our mother had done with me and I had done with Aurora so many times. To have the sun creep up over the mountain peaks, sprinkling rays onto the city below, causing the fiery orbs to shimmer and for my little Sun to squeal in delight over the sight of the city coming to life. 

Yet, instead of being home, spoiling her, and keeping her close, I was left sitting beside her fatigued body on her firm mattress and looking out a window that was the size of a small portrait. Most of the light came from sconces on the walls, casting shadows over her already sickly pale skin. Almost like long fingers ready to smother her in her sleep and to end it all.

And yet, through it all, she never complained. A part of me filled to the boiling point with anger over it. Never before had I come across anyone as pure-hearted and self-sacrificing as the little Sun I raised. Sure, I raised her to be kind to others, to learn the perspective of those less fortunate or of a different mindset… I put in countless hours tutoring her and educating her on how to be a good leader to our people through kindness and understanding. Seeing her now, in a state of being that couldn’t even lift herself out of bed, I realized that all those lessons had blown up in my face.

She was too kind, too giving, and selfishness never seemed to taint her. But what did it get her? Two children - beautiful, yes, and a loveless marriage. I knew it was irrational for me to have such thoughts. But gods dammit all! It was only MY child who was forced to suffer!

“I think…” her soft tone pulled me up from the dark recesses of my mind. She was so thin, but she continued to smile. Her golden eyes remained optimistically bright and I wanted to punch myself in the gut for thinking with so much negativity around her. A small hand came to rest on the back of mine, with hardly any weight to tell me it was there. “When I come back… maybe I could call you my real parent or maybe… just be anywhere you are.”

Come back? I haven’t even been able to make any progress on that front. 

Placing my remaining hand on top of hers, I gave a slight squeeze. 

“Things could turn around, Aurora. We could have a cure tomorrow or something else that could help treat you.” But I knew they were just words. I wasn’t able to put my heart in them and I think she knew that as well.

I couldn’t take it anymore. Standing up, I turned to extend a hand to her.

“Indulge me, please. Let’s go out for some ice cream, I’ll be your wings.”

Glittering tears formed at the corners of her eyes but I refrained from wiping them away. She needed to grieve for herself as much I would be forced to grieve for her when she was gone. 

Chapter Twenty

The royal family’s ability to use the natural beauty of Regnum and incorporate it into the infrastructure of the roads, buildings, and bridges never ceased to amaze me. Despite most of the citizens being human, they still managed to create pure art in most aspects of their lives - leaving proof that they once existed. Yes, dragons, merfolk, and many other races held exceptional talent as well with artisans and architects, but the humans just seemed more unique with the way they captured beauty and immortalized it.

Magnificent resorts glided under us with colorful walkways, stained-glass windows on temples to Cato glinted under the sun’s rays, and canopied stalls lined roads and common areas with patrons of every kind coming to see the merchant’s wares. In some ways, it was similar to the calming aura of Hyperion. Everyone seemed to smile and showed off their work with pride. Demarcus, though the people were good people, didn’t have the same gleeful aura as Regnum. Everything in Demarcus served a purpose. Regnum’s people had a way of weaving joy into their lives without rhyme or reason. To them, not everything needed a purpose to be enjoyed or exist.

Keeping Celina’s form close to my body, I indulged in her love for flying as we glided over the towns and villages. Despite her scales never forming, she delighted in the freedom that only the skies could bring. Squealing melting into laughter as we banked over the waters that met the shores of Regnum’s coastline - her small heart pounding in anticipated exhilaration against my own as we laughed during a free fall to only be wept up by the sea breeze and back into the clouds.

This child, so much like her mother, deserved to feel the wind caress her light cheeks every day. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like she would ever feel the independence of it. It just wasn’t meant to be. Though, I would fly around with her as many times as she asked. It was the least I could do.

Elek’s flight pattern was less eccentric, with his eyes consistently scanning both the land below us and the skies around us - as if anticipating an attack. The boy never just glided or soared for the thrill of it. To him, observed from my many times bringing him out to see the world, flying was nothing more than an effective means of transportation. Never had I seen him so much as smirk at the feeling when one’s stomach shifted whilst in mid-freefall. Nor had he been allowed to enjoy such experiences, thanks to the man that took point on our long journey. 

If I had been there… if I had seen what had happened… Elek would have become a king that day. It was only out of my concern for Aurora’s health that prevented me from ripping Marek apart. Though, as I sat beside the young boy on his bed, caring for the stitches left on the back of his skull, I had never been more inclined to murder than that moment. 

For a mere moment of hesitation over the punishment of another fae defector of Silvania, Marek took it upon himself to backhand my nephew soon after beheading the fae himself. 

Of course, after I heard and saw the remnants from dried puddles, once I landed in Thanases from my trip to Oksana, Marek was already long gone. To inspect the bases, supposedly. I instructed the servants not to inform Aurora, knowing that she would only fade faster if she thought she failed as a parent. Rather, I brought Elek to Ignatia for a weekend to recover, under the guise of spending quality time with him. I would have liked quality time, however, he was so insistent on going home I had to sedate him for a majority of the time to allow the gash to fully heal.

Landing at the road leading to the castle, I tucked my wings in and motioned for Elek to do the same. Humans were often unaccustomed to dragons, though there were many visible merfolk walking the merchant stalls in the market just behind us. Even a few naga, their tails hidden under long robes, received less side eyes than us.

“Leave them out.” Marek commanded Elek, casting a challenging gaze at the child. The young boy did as he was told and released his nightmare enticing wings. 

This would have been a petty argument to engage in, though I was quite tempted. I also knew why he wanted to display their wings, to demonstrate power and dominance. I could crush you whenever I wanted - is what it told the people of Regnum and I wasn’t going to participate. I kept my own tucked away as his disgusting brown ones were left peacocking to the world. Compared to other dragons, and even half-dragons, Marek’s were smaller in comparison and mis-shapened. Deformities could be overlooked, even admired, if only his personality didn’t match their appearance.

Only Jovan and his two children greeted us at the large double doors to the sand-colored palace. He seemed only slightly aged since I’d seen him last, on a diplomatic visit for my father some years prior. Compared to Marek’s menacing persona, Jovan’s aura carried an air of a just and gentle nature. Though, when he extended a hand to Marek, his jaw visibly tensed, as did Marek’s. It was no secret of the strings Dea Gavrill pulled to secure Regina for Regnum, nor was Marek’s affection for her. 

“Marek, good of you to come,” Jovan’s welcome came through tight lips and an even tighter handshake. His knuckles began to go blue as I stood beside the children and watched in fascination.

“Thanks for having us,” Marek returned before his eyes started to wonder, not to the kids but of the visible absence of the queen. He didn’t even introduce his own children or myself before he began to side-step Jovan and find his room, leaving us at the doors.

The human king gave us a bafflingly look as if trying to readjust a sail on a doomed ship.

“Welcome to Nautica, Prince Elek and Princess Celina,” he began and then gave me a questioning gaze. 

“Huri, sibling to Queen Aurora,” I bowed, giving him the mercy Marek would not. His face softened as his mouth seemed to form a genuine smile.

“Welcome, Huri,” he said before the lines on his face creased. “Aurora’s sister, huh? I’m sorry to hear of her health. Please be sure to come see me during your visit. I’ll send you home with some of our spring waters.”

Too kind, like her. 

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I bowed again in gratitude. It wasn’t often another monarch displayed such genuine kindness. Not anymore. “I appreciate your concern and generosity.”

Giving a nod, he then motioned to the young children beside him.

The boy, Zander from my reports, had a similar appearance to his father - especially from the times I had seen Jovan as a child. Though, his complexion matched the lovely darker tones of his mother, as I remembered from having seen her from afar during one of Marek’s stays in Hyperion. A handsome boy, and hopefully would grow to be as gentle as his father.

When my gaze shifted to the girl… the air in my lungs became trapped, as I took in the young five-year-old girl, who was tightly gripping her ten-year-old brother’s hand. There she was. There she finally was.

Although her long, black hair matched the same hues of her father’s and brother’s, this little angelic girl’s face was clear the remnant of Diana. From the shape of her nose to the near identical green eyes. The only difference were the golden sparkles glittering around her irises, as if showcasing to the world who she really was - not just some illegitimate child to a human king. 

“These are my children,” Jovan introduced, “Serafina and Zander. I hope they will get along nicely with the twins.”

His words seemed genuine as he continued to smile, as if hoping the children wouldn’t pick up the feud of their parents. When he turned back to face his children, there was only a pure sense of love in his eyes. It was evident that no matter the circumstances of his children’s births, he was a devoted father - something my little ones didn’t have the luxury to experience. 

The reaction on the twins' faces were quite curious to watch as they took in the other siblings. Celina’s face was bright and cheery as her feet began to fidget. She stared at Zander in wonder. If I didn’t know better, I would have called it love at first sight with her shuffling and blushing.

Elek’s body took on a much different posture. In fact, he appeared completely alarmed when he set eyes on Serafina. The boy who showed nothing to the world appeared as though he had been struck in the face by the tail of Thanatos. And, seemingly unaware of his movements, he brought a hand up to his chest and clenched his shirt tightly.

Chapter Twenty-One

It was a who’s who kind of party. Monarchs from every nation, legendary elites of various notarities lined up to greet Jovan and his children.

Normally, I didn’t care for such parties, but the intrigue of Elek’s first encounter with Serafina had me itching to see what could unfold if they remained close to one another for an extended period of time.

Would their memories return? Could Serafina’s power fully awaken? I would be a fool to miss out on the ball due to an inherent aversion to them. My discomfort could be locked away for this event.

Walking the room, newly modified spectacles on while in my best lavender suit, I attempted to make myself relatively unseen. One learned more from what they heard and quietly witnessed rather than striking up conversations. Though, I never turned down a friendly introduction or becoming reacquainted with familiar faces. Some faces garnered more of my attention than others.

The first face I was eager to see again was gliding across the room, as if gracefully swimming through the sea. Queen Latvia of Kai waltzed, as if flying, around the dance floor with an elementary dancing partner in Zander. Though, her kind heart wasn’t going to correct his posture or scold him for a missed step, as was the nature I had always seen her to possess.

The seafoam gown hugged her in all the ways that complimented her slender, athletic, form. With off-the-shoulder straps, showing the world her flawless darkened skin, she could have had her pick of eligible dancers.  

When the orchestra dimmed to silence, she was swift to approach Jovan as he held Serafina proudly in his arms. Hardly a moment passed before the queen had the unknowing goddess in her arms with a warm embrace and began to prance with her for the next number. The bewildered child was quick to adjust, however, and managed to fall in step with the tall queen.

My circling ended when I noticed little Elek hiding away in a dispersed corner of the room.

Intriguing, I thought, stopping beside him as he fidgeted on his feet. The shuffling of his weight from one foot to the next and the occasional fist forming at his side was something I had never seen him do. 

It was not in his nature to be so restless, even seeming to come undone mentally. But I assumed it was all because of the young girl still in Latvia’s arms. His soul was reaching out to the goddess that made his soul and yet he couldn’t figure out why he was feeling this way. 

His amethyst eyes didn’t break away from the dark haired girl as his hand rose up to clench his white, button-down shirt where the buttons met his chest. 

“You know,” I hummed, nudging his shoulder with my arm, “you could ask her to dance.”

I knew he heard me when his head gave the slightest shake in decline, but he didn’t budge any further.

“I’m sure she isn’t some feral beast who will bite you. Go ask before the next dance begins. No one else but Latvia and her brother have asked her. I’m sure she would like to make a new friend,” I continued to encourage, only to have him look up at me with a defiant fire in his eyes. 

“No.” His tone was so affirmative and certain that it acted as a weight on a scale that just toppled over in the back of my mind.

Placing a hand to my hip I stared down at him and put on the biggest smile I could muster.

“You know, dear nephew, that weird feeling might go away if you just go up to her.”

For a few moments his expression shifted from annoyance to intrigue to defeat and then back to annoyance. Without a word, he left my side, straightened his small shoulders, and walked with confidence over to the little girl. Her eyes went wide at first but then lit up with her bright smile as she accepted his extended hand.

Oh, to be young again…

Opportunity arose as the island queen went without a dance partner as I cut my way through the crowd and tapped her delicately on the shoulder.

Sweeping into a respectful bow with my palm coming to my heart, I extended the other hand for her acceptance. Tilting my head slightly to peer at her through my fringe, I watched her eye me with vague recognition before I gave her my most inviting smile. 

“Huri of Thanatos,” she began in a light tone and accepted my hand as I rose from my bow. “My, what has it been… ten years?”

“And yet you are still as lovely as the day we met… well… we’ll just say some many years before that.” I attempted to charm her, teasing that I was one of only a few in the room that could guess her true age with accuracy. Though, she was still quite a bit younger than myself. “Might I have this next waltz?”

“For a dragon such as you, I would be a fool to deny your request.” 

Gliding her to the center of the ballroom, I adjusted my height to take the male position. She was quite tall for a woman… well… mostly woman. Female regardless - full human not so much.

“I hear you have five daughters now,” I eased in, swirling us around as her ocean waved dress swam along with us. 

“I do, the youngest just turned six, my rambunctious Jelena.” 

“Ah, yes, that age can be fun to watch. Will you bring her to Regnum to meet Jovan’s daughter, since they are close in age?” 

“Maybe one day. I don’t like to pull them from home often,” her tone then softened as her eyes seemed to lower. “I’m so sorry to hear about Aurora. If you think it would help, you both will always be welcomed in Kai and we have specialists to help ease pain…”

“Thank you, Latvia,” I interrupted before straying too far from the topic I wanted to get to. But she was so kind, and I hoped to one day repay her for past deeds of kindness. “But for now, the only thing that could potentially help her is some form of divine intervention.”

There it was - the merest hint of a shattered emotion. What I could only recognize as pity, or maybe empathy, rained down on her. The merfolk were not waiting with as much anticipation as the dragons, but I knew they were waiting just the same. And if there was anything that could rival her beauty, it was her intellect, as I knew my few words were enough to bring up the goddess.

We picked up pace, matching the tempo of the chaos running through the vibration of strings acting like coarse waves.

Shifting on her feet, Latvia brought her lips up to my ear, using her long dark brown tresses to cover her words.

“Minerva has been restless. When she would normally reside in the depths of her palace she now haunts the coasts of Kai. She’s waiting as well,” then she pulled back, as if the most confidential information was given. “Of course, the ones who would be the first to know of the return will be the dragons. But remember, just as I would do for you, old friend, I would hope you would share the shifts of the world with me.”

“Of course,” I responded with a measured pace. I did trust her and considered us friendly allies, but all information would have to be filtered carefully. It was just the way of the world.

She took a step into my space, her bright amber eyes full of playful curiosity. It was one of the aspects I admired most about her. Her charm, wit, and intelligence that rivaled my own, were what kept her nation out of strife and thriving with a robust economy. In trade negotiations she nearly always left with everything she wanted.

“Is there anything you would like to share with me now?” 

Though only partially of the merfolk, her soft melodic tone was powerful. Persuasion was an art in politics, but aligned with a merfolk’s call and Latvia’s natural abilities, she could convince sailors to leap into the darkest depths of the seas. 

Yet, to pull me in was an impossible feat, and she knew it. For one to fall for the Sea’s Voice they had to have weakness in their mental fortitude, as many in the world did… but I wasn’t one of them. However, for her, and only her, I could spare some information.

“Alexius died almost a decade ago and we believe both are either back or will be back in the very near future.” It was all she would get. Telling her that Alexius was still alive up until a short time ago was information reserved for only high ranking individuals in the dragon community. She had no right to it but… to maintain our companionable relationship striving, a loose lip could be afforded.

The queen’s stance went rigid in my arms, as if I just told her the sky was going to fall on our heads. Though, her eyes gave nothing of our conversation away. 

I had theories that the charming and stunning Latvia could conquer entire nations with her fluid ability in negotiations and sly deceit - should she ever decide to use that skill. Yet, she kept to herself and her small island nation just because she could. 

Her gaze lingered on mine, searching for something. Lies? Truth? And then a small glint flickered and her eyes fell on the stumbling children only a few feet away.

Elek, at this point, seemed to have the patience of the sea people. And gods bless him for it as I watched Serafina awkwardly step on his foot three times in the last five minutes of the waltz. Yet, he didn’t seem annoyed or angry. The young boy would just say a couple of words of reassurance - something I had never seen him extend to anyone else but his own mother, and continued to watch her with a mix of curiosity, intrigue, and analytic measure. He clearly didn’t know what to think of her.

“Them…”

Latvia’s one word lingered around us like water swirling around a colored dye until the entire pool turned in color. As always, she was as quick as ever with her sharp mind. 

I didn’t speak. I didn’t need to. We both knew she came to the right answer. Just how, at the same time, we both knew that we could say nothing about it to others - for the safety of the children.

When the strings withered and music dimmed a sharp sound cracked through the air. Then came horrified screaming.

Whirling around, I saw the twins together, Celina’s face in shock with Elek’s set in disgust. Where did Serafina go?

Towards the front of the ballroom the crowd stepped back in astonishment at the scene. Regina, silver eyes ablaze, looking down in fury at the small child now lumped onto the floor. 

Her cheek was stained a harsh pink as her side of her head dripped fresh blood onto the floor, pooling around her light blue dress. She didn’t cry or scream. She just looked up at the older woman with wide eyes in terror.

For a moment, my heart froze at the sight of Diana picking Serafina up and whisking her away. 

Diana? No… Leena. 

When I walked over to Elek to ask what had happened he shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s what happens when a bastard is treated like a princess.”

Harsh words from such a young child, and yet held nothing but truth.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Time…

Once upon a time there was a beautiful young girl who had the envy of the Sun. She was kind, smart, and oh so much of a delight to be near. And I? I had the honor of raising her…

When the world stops to remember her name they will only be scraping the barest of hints to her greatness. They will likely only remember her as the one that gave one country continuity. So few will know what she gave to the world. Not just two healthy heirs to a throne - or breathing life into the new beginning for Alexius’ soul and triggering the birth of Belinha herself. No… she gave so much more. She gave light… her light to all that lived within her shadow.

The last stitch to the last dress. The last gold lotus pin to thread into her golden locks. The last “I love you, my little Sun,” uttered from my lips in hopes that she would know just how much happiness she gave me in my sometimes dark and lonely life.

And… she was gone…

Chapter Twenty-Four

Two years later…

I never wanted to abandon them. I promised I never would. So… here I was, walking up to the dark, cold, castle walls. But I was not returning as the same dragon. No, I was going to put on a smile and give them as much love as she would have.

Marek was gone. To where… I couldn’t care less. The man wasn’t intelligent enough to leave a regent… until I walked into the throne room to see a discouraging sight.

Seated on Marek’s throne, with Aurora’s long gone, was thirteen-year-old Elek. He had grown in the two years of my absence. So young and yet his aura exuded in waves of a person with lived experience. I should have never left.

“What’s with the pink hair?” He asked from across the room. It wasn’t a question of amusement, more of accusation. 

Pulling out a grin, I stepped closer to him while he sat and looked down into his eyes. Too much of Marek was in them, yet those golden crowns were just enough of Aurora to give me hope.

“Do you not approve of your auncle’s new hair?” Keeping my tone light, I looked around the empty room. “Why are you in your father’s chair, and with no audience?”

“Can you not tell that I’m the regent?” He was annoyed… interesting.

“Oh, how grown up of you,” I continued to tease. Someone had to balance out his sour persona.

Speaking of which…

“Where’s your sister?” 

I didn’t have to look too far when a door from the back of the throne room burst open and quickened footsteps came to stand beside her brother. 

If either of them were to strike my heart it would be sweet Celina. She was every bit the beauty her mother was. I was reminded of why I had been gone for so long. And just like her mother when she gave birth, Celina couldn’t fly or heal. And… she would likely die long before I or her brother would.  

Her golden eyes shone brightly as she launched herself into my arms and grasped me tightly.

“Auncle Huri! You’re back!” 

And I wouldn’t be leaving again.

When she pulled back and looked at my hair, her reception was much warmer than Elek’s.

“Oh! I love that color! It’s almost like the shimmer to mom’s wings.”

Without even knowing it, she hit the mark. There was one portrait that hung in Aurora’s room that I commissioned when she was married. It was to always remind her of where she came from. 

She and I stood together in hybrid forms. Our wings, mine gold and hers with that slight pinkish shimmer that sparkled in the rays of the sun when she flew, poised outwards as we faced the viewer head on with soft expressions. Of course, it was the only way for Celina to know what her mother’s wings looked like. She never got to witness them in person and mine just didn’t hold the same coloration of Aurora’s.

A sharp clearing of a throat brought my attention back to Elek.

“Why are you here?”

“To come and see my dear niece and nephew of course!”

A dubious eyebrow reached for the top of his forehead. 

Such a suspicious child…

Hands on my hips, I walked up to his little perch, leaned down, and grasped a bit of his cheek with my thumb and forefinger. He didn’t so much as flinch.

I’m not going to let him turn into a little asshole… over my dead body…

When he swatted at my arm and attempted to move away I only gripped tighter with a smile on my lips.

“As I said, I have come to visit my dear niece and nephew. That’s the part where you say, ‘how wonderful for you to come, Auncle Huri. Did you bring us any gifts?’ Like a normal child, I will then cheekily pretend I didn’t when in fact I have them hidden away on my person and waiting for the right time to bestow them upon you.”

Giving a slight shake with my pinched fingers, I released his reddened cheek and stepped back to Celina. At least one of them was happy to see me, even more so when her eyes grew bright at the small pink box I pulled from my pocket, the bow still neatly made.

When I motioned it towards her, she was quick to kiss my cheek and thank me before even opening it. 

Lifting the lid, I was given a genuine smile as she peered at the handcrafted hairpin I had made in Kai. Iridescent shells circled a small mound of lapis, like a water flower, as thinly beaded green tendrils cascaded from the ends of the bottom shells.

“It’s stunning!” She said with excitement and looked up at me, hinting to help her put it on. 

Tucking a piece from the front towards the back of her head, I clipped the pin in place. Admittedly, Celina was more partial to pastels and powdered colors. I was a bit worried that the lapis would be too bold, but seeing it on her set that worry adrift.

Looking back at Elek, I pulled out a rectangular box. He eyed me with curiosity, but would have never given me the smile or gratitude he sister had. 

“I didn’t make your gift, but I think you will appreciate it all the same,” I said, handing him the deep purple box. 

Inside was a freshly sharpened obsidian dagger beside an ornate sheath embedded with rubies. The blade was so black that not even the Sun’s rays seemed to reflect off it. Though, it was sleek, balanced, and was more of the return of a belonging than a gift. 

“This dagger belonged to Alexius, the Black Dragon…” I paused, reminding myself to not push too much. He showed no signs of recalling his past life… not yet at least, and I couldn’t be the one to force him to remember. That would be her job. “I just figured it would suit you…”

“Thank you.” It came out more as a dismissal as he sheathed the blade and rested it on the arm of the chair, not looking up at me. Did he think that was all I came here to do? Say ‘hi’ and give gifts?

“And another thing,” because he was not going to be without my guidance any longer, “I will be moving in as of today.”

His face of disgust and annoyance was enough to cement my decision. 

One day he was going to become something far more valuable to the world than just some hot-tempered king. He was to ring in a new era for the world at the Goddess’ side. Because of his birth, I may have lost my little Sun, but the triggering of Belinha’s return could save countless dragons. 

And I would be there, every step of the way, to make sure he didn’t fuck it up. 

Chapter Twenty-Five

Soon after Elek and Sera’s wedding…

Family. Family will always be the most important and cherished aspect in my heart. And if there was one thing a family could always do, it was to expand. And my new niece quickly found her place in my heart.

In my short time with her, we had developed a bond that I would find difficult to trade away. Was it because she looked like her own mother? Or perhaps she reminded me, at times, of my little Sun. Though, even if I could answer those questions, I don’t believe they would do the bond justice with mere words.

No, they would not, I thought to myself as I sat facing her beside my workbench in Maleko, and began to look over the anatomy quiz answers Sera had written down. If she was going to become a proper Healer, she needed to understand how the average body worked. And I was more than willing to help her along with her studies.

Her aptitude for learning always amazed me. She didn’t necessarily retain everything in one go of reading, but her determination to learn the material added another layer to the respect I already carried for her. She was like Celina in that regard. 

Releasing a slow breath, my mind wandered to how my sweet niece was doing over in Regnum before returning my attention back to Sera’s work.

Like a child, she sat fidgeting on the stool beside me, her hands holding the front edge of it to keep her from falling backwards. If it came down to it, I would reach out and stop her from toppling… as I had done a couple of times before. Amusedly, she was quick to learn the responsibility of each heart ventricle but couldn’t remind herself to not lean in her chair as to not crack her head open on the stone floor. Elek was usually quick to remind her of her carelessness, whereas I would just be around in case I was needed.

“So?” she asked, just as always when I was grading her knowledge.

Handing back the paper, I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose and smiled.

“All correct! Good job!”

Squealing in delight, she leapt from the stool and embraced me tightly. 

When did she become such a light in my life? I wondered, returning her embrace and questioning, again, as to how she had such a hold over me. Was it the return of Belinha’s soul or just because of who Sera was that opened my heart up to the idea of hope? 

“You’re certainly a better student than that sour nephew of mine,” I laughed, pulling back. 

“Well, when you have someone like Leena as a tutor, you tend to pick up information quickly,” she said, referring to her aunt. Leena had seemed to become Sera’s anchor in the absence of Diana. Though, I often wondered how Diana would have approached Sera’s upbringing.

“I suppose so,” I acknowledged, watching her eyes wander around the room. It wasn’t the first time I watched the thought creep up on her. But it was never something I was going to bring up on my own, though we had discussed Aurora’s death before, as well as the epidemic within the dragon community. I wasn’t going to use her like that. I couldn’t use her like that.

“I was reading…” she began, standing up and walking over to view some of my wet specimens. “Some human doctors believe they can rejuvenate and multiply cells, forcing them to heal. And that got me thinking…”

“Sera,” I stood, “it’s okay…”

“But it’s not,” she intercepted and then let out a slow breath. “When Belinha disappeared, she left so many things unfinished. It’s only natural to focus my responsibilities to correct those past mistakes. I know it’s not something I would have thought of before, but now that I know just what I could be capable of…” she trailed to then look up at me with more fire in those emerald-gold eyes than I had ever seen in another being. The determination and willingness to do whatever it took. Whatever she was about to say, I knew her mind was made up, and that I would follow her to reach her goals.

“If we can extract some of my cells and keep them alive, multiplying, and retaining their healing properties… then maybe we can infuse them with your elixir and finally give the dragon community the cure they deserve.”

It was such an out of this world idea… and yet… and yet… just maybe…

“Okay.”