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As the 4th in line to the throne it was not a surprise that 15 year old Waylen was sent to study the world. That meant traveling abroad of course. An heir to the throne cannot compete with his brothers if he's out studying in foreign lands. It was fortunate that these were peaceful times at least. His mother and father were keen to keep him somewhere where it was safe, which really didn't mean much if one were being honest. Their kingdom's only adversaries were very far to the south and across Great Walter's Channel. There hadn't been a war in the south since the King, his father, was a toddler.

He was not traveling in the south, however. Prince Waylen had been instead sent West. To the West of his father's kingdom lay the Great Silver Sea that was home to the barren people at its edge, known as the Iltu, and the dragons and their related kin in the deeper desert where the sands shimmered like silver once a day, so he'd been told.

On a map, if one were to mark Waylen's location, he would be in the deep desert riding with a caravan of Iltu traders. Waylen's entourage was small. The City of Silver was an ally to his kingdom and they had no fear of traveling there, though Waylen was too young to have seen anything outside his homeland, and had no real practical knowledge of how things when he was this far away from home. The intense heat was murderous on his disposition and mood. The shade mounted onto his camel was not aiding him any. His royal guards numbered at six and he had one servant to care for him. Poor Marissa was faring far worse than he was, which tortured him a bit. He very much cared for the woman that had been caring for him since he was born. She was probably the only person besides his brothers and parents that could truly scold him, as well as trust.

"My Lord, the caravan leader says we'll be at the city tomorrow. The mirage we're seeing ahead of us hides the city, but it's there in the distance. They suspect that we'll be receiving escort from the City in the morning." The captain leading his guards told him. The six guards had struggled at first with their new camel mounts, but after five days they had each taken to the skill and temperament of the beasts and were riding well. An Iltu boy had to hold his own camel by the reins and walk beside it. Waylen scarcely knew how to ride a horse very well, let alone an entirely different animal altogether.

"That's good, Captain. Thank you." Waylen replied and the guard departed to return to the riding formation around himself and Marissa. Waylen's camel rode shoulder to shoulder with Marissa's camel, and around them the guards rode in a circle about them both a few feet away. Each of them were dressed lightly to help cope with the help and none of his livery was about him. As far as anyone knew the group of them were just traders. All evidence of his origin and heritage was safely packed away.

"This heat is absolutely dreadful. Is it growing hotter by the day?" Marisa moaned next to him. She was patting down hr face to clear the sweat from her brow. Waylen smiled.

"You said something very similar to that yesterday, Mari." Waylen told her and she playfully fumed.

"When you're old like me you'll forget things, too, Lord Waylen." She told him. Marissa wasn't that old, he thought. His mother was actually older. When he was born Marissa might have been similar to his own age. Just a young servant girl, daughter to someone in the castle's employ that was trustworthy.

Once a day, as it became ever more apparent to Waylen as they traveled across the sands, the desert would prove its name. It was past noon and the sun was tilting ever closer to its evening position. It was a sight to see the sand ahead of them turn blood red every day. It was actually like looking at a silver serving platter that had been poured full of red wine. The sun overhead, at the right angle, would reflect off the sand and make it appear to be silver. In the mornings you had to cover you eyes and avert your gaze as your rode since the light would shine off the sand like a mirror and blind you. In the evenings with the sky turning red for sunset, the sand would take its silver hue and reflect the crimson of the sky. Both effects would only last for perhaps an hour or so. Waylen was not skilled in any way at battle strategy, but he did ponder what kind of battle it would be to fight on sands that looked stained with blood.

---

"My Lord." The captain approached him at his tent. It was now early morning and the sun was rising. In roughly half an hour the sun would reach the 'silver angle' and they'd all be momentarily blinded. Waylen already had a linen scarf draped around his neck to use as a visor to protect his eyes. He could see through the linen without letting too much of the light shine into his eyes. Not ideal, but the caravan wouldn't uproot to continue on until after the desert sands had returned to normal.

"Yes, Captain?" Waylen addressed the captain.

"I've been given word that riders have been sighted ahead of us. They will reach us after the silver hour." The Captain explained. "They should be our escort, My Lord."

"Thank you for telling me, Captain." Waylen replied. He noticed that the other guards in his group were beginning to put their linen visors into place. The rest of the caravan had already done so. He thought that perhaps he should as well, and instruct Marissa to do the same. With her age her eyes would probably not recover so quickly from the light like his would.

"Yes, My Lord. I'll make sure we are all prepared." The Captain added.

"Do so." And the Captain vanished from the tent and he was left alone for a moment.

Waylen wanted the see the desert turn to silver one last time. The members of the caravan had told his guards that the City of Silver was not a good place to see the desert turn like that. The location and elevation of the land was wrong. He lifted the linen wrapped about his neck and put it around his forehead in a ready position.

The activity outside his tent was subdued with the silver angle so near. Waylen emerged and watched what little activity there was. The camels were being fitted with blinders and cloth to shield their eyes and everyone was already walking around with the own protections in place, as were his own guard.

"My Lord," A guard began to say but he held up a hand and silenced him as he began to lower his own linen into place over his eyes. The world went slightly dim, but the sun was still bright. As the sun rose higher in the East he watched the horizon for several long minutes as the caravan calmed itself down until no one moved. During the silver hour there would be no point in trying to work as the light would be too bright.

Like a mirage the sand in the desert caught Waylen's eye. The sand began to shimmer at the horizon line in the distance like water was being drawn from the earth to flood the desert. The shimmering inched closer and one by one the distant dunes were overtaken by the shining silver sea that spread across the sand. The silver moved rapid like a falling star as it rushed toward the caravan until, faster than Waylen could hope to track it with his eye, the entire caravan was swallowed.

He had to shut his eyes as the shining light of the silver sea tried to blind him and the rest of the caravan. From within his tent he heard Marissa plead with him to return to the safety of the tent. With nothing else to see but the blinding reflection of sunlight off the sand he relented and went back into the tent to wait out the hour.

---

When the silver hour had faded the caravan again began to prepare itself for the last leg of their journey. The captain of his guards had run a patrol with the caravan's own protection and then returned to Waylen to report that nothing was in sight around them except the City in the distance and the incoming escort from the same.

Waylen had no issues of his own to report and he waited out the remainder of the caravan's preparations, which took the better part of an hour. Being so close to the City seemed to have slowed the caravan down as they were not in any particular hurry to move along.

From the very front of their group he heard a horn sound its call, and the captain sent one of his men to ride and see the reason for the call. Waylen suspected it was the due to the arrival of the escort, as it was expected. In a minute's time his suspicion was confirmed. A dragon garbed in light armor rode through the camp alongside the guard that had rode to the fore.

Waylen stepped out and the captain put himself between the newcomer and his Lord. The dragon looked tall and imposing. His armor was mostly leather with some metal trappings here and there. In the desert a suit of armor would likely kill even a dragon if it was worn for too long.

"I am Yul, commander of the City Guard. Have we been honored with the presence of the Young Lord, Prince Waylen?" The dragon spoke in a deep tone. From within the dragon's helm, the only solid piece of metal larger than a fist that he wore, Commander Yul seemed to be staring a hole through Waylen's chest. He was being scrutinized heavily.

"I am Prince Waylen. You've been properly informed of my arrival?" Waylen stood at attention and let his hands cross behind the small of his back. The dragon was silent for a moment before nodding curtly to him.

"Yes, My Lord. I, and my unit, will escort you and the caravan to the City's gate. My unit is twenty strong. I expect no trouble."

"I give you my thanks for all the effort, be it big or small, Commander Yul. I eagerly await the chance to see the City you call home."

The Commander nodded and began to turn his camel around. The Captain stepped closer to him and looked uneasy. "Captain?"

"Prince Waylen, I trust your father's judgement, but I would not wish even my enemies to have to fight something like that in battle." He said. It was clear he was intimidated by the dragon. Waylen was not a warrior and had little experience with fighting. His ignorance left him blissfully unaware of whatever the Captain was envisioning should he or his men been forced to fight a dragon, or an entire unit of them.

"They are a powerful ally, Captain. Hopefully to become closer in the coming months and years with my presence here." He replied.

"Aye, My Lord. On both counts."

---

When they reached the City gates Waylen was again greeted by Commander Yul, but it was only to offer a parting word. The dragon's duties kept him outside the City walls to command the defenses far outside the City. Waylen accepted the parting and returned to his admiration of the City of Silver before him.

Their approach had revealed the full scope of the City's size. It was massive and far larger than his own Kingdom's capital. The stone walls that surrounded it were as tall as trees and topped with massive braziers that would illuminate the walls at night. No doubt there were also plenty of avenues for the City guard to defend themselves from atop the parapets.

The caravan was brought inside and Waylen could see that the city was a mass of stone buildings that varied in height, but were all multi stories. Most seemed to have as many as three stories with the tops of every building sporting wooden beams that held aloft brightly colored sheets of fabric curtains and awnings to offer protection from the sun.

His guards were greeted and the Captain was then instructed to follow the lead of a new batch of dragon guards. Their new group, minus the caravan, were now being escorted through the city.

"You won't need to leave your camel, My Lord. We will all ride to the Tower." The Captain told him. A small entourage of dragons and dragoness in plain livery began to help guide the camels they'd laden with Waylen's and Marissa's luggage. This was all fine. It was neither too early not late. He wondered how much of the city he would get to see before reaching the Tower.

The 'Tower'. Waylen could see a massive stone structure far ahead of him. The roadway they were on did not lead directly to the Tower, but it was near enough. By his best guess Waylen figured that if the tallest building next to him was three stories tall, then the Tower might just be four times as high. Maybe more.

His group was led slowly through the city with many of the citizenry looking on at them with curiosity. He nor his guards were dressed particular fine. They should have looked more like common folk, but the fact that they were being escorted by armed guard tipped off the city that they weren't as common as they may have seemed to the eye. This was fine to Waylen. He knew that the city would be as safe a place as it could be for him, and he had two sets of guards to protect him.

Turn after turn they moved through the city and Waylen grew only more curious of the dragons. He would definitely want to make a return to these days at some point to experience them further. He had chances to do the same in his homeland and he'd always found enjoyment when he did. This was a strange new place so the enjoyment he expected to get from it was all the more mouth watering.

The Tower was only becoming more massive as they approached it. Being the highest point in the city Waylen wondered how they were able to build something so massive in the middle of a desert. And then the water that seemed to spring forth from it was even more of a mystery. He knew water could be brought forth from the earth and taken to high places, but in a desert where could all this water have possibly come from?

"It's so beautiful, My Lord." Marissa whispered with awe as they took the steps up to the main gates that led inside the Tower. He didn't say anything to reply. He felt it better to keep his mouth shut, as he was an heir to his father's throne. He should remain as stoic as possible in the face of such wonder.

The gates were made of iron it looked like, and were already open slightly. The ajar gates left an opening large enough for three stallions to walk through abreast. The two guards at the front of their escort stepped to the side and took up stations to the left and right of the opening and gestured with their spears for the group to enter. Waylen led the way with Marissa and the captain of his guards in tow just behind him, and then the remainder of his guard further behind them than that.

Once inside the temperature dropped significantly. It wasn't cold, but the oppressive heat from outside had vanished. The stone of the Tower shielded all from the heat it seemed. Waylen could now see that the water spouts pouring out their nectar like it was cheap were also located indoors as well. The massive chamber he'd been led into was like a mighty gathering hall. To the far left and right there were reflecting pools and faux waterfalls keeping the pools full and shimmering with gentle waves.

Somehow they'd cut skylights into the ceiling. Everything was still built of solid stone, either carved from the earth or set into place as large single pieces. The skylights poured light into the room in great rays that overlapped the center of the room, which was the path upon which they all now walked.

There were attendants, all dragons, at the opposite end of the hall as Waylen and his group approached. He glanced up at the skylights as he neared the first bar of light that he'd have to pass under to reach the other side. As soon as he stepped into the sharp light of day falling from above he felt the heat wash over him. Soon after that it vanished as the shade of the building cooled him. The entire group repeated this many times as they walked across the hall to its opposite end.

It was at a set of large double doors leading deeper that he was greeted by a pair of dragons in fine livery. One was clearly female, but they were each of unknown age and taller than he was, same as all the other dragons in the City had been thus far.

"Lord Waylen?" One of the two spoke, the male. His voice was soft yet deep.

"I am." He replied. Behind him and to his flanks were his small entourage. The escorting dragon guards he had were also flanking him, but stood much further apart as to isolate the group of humans to themselves.

"We, the City of Silver, welcome you, Prince Waylen. The Queen awaits you in the throne room with her daughters." The male said, then the female next to him added, "We were informed that one female servant accompanied you, and a team of personal guard."

"Yes, this is true. Marissa has accompanied me." He shifted on a foot and gestured a hand to the older woman behind him, who nodded at her being introduced. Waylen then shifted again and gestured to the Captain. "And this is the Captain of my guard who has helped me reach your City unharmed." The Captain smiled with pride and stood at proud attention, as did the rest of the guards who served under him.

Both dragons nodded together.

"Our Tower guard will escort you all to the throne room, Prince Waylen. Please, do follow." The male spoke.

"Of course, lead the way." Waylen replied and the two dragons turned toward each other to pivot and step beyond the threshold of the double doors. Several dragon guards of mixed sex took up positions around Waylen's small group and with the Prince leading the way they all moved as one. With so many eyes upon him he maintained perfect poise throughout. He counted the two individuals that had greeted him, the male and female in livery, then another head count of his dragon guards. There were eight of them. He had counted at least 30 other guards since entered the Tower. He didn't know if they were concentrating their soldiers to where Waylen was or if this was the normal troop density for their security. It felt like it was more heavily populated with guards than his castle at home, despite being a time of peace.

By his estimation it felt like they were moving toward the center of the Tower, but he would not know this for certain until his mental map of the grounds was more complete. Waylen did note, however, that the group could not move to the throne room in a straight line. Their forward escorts navigated them into and through a triangle shaped room. The rightmost door is the one they took which leg through a crescent shaped corridor and into another room which was the previous' mirrored opposite.

So to his inner eye Waylen saw that any invading force must pass through the two triangle rooms. He wondered if the skylights in the great hall they'd passed through before had positions made for archers to shoot at invaders from above. Their escort took them to the next open doorway. There was two guards at every post here.

They were now all being led up a flight of stairs that was at a slightly uncomfortable incline. The top of the staircase ahead of them was fifty or more feet. By the time they reached the top Waylen was not winded, but he also was heavily laden with armor and weapons. Any force that tried to push their way into the throne room would be forced into this inconvenient bottle neck with archers or crossbows at the top. A direct assault would likely be so costly an endeavor that even if an army took the Tower they wouldn't be able to hold it for long.

Now, ahead of them by a great span, the Queen and her company greeted them. The throne room was a massive circle with intricate flooring of stone and silver. Pillars lined the walls and above them all was a great dome with painted murals of dragons in armor waging battle against each other. The pair of dragons escorting them stopped, and turned to face him.

"Prince Waylen, only you may approach." The female whispered and the two bowed formally and took three steps back from him to his either side a piece. He nodded and assumed a formal stance and stepped forward. From the doorway they'd entered from there was a trail set into the stonework of the floor to guide him in a straight line. The details were elegant like a field of flowers, but as he dared to let his eyes dart about the details he noticed the silver leafing hid within the 'garden' of silver the evidence of swords and spears amidst the flowers. You were meant to walk through a battlefield if you ever approached the Queen. What an interesting place, he thought.

Waylen was no King and he was only the 4th son of an ally. He was beckoned to approach by a gesture of the Queen's hand and he did so with the confident stride he'd been taught to do. He was 15 years old, but he'd been taught how to make an approach such as this by those far wiser than himself. Waylen hoped he carried that knowledge well. He knew that he must maintain his poise the whole way through. The stone beneath his feet, etched by hand into elaborate designs with silver set within the grooves, led him to the place he was meant to stop.

Before the Queen, and her small entourage, he stood. At his feet was a circle of silver leafing that marked where an audience was to make their stand. He made a gentle fist with his right, drew the arm across his stomach and held it, then executed a subtle bow and kept it. A male voice from afar spoke loudly, but the words floated across the air with softly.

"Prince Waylen, 4th Heir to the Throne, of the Kingdom of Hellen'n'yore." The voice spoke out his introduction. As instructed from before he took his turn to speak. He drew himself back upright to stand with both arms at his sides. He caught the Queen's gaze. Her eyes were the sharpest shade of green he'd ever seen. It was like she had real emeralds for eyes.

"I bring to you greetings from my father, the King Shadol II, and many most humble thanks for accepting the burden of his son's company." He said, and nodded slowly to accentuate the message to all gathered.

"It is not a burden at all, Prince Waylen. I have met both your Mother and your Father. I have met also those that came before them and who were known and Kings and Queens. Any child of your family line is welcome here in the City of Silver. I welcome you, as do my people." The Queen spoke. Her voice was soft, but loud enough that it carried through the room far better than his own could.

"You have my, and my parents, gratitude, Your Highness." He replied. He looked at her and she smiled and gave him a gentle nod. Her demeanor seemed sweet and gentle. There was an incredible kindness emanating from her. It was even more incredible that once upon a time, before his father had taken the throne, this dragoness seated upon her throne was a soldier. A warrior that had conquered the Silver Sands and brought them to heel under her benevolent rule. She did not seem to be made of the stuff that won wars, but he was young and knew very little of dragons and their ways.

"These," The Queen lifted both her hands from the arms of her throne and gestured to the dragonesses at her either side. "Are my daughters."

"Vienna, my eldest." She gestured with her right hand to the dragoness standing nearest to her. This one was the tallest of the four and stood wearing similar, but less ornate, robes to her mother. Like her mother's her hair was long enough to reach the middle of her back, and was wavy like wind blowing across a field of grass. She smiled at him, which seemed to possess a measure of the kindness he had felt from the Queen.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Prince Waylen." Vienna took her moment to say, her voice soft like her mothers' and gave him a subtle curtsy.

"Iolla, my second eldest." She gestured with her left hand to the daughter nearest to her. Iolla was the second tallest. She wore a tunic and stood sharply at attention, more so than her siblings. Her hair was long, but tied neatly into a braid that fell over one shoulder to lay beside her breast. Her gaze was firm and piercing. When Waylen looked to her it seemed like she was seeing through him.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Prince Waylen." Iolla offered her greeting in a curt manner. She gave him the subtlest of nods.

"Orrae is my third eldest." The Queen returned Waylen's attention to her opposite side and to the dragoness standing next to her eldest sibling. The female nodded to him deeply. Long and wavy hair ran in the family as revealed by her styling. Orrae was draped in a loose robe that was tied tightly around her middle by a sash and she looked devoid of any jewelry. She spoke.

"Welcome to our home, Prince Waylen. I'm happy we've a visitor from so far away." She told him softly and bowed gently to him with grace.

"And this is my youngest, Riisha." She gestured to the final daughter that stood next to the stoic figure of her elder sister, Iolla. Riisha was the shortest of them all, but still taller than himself, he noted. She was dressed in a light and airy dress and decorated with bits of jewelry like the majority of her family. Her hair was cut short so it fell in little waves about her head.

"Greetings, Prince Waylen." She said and curtsied for him with a bright smile before returning upright and tucking her hands behind her back.

"I thank you all for your kind welcome." Waylen replied to them all and bowed again, but this time with greater depth. As he rose he saw that the Queen herself had risen from her throne and was making her way down the steps toward him. Her gate was long as were her legs. She was incredibly tall. The guards in the room made no effort to shift or move.

She was graceful in her movements with her tail swaying behind her like a serpent patiently treading across the sands. The Queen stopped in front of him and he had to maintain his poise whilst also looking up to match her gaze. The dragoness was so very tall. He was feeling intimidated as she stared him down with a gaze so gentle it failed to match her stature.

Even with the cool air in the hall he felt as if he would soon be sweating if this contest continued as the Queen looked down at him, like she was sizing him up. The Queen's robes were elegant to be sure, but cut and trimmed for beauty and softness. Her jewelry was refined and sleek to blend in with her curves. She was not human, indeed, but she was beautiful despite that truth. Waylen felt he'd have been prepared had she been human, but this difference was putting him off balance.

Despite that, Waylen maintained his gaze with hers. Those emerald eyes she possessed bore right into his own with such an intensity that her gentleness seemed more like a cover to hide something deeper. He resisted the urge to swallow and instead he tighten his fist and dug the end of his thumbnail into the side of his middle finger. The pain that grew there gave him something to focus on.

"Good." She said finally. The contest was over. Her sharp emerald eyes seemed to glitter as she leaned slightly to bring herself lower to him. Her hands placed their palms over his shoulders and she gently squeezed them. "Welcome. Please allow my guards to show you and your servant to your rooms."

"Two and Five. Take them to the Golden Room." She spoke, her voice suddenly more stern, but it was clear she was speaking to guards because immediately after she spoke two of the guards in the hall stepped forward and began to approach. The Queen continued, returning to her softer melody of tone, "We shall all dine in the evening and it would be a great joy if you would join us, Young Prince."

"Of course, Your Highness. I will gladly attend." He replied and smiled up at her. The dragoness returned to her full height and removed her hands from his shoulders before nodding to him politely and turning to make her way back to her throne. The gentle sway of her gate was interrupted by the two guards as they stepped up to him.

"My Lord, please allow us to escort you." The first guard said.

"Of course, please lead the way." He replied and together he and Marissa followed them out of the hall. The two guards walked abreast ahead of them as they exited the great hall and when they were out of view of the observing royal family he finally felt the sweat glisten on his brow. The cool air revealed how tense he'd been while standing under her gaze. He didn't know why, but she felt so powerful standing in front of him. Her demeanor, her style of dress, her beauty, it was hiding something that instinct told him was there. The Queen had earned the right to rule this desert, he was absolutely certain of it. He was only 15... but the hair on the back of his neck was standing on end like he'd just stared down a wolf baring its fangs. Waylen knew that she'd earned her crown.