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The Dragons of Euphaea

Part 1

Chapter 1

The human empire of Forgaria was vast; containing sixteen different provinces, and ruling over the dominion of the entire continent of Euphaea, as well as parts of the continent of Panagini. The continent of Euphaea was in the west, and the continent of Panagini was in the east. The Forgarian Empire was the birthplace of civilization.

The country of Forgaria was the heartland of the empire, and the capital city of White Harbor, the largest and most prosperous city in the known world, was the seat of power. The country of Forgaria was mostly flat grassland, but many farms littered the countryside, providing food for the prosperous city of White Harbor, which had a population of over 700,000 people. Mostly humans called the city home, although a few other races did as well.

White Harbor, the capital city of the Forgarian Empire, was a unique city, as it was built on two continents. Half the city was on Euphaea, and the other half of the city was on Panagini, separated by a small narrow waterway that quickly widened on both ends, leading into two separate seas. Four large, stone bridges connected the city, the middle of them were made of wood which could rise to allow passing ships to get by. This strategic location made White Harbor the trade capital of the world, as riches from both continents had to pass through the city to reach the other land.

The continent of Euphaea was more civilized than Panagini; 12 of the 16 countries the Forgarian Empire possessed were in Euphaea. However, Panagini was a much richer land, and a much larger continent, not yet fully explored. It was unknown to the peoples of Euphaea what was beyond Panagini.

Unlike empires throughout history, Forgaria never crumbled, and has lasted more than 1,000 years. During those 1,000 years, a single dynasty has ruled the empire. The Comnenus dynasty can trace their ancestry back to the founder of the empire, Malinor the Great.

Anna Comnenus, the youngest child of Emperor Malcolm IV, was a young, restless woman, barely into adulthood. She was beautiful, like most princesses, but not vain about it. Anna had two brothers, Tylus and Alexius, Tylus being the eldest, and the crown prince to the empire.

Anna got along well with her brothers, as well as her father, but her mother was a cold, cruel woman. Her mother, Empress Priscilla, was the typical elitist snob, who constantly looked down at everyone who was not a royal, or did not possess noble blood. Priscilla never cared for Anna, and rarely even spoke with her daughter. Priscilla didn't care for anyone, even her husband.

Tomorrow, trade agreements between a savage orc kingdom whose exact name Anna couldn't remember would be held in the throne room, and Anna's father, Malcolm, insisted she attend. She wasn't too sure why; Anna had no talent for diplomacy, or possessed any interest in it, for that matter. However, she was curious to see an orc, as she had never seen one before.

Anna made her way through the Imperial Palace, which was a large, imposing structure. It was five stories tall, and the palace, as well as the grounds, took up nearly a fifth of the city of White Harbor. The Imperial Palace was the second largest structure in the city, the first being the Cathedral of Daphne. The palace grounds were surrounded by large gates, as well as towers where guards were stationed. The grounds possessed a royal mausoleum, a garden, a small lake, many statues and topiary shrubs, all of which were perfectly carved or cut in amazing figures. The largest topiary was that of a dragon, in the center of a large courtyard. Behind the courtyard was an enormous cave that led into a large hill behind the palace; however no one dared enter it as it was very spooky looking.

The outer walls of the palace were an obsidian color, with many clear, as well as stained-glass windows. Balconies were everywhere outside the walls and beautiful spires were at the four corners of the palace. The inside of the palace was as luxurious as it could possibly be. It had over 7,000 rooms, and five floors. The first floor was where all the business of the empire was conducted. It housed offices, meeting rooms, and even a few classrooms where the art of diplomacy was taught. The first floor also contained the throne room; a grand, large hall where the stone throne Emperor Malcolm occupied was located. The throne room had many long, vertical windows, where the sun could illuminate the room during the day, and braziers and torches illuminated it during the night. The throne room also had tables, benches, and a long, violet colored carpet that ran from the throne all the way to the entrance to the room. In addition to the throne room, the first floor also housed the servants quarters, the main embassy where leaders from foreign lands stayed, a spa, and a massive dining room, with an equally massive kitchen, where world renowned chef's made food fit for an emperor.

The second floor of the palace contained bedrooms, offices, the imperial guard and the imperial military headquarters, the palace guard barracks, many lounges, recreational areas, studies, and even the entrance to a small chapel, where private religious ceremonies could take place. The chapel was small, although it was quite beautiful. It was nowhere near as beautiful as the Cathedral of Daphne, however.

The third floor of the palace contained the offices of very important people in the empire. The office of the treasury was located here, although the treasury itself was located in vaults beneath the palace. Offices of military, diplomatic, and economic advisors were located on the third floor, in addition to the offices and private quarters of the representatives of the sixteen countries within the empire.

The fourth floor contained massive art galleries, where the most famous works of arts known to exist were kept. It also housed the royal museum, where priceless artifacts from ancient civilizations were safely housed. The largest section of the fourth floor was the Imperial library, where the largest collections of knowledge known to mankind, as well as some other races, were located. Thousands of books and scrolls were located on bookshelves, all numbered alphabetically. In addition to books and scrolls, stone tablets with markings and sigils were occasionally housed in the library, but more often than not, they were relocated to the museum.

The fifth and final floor of the palace was off limits to everyone, except the Imperial family. Only the Imperial family, as well as the most experienced and senior members of the Imperial palace guard were allowed to roam the halls. The fifth floor contains eight master bedrooms, four of which were occupied by the current ruling family. In addition to the bedrooms of the emperor and the empress, and their three children, the fifth floor also houses lounges, the Imperial dining room, and the hall of remembrance, where carved marble faces were shown, each of which belonged to a previous emperor or empress.

As Anna continued to make her way to her bedroom, she was being escorted by two Imperial guardsmen; her own personal guards. She could do whatever she wished to these men, but she looked at them as friends, not servants. The guards stopped outside Anna's bedroom, where they would take turns standing watch throughout the night.

Anna shut the door to her bedroom quietly, thanking her guards and wishing them a goodnight in the process. She knew them both since they were all children, and Anna selected the two of them because she viewed them as friends, and knew they would protect her with their lives. Their names were Julius and Alfred, and they were actually cousins to one another. Anna didn't treat them any differently than she treated her brothers, and she counted the two guards among her best friends.

Once the finely crafted wooden door was shut, Anna looked at her room. It was very spacious, and the floor was the finest carved stone in the land. Anna made her way down the three stone steps that led into her room, and made her way over to her desk, located against a glass window. Once seated, she started to write in her diary, occasionally looking up to gaze out at the starry sky, as well as looking at the flickering lights of buildings in the city. Some lights were going out, while others were being lit. The nights in White Harbor were always peaceful and quiet, which was rare for a city of this size.

White Harbor had the lowest crime rate of any city in the empire. Whether this was due to the presence of thousands of city guards patrolling the streets, or because of the simple good nature of the citizens, Anna would never know. She rarely walked around in the city, and if she did, it was under constant escort and she was forbidden from going into the poorer districts. White Harbor had 12 districts, each named after a color.

Anna understood why she was forbidden from going to certain districts; she was a young lady, and even though crime rate was low, she wasn't ignorant enough to really think that strange men, human or whatever else called the city their home, wouldn't hesitate to try to rob her, or worse. After all, robbing a member of the Imperial family could make the robber very wealthy. Last summer, her brother Alexius was attacked in a shady district of the city by a group of thugs, but they didn't realize he was a member of the Imperial family, despite wearing the dark purple outfit.

The color purple was a color of wealth and power, and it was the color of the Imperial family. In fact, it was looked down upon for common people to wear anything that was purple. The Imperial family's banner was the color purple, with a silver dragon in the center of the banner. Dragons were respected, not feared, in the empire. It was said that the founder of the Forgarian Empire, Malinor, Anna's ancestor, conquered the continent of Euphaea while riding on a silver dragon. Legend has it that the city of White Harbor was actually the original location where the silver dragon hatched and also where Malinor first met the dragon, although at that time, the city wasn't erected yet.

Anna wasn't too sure about that story. There were many history books in the royal library about the founding of the Forgarian Empire, as well as all her ancestors, but none of that interested her. Anna loved poetry, as well as romance stories, not history books.

Poetry was what Anna was writing in her diary. She loved poetry, but possessed no talent for writing it. She managed to come up with a few lines about flowers, but that was it. Frustrated, she put an X at the top of the page, and shut the diary.

Anna stood up, and walked over to her mirror, where she undressed herself. She gazed upon her body, not in admiration, but in disappointment. She was a beautiful young woman, with light brown hair, long eyelashes, fair skin, and dark blue eyes. She had supple breasts, and lady like hands, and painted fingernails. She gazed at her body in disappointment, because she had a feeling she would never enjoy the company of a man, and her body would be wasted. She was old enough to marry, and yet she had a feeling when she did get married, it wouldn't be for love, but for diplomacy.

Emperor Malcolm made it clear to Anna that one day she would be married off for diplomatic reasons. It wasn't that her father didn't love her, but that was what being a lady in the Imperial family was like. However, her father later told her that he didn't want to marry her off; that she should stay here with her family. Anna liked that idea, but she wanted a husband, she wanted children and a family. Anna was 19 years old, and many princesses throughout their family history had been married off as young as 14.

On one occasion, Anna heard her mother ask her father to marry her off to some orc warlord, in a faraway land. She was happy her father firmly said no, but it upset her that her own mother would suggest such a thing. Orcs were wild and savage, and being forced to marry one, and live in a small hut amongst the bloodthirsty savages frightened Anna. Although she had never seen an orc, she had heard stories. For many years, the orcs in Panagini would loot and burn imperial settlements situated along the empire's frontier. She heard stories how they would drink the blood of the men, enslave the women, and sacrifice the captured children to their god of war.

Anna turned away from the mirror, and got in her bathtub, which was built into the floor of the bedroom. Beneath the stone tub, servants would light fires, heating the water. The water was already hot, and off to her side sat a burning fireplace, which added to the warmth. It was summer, so it wasn't that chilly outside; however, White Harbor was in the southern part of the continent of Euphaea, so it never snowed or got too chilly outside.

Anna had never seen snow before. She heard about how it was actually the gods' way of blanketing beauty to the northern lands. Anna had always wanted to see snow. She heard it was white like a wedding dress, but cold and watery when touched. Anna also heard that it could be consumed, as a form of solid water, and she always wanted to taste it.

Anna washed herself in the warm tub, washing away the events that had occurred that day. After she finished, she dried off using a towel, and changed into her sleepwear. She made her way over to the door leading to a private balcony, and opened it. Although it was warm outside, she loved the feeling of snuggling under her warm blankets, even if it got hot.

Looking at her warm bed, she made her way over to it, and quickly got underneath the warm blankets. It was getting late now, and her father wanted her to get a good night's rest for the events that would take place tomorrow. The Imperial princess quickly dozed off, warm and secure under the blankets in her soft bed.

The next morning, Anna's handmaiden, Caitlin, walked into her room, waking her up. "Anna, you over slept," the young handmaiden said as she shook the sleeping princess.

The sun was shining through the balcony windows, as well as the door which was open. The noon sun sent warm heat into the room, and as Anna woke up, she realized she was sweating. She quickly pulled the blankets off of her, allowing her body to cool.

Anna looked at her handmaiden, Caitlin. "Has the trade agreement been completed?"

Caitlin was a young woman, although she was a few years older than Anna. She had long, blonde hair, and green eyes. Anna always thought that Caitlin was a beautiful woman, and knew that one day she would make a man very happy.

The young handmaiden shook her head. "No, your father sent me to get you; he has been delaying the trade talks until you arrive."

Anna groaned. She was hoping if she slept in, she may actually miss the talks. Diplomacy bored her, and she wasn't looking forward to being forced to watch it.

"There are a few other matters your father wishes to speak to you about, as well." Caitlin was now pulling the blankets off her bed, and throwing them into a pile on the floor, where servants would arrive to clean them.

The Imperial princess simply nodded, although she wondered what her father had to tell her. Despite sweating throughout the night, Anna had no time to take a bath, and instead put some perfume on. Caitlin saw what she was doing, and shook her head.

"You will want to clean yourself up, Anna," Caitlin mumbled. "Trust me."

Anna sighed, and undressed. The bath was lukewarm, and she quickly got in and washed herself, rinsing her body of sweat. Anna loved her soap. It was expensive, but it smelled so much like an orchard of fruit. She cleaned her hair, as well. Caitlin helped her put her hair up in a bun, allowing the hair in front of her ears to hang freely. Anna put on a purple dress, which had silver, as well as gold linings.

A few minutes later, Anna, as well as her two guards and Caitlin made their way to the throne room. The palace was bustling with activity, as many busy people scattered about, all doing their daily jobs. The palace was so large; it usually took several minutes to reach one end of the palace, even if running.

Anna loved walking around the palace. It was so large, it took them nearly ten minutes to walk from the fifth floor all the way to the throne room, and Anna wasn't too thrilled at the sight. In fact, she had half a mind to run all the way back to her room, and lock the door.

A large, green skinned humanoid was in the center of the throne room, bowing down to Emperor Malcolm. In his hand was a ring, a wedding band. Anna almost started to cry; her mother had finally gotten her way, and she would be married off to this brute. The orc stood up, and Anna was actually impressed at his visage.

The orc was probably around seven feet tall. He had animal hide pants on, but wasn't wearing a shirt. His dark green chest was ripped with muscles, and some dark hair covered his manly looking chest. The more Anna looked at his chest, the more she was starting to slowly like the idea of being married off to one of these brutes, until she finally saw the face.

He was a terrifying looking orc. He had two large, tusk-like teeth that sprouted up from his jaw. His teeth were yellow, no doubt due to poor dental hygiene, and he had a scruffy looking black beard that appeared to have not been washed in ages. He had dark red eyes, and pointy ears. The orc was completely bald, except for a strange looking pony tail that pointed towards the ceiling.

Anna broke free of looking at the terrifying man when her father broke the silence. "I accept your offer, Garbo. The Empire of Forgaria will assist your people in fighting the horde of centaurs that are raiding and pillaging your villages, as well as Imperial settlements. In addition, may the trade between our peoples be prosperous to us both."

Garbo the orc looked up at the emperor, and then looked towards Anna, when he grinned. "I think we should also marry our households together. Your daughter and I will marry, and our alliance will be stronger than ever."

Anna's heart nearly stopped at the suggestion. She wasn't sure what she would do if her father said yes, but it would probably involve jumping from the fifth floor balcony. She held her breath, and stared wide-eyed at her father.

Emperor Malcolm looked at his daughter, and shook his head horizontally. "I am sorry, Garbo, but my daughter is already promised to another." Malcolm shifted his gaze back to the orc. "And even if she wasn't promised to another, I wouldn't agree to such a proposal."

Anna was confused. She didn't know she was promised to another, unless her father was lying to the orc. Still, this entire thing had caught her entirely off guard. The Forgarian Empire has been at peace for nearly a century, with the exception of a few raids on the settlements along the frontier in Panagini. Unless one counted a small civil war that occurred a few decades ago, the last century has been a golden age for the empire, and if her father truly did intend on helping these orcs take up arms against a horde of centaurs, the peace would be shattered, and many Imperial legionaries would perish.

The Imperial legion was the finest military corps to ever exist in history. The legion has existed for nearly a millennium, since it was first founded by the first emperor, and ancestor to Anna, Malinor the Great. Even though the legion was strong, centaurs were fast, and very quick with ranged weapons. Anna had never seen a centaur but she had seen portraits and statues of the horse men.

Anna remembered reading a story about the beings that lived near the frontier lands, and centaurs caught her eye. In the story, a local human king offered the local centaur tribe to attend his daughter's wedding, which they accepted. It was a massacre; the centaurs slaughtered everyone, and raped and captured the princess. Centaurs were lust filled monsters, and after that incident, they were never trusted by humans again.

"If I do not marry a woman from your family, emperor, than we have no deal," Garbo said loudly. "All I want is for our families to join forces, to solidify our alliance."

Before the emperor could respond, Caitlin the handmaiden stepped forward. "Allow me, uncle," Caitlin told the emperor.

It was true; Caitlin was the cousin of Anna, and niece of the emperor. She was a member of the Imperial family; however she wasn't a member of the direct family line that ruled the empire. First born son's always ruled the empire, and her mother was the sister of Malcolm, although she passed away many years ago.

Malcolm looked at his niece. He didn't want to force her into something she would regret, and after looking at Garbo again, he was sure the poor girl would either die or be tortured by his hands. Before he could continue thinking, Garbo interrupted his thoughts.

"She is a member of your family, then... Your niece, I take it?" Garbo didn't take his red eyes off the blonde woman. The more he looked at her, the more he thought she was beautiful, and although he wanted the daughter of the emperor, she would do. After all, he had known the woman for years now, although the emperor had no way of knowing.

Emperor Malcolm sighed. "Very well, Caitlin; you will leave here with Garbo as his betrothed, and the two of you will return to his home village." Malcolm stared at Garbo. "I hope she brings you happiness, Chieftain Garbo, and I hope she bears you many sons."

Now that that affair was in order, Garbo turned back to the emperor. "When can we expect your forces, Emperor?"

Malcolm looked at Caitlin, to make sure she was okay with this. She smiled at him and nodded, and he appreciated her doing this on behalf of the empire. Malcolm stood up and walked towards Anna.

"My sons and I will ride out tomorrow with our legions, and we will rendezvous at your village, Garbo," Malcolm replied, not looking back at the Orc. Garbo and Caitlin soon walked out of the palace together.

"I am sorry father, I should have volunteered to become betrothed to him, and not force Caitlin to do it," Anna mumbled, disappointed.

Malcolm hugged his daughter. "Knowing your cousin, she will enjoy that journey; she always hated the palace, and longed to live on the wild side, just like her mother," Malcolm laughed, and slowly started to frown as he mentioned her mother, his sister.

Anna knew that he was close to his sister, as well as his brother. His brother died of sickness when he was just a boy, and his sister, Caitlin's mother, passed away a few years ago; a section of the palace was not completely stable after an earthquake, and the section collapsed on her. Anna never met Caitlin's father, but he loved to sail, and one day, he never returned from a voyage.

"What I said was true, however," Malcolm quietly told her. "You were promised to another the moment you were born, although I often debated back and forth whether to break the promise, as other marriage proposals arrived."

This news shocked Anna. Before she could ask about the man she was going to marry, her father hugged her, and kissed her on the forehead. "I have some things to tell you," Malcolm whispered into her ear.

That night, Anna's father brought her into his private study, and shut the door behind him. His study was a large office, where the emperor would write proclamations, like warrants and other documents. It was dimly lit, with only a few candles and a large window behind the desk where the emperor sat, but moonlight or sunlight would help brighten the room.

Anna sat in a chair in front of the desk, and the father and daughter just smiled at one another. "The one I have promised you to is an old friend of mine, Anna," Malcolm finally said.

Anna sighed, frowning. "He is an old man, then?"

Malcolm started to laugh, harder than Anna thought was appropriate. She was being serious, not trying to be funny. She always thought about marrying a dashing young man with long hair, who was a renowned swordsman.

Malcolm finally stopped laughing. "He is actually twice, if not thrice, my age."

Anna thought that over, and chuckled to herself. Was he just teasing her? "So he is either 100, or 150 years old?"

"He probably is; I actually do not know how old he is, myself." Malcolm smiled, and looked a little unsure, not about the age of her future husband, but about the entire idea of marrying her to him.

"Tell you what, Anna," Malcolm reached out and grabbed his daughter's hand. "Tomorrow, before your brothers' and I ride for battle, I will introduce the two of you. He lives right here in the city."

Before Anna could respond, Malcolm interrupted her.

"I didn't bring you here to tell you about him, Anna," he told her. "Your mother is travelling, and is going to stay with her sister in Auroria. You will be the only Comnenus in White Harbor, so you will be empress while I am away."

Anna liked that thought, although she didn't have any aspirations to become the ruler of the empire. She also thought it was typical of her mother to leave her alone when she was going to be on her own, ruling the empire. Malcolm looked at his daughter, and smiled as she processed the information.

"I need to go over some things with you before tomorrow, so pay attention," Malcolm laughed.

The next morning, Anna made her way to the throne room, where she saw her father and brothers' all dressed up in military gear. The most notable thing about their equipment was the purple capes that hung from their necks; identifying them as Imperial family members. Anna hugged her brothers' goodbye, and they wished her luck, as she did the same.

Emperor Malcolm stayed in the throne room, as his sons' left with a contingent of personal guards. "Your mother has already left, Anna," Malcolm told her as he looked after his sons'. "Now, I will introduce you to Gil."

Gil was a strange name, and Anna assumed it was short for Gilbert or some other name. Her father beckoned her to follow him, and the two of them soon left the palace. Anna was surprised that they didn't actually head into the city, but turned left before leaving the palace gates.

They walked on the palace grounds, until they were at the back of the imposing structure, and facing a large, dark cave. Anna was starting to think this was all a joke, albeit a strange, and somewhat of a cruel one. Did her happiness even matter to her father? Did he not want a lot of grandchildren?

"Gil, get out here, my old friend," Malcolm shouted into the gaping cave.

For a while, there was only silence, and Anna sighed. She actually turned around, and began to walk away, when she heard movement from the cave. She spun around, and couldn't believe her eyes; she actually fainted at the sight.

All Anna remembered seeing was an enormous pair of orange eyes, with a little black vertical slit in the center, before she collapsed.

Chapter 2

"Anna! Anna, wake up," Malcolm shouted.

Anna slowly opened her eyes, and saw her father's face not far from hers, concern in his eyes. Malcolm was a middle aged man, but was clean shaven, and had very short grey hair, as well as grey eyes. He had the occasional wrinkle here and there, but looked healthy for his age of 55.

"Your daughter scares easily, Malcolm," a deep, husky sounding unfamiliar voice said loudly. "And here you told me dragons were respected, not feared in your empire."

Anna slowly sat up, and froze at the sight of the one the voice belonged to. A large head which was red in color looked down at her, and she saw many pointed teeth. Below his mouth, he had sharp spikes all long his jawline, as well as a black nose, with two large nostrils at the base. He had large orange eyes that resembled a sun set; above them he had strange horizontal horns that looked a bit like eye brows. He had two alien looking appendages coming out the side of his head, probably ears. Above his head were two white horns, but each side of his head had an additional pair of horns, all of which curved backward, and below the horns were a few spines along his head that looked like they could flare up.

Anna stood up, shaking dust off her outfit. "I apologize; I have never seen a...dragon close up before," Anna laughed nervously. "From the shadow of the cave, you looked like an enormous snake coming out of a hole."

The dragon, Gil, looked down at her; studying her appearance. "You are forgiven, but do not compare me to a filthy snake again," Gil told her sternly, his spines around his head flaring up.

Anna took a step backward at the sight. "Again, I apologize," Anna's voice was now shaking with fear, but she wasn't necessarily scared. She was in the presence of something so magnificent, it was making her tremble.

"I told her about our arrangement, Gil," Malcolm told the dragon. He wasn't scared around the dragon, and he spoke to him as if he were simply an old friend.

"And what did she say?" Gil didn't take his sun like eyes off of Anna, as he looked her up and down.

"Nothing," Anna spoke. They were talking about her as if she wasn't even there, and it was starting to annoy her.

Malcolm looked at Anna. "You don't have to accept, my sweet. However, a dragon hasn't courted a Comnenus in centuries," the emperor said slowly. "I didn't know if you would be interested."

Anna looked back at her father. "Wait, our ancestor's courted dragons?" Amazement was in her voice, and she remembered the story of Malinor riding into battle atop a silver dragon.

"Malinor, our ancestor, actually fell in love with his dragon, Ursalira, and their children did the same; finding dragons and courting them," Malcolm replied. "The practice hasn't been done in a long time, however. The last time was two centuries ago, although our family members had received offers of courtship from dragons."

Gil looked at Malcolm. "Your father here actually received an offer from a dragoness in his youth," the red dragon laughed.

"Yes, but my father had other plans for me, Anna," Malcolm sighed. "The choice is yours; I regret I must take my leave now."

"Who are you fighting, Malcolm," Gil asked quickly. "I can help you, know."

Malcolm chuckled. "We are fighting a horde of centaurs. You know, horsemen who are masters of the bow," Malcolm looked up at Gil. "You still want to fight?"

Anna turned to look at Gil, and saw fear in his orange eyes. It made sense, a winged creature probably feared archers more than anything. "I would like to get to know Gil, more," Anna interrupted the two of them.

Gil looked down at Anna, and saw curiosity in her eyes. She definitely handled the news a little better than he thought, despite fainting. Gil felt Malcolm patting him on the thigh.

"I must be off now," Malcolm sighed, and turned to Anna. "Don't run the empire into the ground while I am away."

Anna hugged her father, and wished him luck. Gil simply nodded at the emperor, and Malcolm turned and walked away. Anna stared after her father, until he was no longer visible. She felt a poke in her back, and jumped in fright, only to turn around and see that Gill was sniffing her.

"What are you doing," she squealed, backing away from the dragon while rubbing her back.

Gil snaked his head closer to his body, arching his neck so he towered above her. "I am just getting to know you a little better," he answered, sounding offended.

Anna took a few steps to her left, so she could better see the creature. All she has seen so far was his head, which was the only thing that was really poking out of the cavern, though she could see the silhouette of the rest of his body inside. The change in his position didn't allow her to see him any better.

Gil seemed to get the message, and slowly emerged from the cavern; allowing his entire body to be seen. He chuckled when he heard the woman gasp as she took his sight in. Gil wasn't vain, but he did know he was a good looking male, despite his red color.

Anna stared at the dragon. His scales and hide was red, and his underside was yellow. From head to tail, he was somewhere between 30 and 40 feet long, and when he stood on all four feet, his head could probably reach the ceiling of the first floor of the palace, and if he stretched his neck all the way, he would easily reach the second floor. All along his back, he had plate looking armor, and rows of spikes that stretched from his neck, all the way to the tip of his tail. His tail had a razor sharp looking spear-like horn at the tip that looked like it could easily cut the head off anyone who got close enough. He had a long wing span; each wing looked so fragile, yet had to be so strong. His feet each had four digits, each with a very long, sharp looking claw. His feet were large, possibly twice the size of Anna's head. His front feet looked a bit more like hands, and Anna guessed he could use them as such. The last thing Anna noticed was a small slit between his hind legs, near where his tail was attached to his body, and she couldn't take her eyes off of it.

"Are you done admiring me, princess, or do you wish to continue to stare at my slit until my actual 'snake' pops out," Gil said slyly, as he stared at the young woman.

Anna's face went red, and she looked at the ground in embarrassment. Eager to change the subject, she decided to ask a question, but immediately regretted it when she said it.

"So how do a dragon and a human have a child?"

Gil laughed, and couldn't believe she was asking that. "We...mate...like every other species, obviously," Gil laughed. "Males create sperm, which then travels to the egg of the woman, where it is then fertilized."

Anna was completely taken aback. "I know that!"

Gil stared at her in confusion. "Well then, why did you ask?"

"I mean," Anna sighed. "How can a dragon actually impregnate a human woman, and how can a human man impregnate a female dragon?"

Honestly, Gil wasn't too sure himself how it was possible. "I was told that Malinor the Great used magic to allow Ursalira to carry his children, and in the process, he made his blood type compatible with a dragon," Gil said, not too sure. "I believe the Comnenus family are the only ones who can reproduce with my kind, because Malinor and Ursalira's blood run through your family's blood."

Personally, genetics and blood type was of no interest to Anna, but she enjoyed learning a bit about herself, as well. "Can I touch you, Gil?"

Gil laughed. "Will you touch me somewhere I would enjoy," he asked her, hope in his eyes.

Anna's face went red again, but she gently touched him on his front leg, and ran her fingers up to his neck. He was actually quite warm, and didn't feel cold like the lizard he looked like. "You are surprisingly warm, Gil."

"Well, I am a southern dragon; I am warm-blooded, just like humans are," he said, in a bit of a moan. It wasn't a sensual moan, but he had never been rubbed by a human before, just patted. "Those vicious dragons from the north are cold-blooded."

Anna didn't know there were other types of dragons. She had seen a few dragons in her life, but only from afar. They are welcome in the empire, and some people even worship them. "Do these northern dragons look differently than you do?"

Gil now fell over onto his side, and Anna kept on rubbing his neck. "They are vicious monsters, and look nothing like the southern dragons," Gil moaned.

Anna laughed at the affect she was having on him, and stopped touching him. Almost immediately after she stopped, she heard him gasp, and he rolled over so he was lying down on his stomach.

Gil knew he had an erection, which had just randomly popped up. He was still young, in dragon terms, but his age was seen as old for humans. Every summer, he celebrated his day of hatching, and pretty soon he would celebrate his 148th summer.

"I think you better return to your duties, empress," Gil whispered, desperate for her to leave so he could return to his den.

Anna nodded; she had an empire to run, after all. Still, she actually enjoyed her time with Gil, and was looking forward to knowing more about him. The idea of them both courting seemed strange to her, and she didn't even want to think about how they would mate. Anna realized she was thinking way too far ahead, and looked at Gil in the face.

"Before I go, what is your name," Anna asked. "Gil has to be short for something."

Gil looked at her feet and frowned. He did have a name, and Gil was short for it, yet he wasn't proud of his name. "My name is Gil, and that's all you need to know," he replied, rather harshly.

Anna didn't complain and probe him for answers. It obviously meant a great deal to him, so she wouldn't pester him about it. She looked into his large orange eyes, and they finally looked right at her own, and his gaze pierced her soul. His eyes alone seemed to make her very body warm, and she felt so different when she looked at them.

Finally, she looked away from his gaze. "I'll return later, Gil," Anna said happily. "It was nice to meet you."

Gil only nodded at the woman, and when she was out of sight, he finally walked back into his cave, where he curled up into a ball. Nearly two decades ago, his friend and now emperor Malcolm brought Anna to him as a baby, and it was almost as if he had imprinted onto her. He would never love anyone besides her, no matter what she decided. He hoped it wouldn't end in heartbreak, as it did to the dragoness who imprinted on Malcolm.

Throughout history, dragons would imprint themselves to humans but it only occurred to the Comnenus bloodline. Imprinting rarely occurred, and it was similar to marriage for humans. Although a dragon that had imprinted themselves to a human could still be with other lovers, they would forever long to be with the one with of which they had imprinted on.

Now that he was finally reacquainted with the love of his life, he felt so strange. He felt complete; like she was the missing block of stone and he was the incomplete castle. It was still daylight, yet Gil shut his eyes with a smile on his muzzle, as he thought about Anna, and the possibility of the two of them courting.

She was a beautiful woman; a true princess. If she declined him, then Gil would probably fly away and go back to his old home, forever alone. He had only moved to the city when Anna was born, so he could always be near her, despite never actually formally meeting her.

However, as much as Gil loved his old home, if she did decline him, perhaps he would stay in White Harbor, after all. He was not welcome in any dragon clans, and he enjoyed the noise of city life, even if he couldn't actually wonder around the city. Only a few people knew Gil lived in the city, but he didn't mind. He liked how his kind was respected and revered in the empire, and these humans showed him more acceptance than his own kind ever would.

Gil opened his eyes slowly, realizing he couldn't possibly sleep with all these thoughts running through his mind. He hoped that he didn't upset Anna when he told her to simply call him Gil, not wanting to reveal his true name. His real name was shameful; given to him by his mother and father when he hatched. He never wanted to hear his name spoken aloud, and that is why he didn't tell her.

Gil heard his belly rumble with hunger, snapping him out of his thoughts. He slowly snaked his neck around the cavern, so he could devour half a goat he had caught last night, which he stored not far away from where he was laying. Even though he could fly around the city in the daylight, he preferred not to, and only hunted at night where he would be less visible. He didn't want to alert the townspeople, or give them a fright, even if the concept of scaring them did sound fun.

Instead, Gil devoured the rest of the goat, which caused his hunger to subside, for the moment, anyway. He placed his horned head on the cave floor, which was rather chilly. Gil loved to sleep atop anything that was soft and warm, and he was lying on Imperial blankets Malcolm had given him, but he could sleep just as easily without cushioning.

This was basically Gil's schedule. He would sleep during the day, and would hunt and fly around at night. Finally, Gil shut his eyes, and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a happier future.

Chapter 3

Anna made her way back into the palace throne room, where her two guards met up with her, as well as the Imperial advisors, who now looked to her as the empress of the city while her father and brothers were away on a military campaign, and they approached her with civic matters. Although Anna took these matters seriously, she wanted to sit down and get comfortable before she heard them all, so she beckoned for her advisors to follow her into one of the adjacent offices near the throne room. Anna sat in a chair behind a desk, while her three advisors sat in chairs across from her. Her two guards, Julius and Alfred, stood outside the office.

The Imperial security advisor, Raul, sat in the middle chair across from the desk, the diplomatic advisor, Irving, sat in the chair to the left of Raul, while the financial advisor, John, sat in the chair to the right of Raul. The three advisors were fiercely loyal to the empire, and more importantly, to Emperor Malcolm. The three men waited patiently for Anna to ask them about the matters of the empire, not wanting to come off too strong to the daughter of Malcolm.

Anna looked at John, the financial advisor first. "What do you wish to tell me, John?"

John looked back at the princess and smiled. "Surely you know that the public bathhouse in the Copper district desperately needs to be renovated; the citizens have petitioned the crown for months now," John said, curious to see as to how Anna would respond. "Should we finance the renovation, my lady?"

To Anna, the answer was simple. Renovating a public bathhouse in one of the poorest districts in the city was a must, to keep the populace happy, and to keep the city hygiene level at reasonable levels. She didn't want her family to return to the city in the middle of a plague. "Finance it, John, right away," Anna replied.

"I shall speak to the treasurer immediately, my lady." John seemed to smile, and stood up. He bowed to Anna, and made his way to the exit, where he gently shut the door.

Anna then turned to Raul, the security advisor. "What matters of security do you wish to tell me, Raul?"

Raul let out a low sigh, as if he wasn't exactly sure how to form the right words. "Early this morning, right when your brothers left the city, there was a riot in the Bronze district," Raul frowned. "It was a small riot; only seven people were killed and a few were wounded."

This was news to Anna. "What happened, what caused the riot?"

"The games, my lady," Raul replied. "The horse racing at the hippodrome ended badly last night for the green team, and they blamed it on the red team."

Anna scoffed. Rioting over sports was so childish to her. Why can't people just attend the races and watch the spectacle, and then leave?

"I do not know what else to do besides send a detachment of guards to the hippodrome from now on, Raul," Anna stated. She wasn't too sure how else to handle his matter. She couldn't ban horse racing; there would be an uprising in less than a day.

Raul stood up. "There is a game this evening; I will round up the guards and have them arrive at the stadium right away, my lady." Raul bowed, and left the room in a similar fashion that John did.

Anna turned to the last advisor in the office, Irving, Imperial advisor for diplomatic relations. "What news do you bring, Irving?"

Irving looked down at the violet rug beneath the desk. Slowly, he looked up at Anna, nervous. "My lady, I have heard rumors that the northern Euphaean countries of Listaria and Bolserius plan to break away from the empire, and form separate kingdoms."

Anna's face went white. Listaria and Bolserius were both situated at the northern tip of the continent of Euphaea. Both countries had harsh climates; her father mentioned that Bolserius was covered in ice, and Listaria was nothing but tundra. The two countries supplied the rest of the empire with furs, silver, and strategic metals like iron, and even vital rocks used as fuel like coal. Should these countries break away from the empire while Anna was in charge...

Anna rubbed her forehead. "Where are the ambassadors to these countries? Are they still in the palace?"

"No, my lady," Irving responded. "I believe they left this morning while the army was headed for Panagini. While the legions are in Panagini..."

Anna let it all soak in. It was the perfect time for a revolt. "Irving, speak with the treasurer, and get all the money you need to train and equip a new legion. Then meet with Raul, and try to figure something out."

Anna felt like an idiot. She didn't know what to do, and was now depending on her advisors to do her job for her. It was day one of ruling the empire in her father's place, and she already felt like a failure.

"If things get out of control, I will send word to my father," Anna shook her head. This was why she had no ambition to become a ruler.

Irving nodded, and stood up and headed for the door. When Anna was alone in the office, she turned around and looked out the window. She was only on the first floor of the palace, but she had a good view of the courtyard, and the cave where Gil lived.

Anna thought about Gil. Maybe she could ask him for some advice. If he were to become her "husband" she would be asking him for advice about everyday problems anyway.

Anna turned away from the window. She wished her family hadn't left for war. It was day one of ruling, and she was already stressed out by just hearing just a little bit of news. Even if it were a rumor and not true, she didn't want to take any chances.

Later that evening, Anna sat atop the throne, listening to a petition of a young woman, a priestess at the Cathedral of Daphne.

"All the patriarch wants is for you to attend a religious ceremony, as you are now acting empress of the city, my lady," the priestess spoke.

Anna wasn't particularly religious, but she did attend church sometimes and pray on occasion. She was surprised at this petition. It was all about her, and not someone else's problems.

"Very well," Anna said slowly. "Tomorrow, I will arrive at the cathedral and will partake in this ceremony."

The priestess smiled, and walked away. It was getting rather dark outside, and Anna hadn't eaten supper yet. It had been a long day, and with the way she was feeling after everything that has happened so far, she wasn't exactly hungry. Nevertheless, she stood up from the stone throne, and walked to the kitchens with her two guards, Julius and Alfred.

Anna walked through the maze of corridors and hallways, passing by palace inhabitants who bowed as she walked pass. Most of them were either heading for the palace bathhouse or to bed. To get to the kitchens, she had to walk by the bath complex that was built into the palace. The baths inside the palace were for palace employees' only. There were a few different sections of the bath complex.

The largest space of the complex was for servants, guards, and everyday palace staff. There were a few private baths as well, for more important people of status in the palace. In addition to the baths, there was also a steam room and servants who were skilled in the act of massaging the body and soul offered their services.

As Anna walked by, she noticed that most of the people were just now arriving, while only a few were leaving. This part of the palace was pretty busy at this time of the night. Anna and her two guards had to squeeze through a crowd despite them all attempting to clear a way for their ruler.

As the three of them continued to head to the kitchens, Anna turned to Alfred. "When did my mother leave, Alfred?"

Alfred continued to look straight ahead, as professional as he could. It was difficult, as the three of them grew up together, and he knew it wouldn't matter if he spoke to the acting empress as a friend, not a bodyguard. However they were in public, and he wanted to keep up appearances.

"This morning, my lady," Alfred responded. "I reckon she has another few days before she reaches Auroria. She didn't say goodbye to you, I take it?"

Anna turned her head forward, right in time to realize she was a few steps away from a few stairs, where she would have most likely fallen if she wasn't looking where she was going. Only after they were past the stairs did she respond. "No, she didn't say anything to me."

Anna wasn't upset at her mother. She acted as if she didn't care for any of her children. She treated her brothers' the same way; she probably didn't even say goodbye to them, either, and they might not even return alive.

Thinking of her brothers' dying upset her. She just now realized the danger her family was in. If things went wrong, she could very well be the only remaining child of the emperor, and that thought scared her. It had only been one day since she was ruling the empire, and she hated it from the start.

If that truly did happen, and she was the only living Comnenus left, besides distant relatives, she may even abdicate the throne. However, if she did that she could risk starting a civil war as generals from the empire may gather their forces as they attempted to take control of the empire. A civil war actually occurred 30 years ago, and Anna's grandfather, Emperor Malcolm the III was killed. Her father actually defeated the usurper, some rogue general, and became emperor. Despite being a civil war, the war was short, and not many people died. In fact, life went on afterwards as if nothing had even happened.

Her father would have been Anna's age during that war, and it made her laugh as she thought about her young father fighting in a war. As far as she could tell, her father hated his father, Malcolm the III. In fact, he hated him so much he refused to name any of his son's after him, as he wasn't proud of the name Malcolm.

Anna was forced out of her thoughts as the smell of baked goods filled her nostrils. If she wasn't hungry before, she sure was now. As they entered the kitchens, she spotted pastries, bread, fruits, vegetables and delicious looking meats like turkey and ham.

"The two of you get what you want, and then head up to the lounge outside my bedroom, and I will arrive in a few hours," Anna told her guards, as she grabbed hold of a cart.

Although they looked confused, they knew her better than anyone, so they didn't ask any questions. Alfred grabbed some pork and a few pieces of bread, while Julius grabbed only fruits and vegetables, as well as a piece of pie. Anna chuckled to herself. Julius was a vegetarian, and would not eat any sort of meat, which was unusual for a man of his physique.

Anna took many things and added them to her cart. She grabbed an apple pie, a cherry pie, an entire turkey as well as an entire ham, and she spotted something unusual. The chef's had made a new recipe she had tried only once before; they called it pizza. She loved this food, and grabbed two of them.

The head chef only stared at amazement as she loaded up the cart. All of this was leftovers, so he didn't mind it, but the sight of the princess taking all this food for herself must have shocked him. Only, he didn't know this food was for her and her new dragon friend.

Luckily, there was a door in the kitchens that led to the grounds so Anna didn't have to drive the cart all over the palace. As soon as she wheeled the cart outside, the warm air hit her. It was rather humid outside, but it felt nice. Anna's stomach growled; her head and nose was directly above all this food.

In the distance, she could hear voices coming from outside the palace walls. The Imperial palace was located in White Harbor's purple district, where many wealthy and powerful people lived. It sounded like a noble was throwing a party in a villa outside the walls, as laughter could be heard.

Anna continued to push the cart across the grounds, until she finally reached the familiar looking dark cave. She simply stood there, staring into the gaping hole where nothing but darkness resided. The scent of the food must have finally caught Gil's attention, as he slowly poked his head from the eerie looking cavern.

"Is that turkey I smell," Gil spoke softly, sniffing the air, his eyes shut. He smiled with surprise as he noticed Anna. "Anna! What brings you back to my den?"

Anna smiled, and motioned towards the cart of food. "I thought you might be hungry, so I thought we could share a meal," she responded, still smiling.

Truthfully, Gil was getting ready to go hunting for his own meal now that it was night, but he wouldn't turn down food that was freely given. He looked at the cart of food, the scent pouring into his nostrils. Though the food looked and smelled delicious, the most appetizing thing to Gil was the woman behind the cart; she looked beautiful in the moonlight.

Anna took a slice of pizza, and started to eat. She noticed the look of surprise and disbelief on the dragon, and stared back at him, in confusion. "What's wrong, Gil?"

Gil looked at her angrily. "Why are you eating my food?"

Anna opened her mouth in shock. "I said we could share a meal; I haven't eaten yet too you know!" She took another bite of pizza while looking right into his orange eyes, which looked as if they almost glowed in the night.

Gil's eyes widened as she took another bite, and then another. He snarled, and with a single claw, picked up the entire turkey and devoured it in one bite. It was his turn to stare at her, while he chewed, as he saw that she was looking back at him in shock and disbelief.

Anna only stared back at him in shock. "You think you could have left me some of that?"

Gil only stared back at her, and this time, grabbed the ham, and devoured it in one bite, as well. To rub it in her face even more, he let out a loud belch, and looked at the other treats she had brought. Before he could grab anything else, Anna pulled the cart away from him.

"Just one second," Anna shouted angrily.

She grabbed another piece of pizza, and took a slice of apple pie. "This is my food, you can have the rest. Do we have a deal?"

Gil snarled again. He was only playing with her, but it was fun to make her angry. He sighed, and nodded. This was a way of testing her temperament. He admired that she wasn't a pushover, and didn't give him all the food while she went hungry.

"What are those things," he asked, pointing towards the pizzas.

Anna saw what he was pointing to, and smiled. "It is really just a type of bread with tomato sauce and cheese on top, cooked in an oven," she answered. "Go on, try it." Although she knew there were other ingredients in the food, she was no chef. It truly was a genius idea, and she loved pizza immensely, and was hoping that Gil would like it as well. It amused Anna that pizza was first cooked by a poor man in the Copper district, and he became famous and rich as noble families, as well as the Imperial family, all clamored for the recipe.

Anna nearly fell to the floor in laughter as Gil tried to grab hold of the pizza with his claw, only for it to fall completely into the grass as he lifted it up. Just as she expected, he didn't seem to mind, and this time picked it up with his mouth. Anna noticed he didn't swallow it, and saw that it was just sitting in his mouth.

The look on Gil's face was priceless. It looked as if he had just had a slice of heaven, and he finally swallowed it whole. He quickly ate the other half of the pizza Anna was eating, and even started to look for more. He fixated his eyes on the last slice, which was in Anna's possession.

Anna only sighed, and tossed the piece right at him, which he caught with lightning like reflexes. "It was that good?"

Gil replied with another belch, although this one wasn't as strong as the first one.

Gil was a bit shocked when Anna tried to give a reply of her own, letting out a low, but weak sounding burp. The two of them then laughed. "That wasn't very lady-like, princess," Gil told her as he licked his nose and mouth clean of any residue of food.

Still laughing, Anna ignored the statement, and instead took another bite of apple pie. "You are missing the best part, Gil: dessert!"

Gil couldn't ignore the scent the round pastry like dishes in front of him. "You humans always save the dessert for last," he scoffed. "Dessert should always be first."

Not wanting to drop the pie like he dropped the pizza, Gil plunged head first into the pie, although his muzzle was too large, and he hardly even got any of it. He snaked his head back, and went cross-eyed while looking down his snout. Gil heard Anna laughing, though he didn't know why.

"You got the pie dish sticking to your nose, Gil," Anna said, in between laughter.

Gil looked at her, while shaking his head trying to get the dish off of his nose, except it wouldn't come off. Anna had to back away to avoid being knocked over. He finally calmed down, and snarled as he gently started to begin to reach for the dish stuck to his face.

"Let me, Gil," Anna said gently, as she reached upwards to grab the dish.

Gil reluctantly lowered his head so she could take it off, and as she did so, he stared directly into her eyes. She looked back into his eyes; his orange eyes that looked like the setting sun. Anna dropped the pie dish, causing more cherry filling to stick to Gil's face. For a long while, they simply looked at one another.

Anna snapped out of the daze, and giggled nervously. "You have cherry filling all over your nose and mouth, you know."

Gil didn't respond, but he licked his mouth and nose until he cleaned everything off, and continued to look at the princess. He noticed that she was purposefully avoiding eye contact; looking at the ground, or the discarded pie dish. He sighed, and looked back at the palace.

"It is getting late," he mumbled. "You should go get some sleep; I'll finish the leftovers and you can come get the cart tomorrow."

Anna slowly brought her face to the dragon, and he looked into her eyes again. "Then I'll see you tomorrow then."

Gil looked back at the palace, and noticed that many lights were now off. After a few moments of silence, he realized that the girl didn't even move from her position. She was just standing awkwardly in front of him, as if waiting for something.

"Well? Shouldn't you head to bed," Gil asked her, impatiently.

Anna sighed, and rolled her eyes. She then stuck her hand out, and for a second, Gil thought she was trying to feed her like he was an animal in a petting zoo. He noticed that her hand was shaped similar to a fist, and was a bit confused at what she was trying to do.

"After a date, a man..." Anna paused. "The male should kiss the female on the hand," she corrected herself.

Gil chuckled, and started to laugh. "That sounds strange, but very well, Anna."

Gil slowly leaned his head forward, and opened his toothy mouth a tiny bit, allowing his tongue to lick her on the hand. His tongue felt warm and strong, and lewd thoughts came to her mind when she thought about his tongue. Anna got chills at the feeling, and felt dizzy even after he stopped.

"Good night, Gil," Anna whispered, as she slowly took a few steps back.

Gil bowed his head, and Anna turned around and headed back to the palace. She felt his gaze upon her as she returned to a random door, and turned back to smile at him. He smiled back at her, and she made her way to her bedroom, excitement in each step she took.

Chapter 4

Emperor Malcolm the IV sat in his carriage, which was being pulled by two horses. The sound of marching could be heard from the outside of the carriage, but Malcolm paid little attention to the loud thudding, to busy looking over maps and strategic documents. He had taken 12 Imperial legions with him, and they were heading for the frontier provinces in Panagini.

The Forgarian Empire had 17 active legions. Each legion had approximately 3,700 heavy legionnaire infantry, 400 cavalry soldiers, and 900 archer support soldiers, for a total of 5,000 men. The ninth and tenth legions were different in this regard, in that instead of only 3,700 legionnaire infantry, all 5,000 of the men used spears.

The standard Forgarian legionnaire was equipped with heavy iron armor covering the chest and legs down to the kneecap, and their lower legs were protected by iron boots. For archer units, the iron armor was replaced with iron chainmail. To prevent getting exhausted in battle, their arms were not armored in iron, but leather. Their head was protected with either a leather helmet for archers, or a heavy iron open-faced helmet for the heavy legionnaire or cavalry units. The ninth and tenth legions were given the same protection as the regular legionnaire soldier.

Archers were given a standard composite short bow, with a quiver capable of carrying nearly three dozen arrows. In addition to their ranged weapon, the archer was also equipped with five throwing knifes, and a short sword. Most archers in the legion were trained in the art of the bow since they were children. The hilly country of Halfor supplied the Imperial legion with the finest archers, although centaurs were much more skilled with the bow.

The average cavalry soldiers were typically wealthy Imperial citizens who could afford a horse. The Imperial cavalry was looked upon with respect by Imperial citizens and soldiers alike, and feared by enemies. Horses, as well as the riders, were completely covered in scaled armor, which the Imperials called cataphracts. The horsemen were given a lance and a longsword. The emperor, while on campaign, would typically stay and interact with the cavalry soldiers.

The world famous Forgarian Legion was definitely a sight to behold. They were the most disciplined fighting force in the known world; all 3,700 melee soldiers in a legion were capable of fighting as one. For offensive weaponry, the standard legionnaire would carry two short swords, one used as a backup, and a long, oval shield. In addition, the legionnaires had some ranged weaponry as well. Each legionnaire would carry two throwing spears into battle. Some soldiers would even carry a few throwing knives into battle, as well.

The remaining five legions that were not marching to the frontiers remained at their locations. One legion remained in White Harbor, while two other legions were on training exercises in Euphaea. The remaining two legions were already patrolling along the frontier of the empire in Panagini, but they would not participate in the campaign.

Beyond the frontier lands, dense and wild wilderness stretched for miles. Orc encampments, barbarian villages, and worse lurked in the wilderness. Emperor Malcolm considered building a high wall across the frontier lands, but such a construction project would be very expensive, as well as arduous. After this pillaging centaur horde was defeated, he would consider the possibility of constructing a wall.

The door to the carriage opened, and Crown Prince Tylus walked in, and sat opposite his father. Malcolm glanced up from the map, and then continued to study the geography of the frontier. For a few moments, the father and son sat in silence.

Crown Prince Tylus was 24 years old, although he acted much older. He was a popular man with the people, but he wasn't so popular with the other wealthy families of the empire, whether it was due to jealousy was unclear. Tylus had short, curly brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He was tall and skinny, and possessed no real battlefield capabilities. He wasn't a coward, but warfare just wasn't his specialty.

Tylus cleared his throat. "Alexius is at the helm of the legions," the prince said. "He was born to lead armies, father."

Malcolm mumbled as he continued to look at the maps of the terrain.

"I am not a battlefield commander, father," Tylus whispered. "I should have stayed in White Harbor with Anna."

Malcolm sighed, and looked up at his son. "We are only about a days' ride from the capital, Tylus."

"Return home if you wish; I assumed you would have liked to receive some battle experience," Malcolm told his son as calmly as he could, although a hint of disappointment could be heard in his voice.

Tylus sighed, "I am a civic man, father. I have no talent for warfare."

Before Malcolm could respond, Tylus quickly added, "I guarantee you Anna is pulling her hair out."

"No one said ruling 16 countries was easy, Tylus," Malcolm chuckled. "Speaking of Anna, I introduced her to Gil."

Tylus' face changed from guilt to surprise. "Did she accept?"

Malcolm smiled at his son. "I introduced her yesterday morning, right before we left," Malcolm mused. "If she accepts, she would be the first Comnenus in quite a long time to accept a dragon."

Tylus' facial expression changed from surprise to guilt again. "Both Alexius and myself refused the dragoness' offers, father," he said quietly, his voice full of guilt. "For me, it wasn't that I didn't want to. I found it fascinating, actually. I just wanted a human as a wife, but I can't speak for Alexius."

Malcolm was hurt at the way his son sounded as if he failed him. "Tylus, I fell in love with a dragoness, and my father arranged my marriage to your mother. I was heartbroken," Malcolm whispered, sorrow in his voice. "I raised the three of you differently, and the three of my children can choose whoever they want as a partner."

Tylus looked back at his father. "I remember you telling me you had plans to arrange a diplomatic marriage with Anna, at one point."

Malcolm paused, and slowly nodded, slumping back into his cushioned seat. "Yes, I did," he replied, with a frown. "A marriage to the Prince of Halfor, actually," he laughed.

"Well, what changed your mind," Tylus chuckled.

Malcolm ignored his son's question, and instead smiled back at him. "Return to White Harbor, and relieve Anna, if she still wishes to rule at all."

Tylus breathed a sigh of relief. He hugged his father, and thanked him. "I will go say goodbye to Alexius."

Tylus exited the carriage, and silently closed the door behind him. Malcolm smiled, and shook his head. He continued to look at the maps, and realized they had been marching nonstop for nearly 25 miles already, and decided now would be a good time to set up camp to rest for a few hours. Malcolm opened the carriage window, and gave the signal to stop.

Anna didn't want to wake up, even when the morning sun illuminated her room. She slept very well, and waking up only forced her to remember what she had to do today. As she rose out of bed, her thoughts quickly shifted to Gil, and she paused as she sat on the foot of the bed. She pictured his red scales and his orange eyes that seemed to look into her very soul. She then chuckled as she thought of the pie that was stuck to his snout.

Anna took a quick bath, and was fully dressed ten minutes after she had woken up. It was still early morning, but she wanted to get ready and possibly do a few duties as soon as she could, to get them out of the way. She had plans to visit the Cathedral of Daphne and perform in some religious rite that she wasn't too sure of. The sooner she got that over with, the better.

The palace was not yet bustling with activity, as people were still getting up and getting ready for the day. Anna managed to beat the crowd, and left the palace with Julius and Alfred. In the distance, she could see the towering cathedral, the sunlight bouncing off the large dome that was the roof.

Anna and her two guards made their way through the streets of the city, most of which were quiet as civilians were still asleep, but would be up soon. Anna rarely walked the streets of White Harbor, but she enjoyed it every time. As much as she loved the purple district, there was something so lovely about average people doing their tasks. Though their homes were small, Anna loved looking at how snug they appeared.

The Cathedral of Daphne was in the white district, which had many churches and temples, but none of them compared to the largest structure in the city: the Cathedral of Daphne. When Anna arrived at the doors of the cathedral, she was in awe. She had only been here twice in her life, and the magnificence of the structure awed her each time.

Despite the cathedral being nearly seven stories tall, the building was completely hollow; the only floor was the first floor, not counting the basement. The exterior of the cathedral was rather basic looking. It had a bit of a boxy shape, and the paint used was a very light red, similar to the color orange. The thing that made the cathedral beautiful was the windows and the enormous dome that covered the roof, as well as a few slopes that ran down the sides.

As Anna opened the large doors of the cathedral, the splendor of the interior caused her mouth to open in magnificence. Fresco's all over the ceiling and walls caught her attention, as did all the alcoves and stain glassed windows. The floor was very clean looking marble, which looked very shiny. The cathedral was completely devoid of any furniture, unless one counted five altars. The cathedral was the largest structure in the city, as well as in all of Euphaea.

The center of the cathedral housed the altar to Daphne, goddess of love and fertility. She was represented as a beautiful young woman, and her statue was directly behind the altar. To the left of the altar of Daphne was the altar of Akilos, god of the sea. His statue was a bearded man in a robe, atop a winged sailboat. To the right of Akilos was the altar of Boran, who was god of food and the harvest. His statue was represented as a sad, two-headed man, whose tears made the soil rich for planting.

To the right of the altar of Daphne contained the altar of Amarous, the god of war and victory. His statue was a man on an armored horse. The last altar in the cathedral, to the right of Amarous, was the altar of Ursalira, the dragoness that Malinor rode into battle. Her statue was a silver dragon, and she was goddess of peace and freedom, and was a popular deity for women.

Anna wasn't too sure why Ursalira was deified, as she was the only living being that ascended to godhood. After meeting Gil, Anna decided she would visit the altar of Ursalira first. The cathedral was empty at this time, although the priests and priestess' were probably getting ready to perform religious rites.

"Alfred, Julius, go do your own things but be back before noon," Anna told her guards, who saluted and walked out of the cathedral.

Now alone, Anna made her way to the altar of Ursalira, and stared at the statue of the silver dragoness. It was odd; if everything her father told her was true, than Ursalira was her ancestor, and her blood ran through Anna's veins. She still wasn't too sure how a dragon and a human would mate, let alone conceive children. The thoughts on mating and reproduction quickly exited her thoughts, as she remembered where she was.

"Ah, Princess Anna," a voice behind her made her jump.

Anna spun around, her face still red in embarrassment from thinking about human and dragon reproduction, and saw the patriarch of the Faith standing not too far behind her. He was an older man, who happened to be overweight, making his soft looking robes look a bit like a dress. He had a long hat on his head, which labeled him as the patriarch of the Faith.

His robes were silver, although they were outlined in gold, and contained several patterns along the robe. The color and fabric was actually beautiful, and they looked very comfortable looking. The long hat, on the other hand, looked ridiculous, and Anna always laughed at the sight of the patriarch wearing it.

Anna's face slowly normalized in color, and she smiled at the man. "Hello, patriarch; I told a priestess I would attend some sort of ceremony today."

The robed man nodded, and beckoned her to follow him. She did so, and she followed him to a small door, where he told her to wait for him. The doorway must have led to either the mausoleum, or the sleeping quarters' where they all slept; Anna wasn't entirely sure which.

While Anna waited, she looked up, and marveled at the vaulted ceiling. Further up, she could see the where the dome of the cathedral would be, and took in the sight. She had never realized how beautiful the inside of the cathedral was. She had only been here a few times in her life, as her family used the church inside the palace for their religious rites, however the palace church was nowhere near as beautiful. She decided if she gets married, she would have the ceremony here, at the Cathedral of Daphne.

Anna chuckled at the thought. She could potentially marry Gil, and something told her she wouldn't have a normal marriage celebration. She wasn't even sure he would be welcome inside the cathedral; he could knock a support over and cause the entire thing to collapse. Anna shook her head at the thought of marrying Gil. She was starting to like the dragon, but she always dreamed of having a husband she could walk around in public with, not a husband who had to hide in a cave. Although the people didn't mind the presence of dragons, something told her the idea of the princess of the Imperial family marrying one wouldn't sit well with the average citizen, let alone the more prestigious citizens.

Finally, the patriarch arrived, and he had Anna follow him again, this time to a small confessional. He motioned Anna to get inside the confessional, which was confusing to her. She didn't need to confess any sins, and even if she did, she certainly wouldn't be telling anybody.

Anna sighed, and got in, and the patriarch got in the opposite side. The two of them were in darkness, and a thin wooden wall with a small window separated the two of them. After a moment of silence, Anna coughed, trying to get his attention that she was waiting for whatever he was going to do.

Anna jumped as the patriarch finally spoke. "I see flames...and...destruction in your future, my lady," he whispered.

Anna let out a subconscious scoff. The entire ceremony was a fortune telling event? She thought he would bless her or say a few words, and she would be finished.

"Pain and suffering await you, yet...I see happiness and joy, as well," the patriarch mumbled.

It was dark, but Anna could see the outline of the man opposite her, and he appeared to have his eyes shut, though they fluttered a few times. He continued to speak, but it was a bunch of gibberish. Finally, Anna saw his eyes open, and the man looked pale, as if he truly did see the future.

"That...that is all I can say, princess," the patriarch whispered. "It is against the rules to fully disclose the future of one."

Anna slowly opened the door to the confessional; the natural sunlight entering through the windows hit the patriarch's face, and Anna could see the horror as well as the sorrow in his eyes. He looked at her with a frown, and slowly nodded. Anna stood up, and backed away from the confessional.

She wasn't a superstitious woman, but she saw the look in the patriarch's eyes. It scared her, although she didn't fully believe what he had said. Anna decided it was time for her to leave, and she did just that.

Outside, the warmth of the morning sunlight hit her body, and she smiled at the way it felt. It wasn't anywhere near noon yet, but she didn't want to wait around for Julius and Alfred. Instead, she would simply make her way back the palace on her own. She had a desire to see Gil again, although she knew the second she walked into the palace, her advisors would be all over her. Part of her wanted to take a nap. In fact, that is what she would do. She would tell her advisors to do everything without her while she had the day off.

Anna knew it was completely unprofessional, but she didn't ask for this. She never wanted to be in charge. Maybe that was why her mother actually left, so she wouldn't have to rule, Anna would. Anna continued to ponder these things as she walked around the streets, avoiding people who were now opening shops, as well as sweeping streets.

Not wearing the Imperial colors, Anna probably just looked like a noble woman wondering around, and that was probably for the best. Even though crime rate was very low in the city, it still occurred, and she was sure a cutthroat would love to get his hands on an Imperial family member, who was unguarded. Luckily, no one bothered her as she left the White district, and entered the Red district.

The red district was the largest district in the city, unless one counted the purple district based entirely on the size of the Imperial palace. The Red district was home to the trading center, the town square, and many shops and bakeries. The Red district also contained the homes of the middle classes, and Anna greatly admired them.

Anna came across an artist booth, which was being run by a strange looking man. He looked like he was a tiger, but completely bipedal. She had never seen anything like him before, but he did remind her a bit of the strange looking people of Panagini.

Anna walked closer to the booth, and the tiger man looked at her, but he looked almost as if he was in pain, and he closed his eyes and let out a strange noise. Anna stared at the man in confusion, and then she saw the reason why he was acting strange. A human woman's head rose above the counter, her face covered in white goo. Anna quickly deduced that this creature was being "serviced." Anna's face quickly reddened, and she started to walk away as fast as possible, the scent of sexual fluids filling her nostrils.

"What an interesting bunch of people," she mumbled under her breath.

Deciding not to take any more detours, Anna made her way back to the palace gates, which the palace guards quickly opened for her. Just as she thought, the second she walked into the throne room, Raul, Irving, and John all trailed behind her, each of whom was speaking, interrupting one another.

Anna stopped, and turned around to face the three men. "Do whatever you think is in the best interest of the empire," she said to each of them.

The three men chuckled, and nodded. "Raul, wait," Anna told the military advisor, who started to walk away, only to stop at her voice.

"Yes, my lady," Raul responded.

Anna could see the man wasn't bothered at her giving the three of them free reign to do what they thought was best, and she was happy for it. "What time is the horse race?"

Raul smiled. "I already sent the extra detachment of guards, my lady, but the race is an hour after noon," he replied. "Do you plan to attend the race?"

"Gods no, Raul," Anna laughed. "I was just asking. Thank you."

Raul nodded, and walked off. Anna turned around and decided she would get some lunch. That woman at the art stall already got her lunch, she laughed to herself.

Anna told a servant everything she wanted, and Anna headed back to her bedroom on the fifth floor. Along the way, she couldn't get the sight of that woman's face out of her mind. It made her feel so dirty, yet the thought of it made her feel so hot. She quickly shook off the thoughts of pleasuring Alfred or Julius in the way that woman was pleasuring that tiger man, shaking her head in disgust.

Anna was a complete virgin. The most sensual thing she has done was hold a man's hand, and it wasn't even meant to be romantic. She had never even seen a man naked, unless she counted Gil, as dragons didn't wear clothes. Come to think of it, she did see his genital slit, or whatever that thing was called.

Anna shut her bedroom door, with only one thing in mind. She made her way over to her bed, and sprawled out upon it. She took off all her clothes, and started to pleasure herself. At first she thought about the tiger man, and then to Alfred and Julius, but her thoughts quickly drifted to Gil, and his red scales, his eyes, his mouth, and then she thought of his tongue.

She continued to pleasure herself, until she was moaning "Gil!" again and again. She had nothing to worry about; her family was not there, and the only people allowed on the fifth floor were guards and family members, and Alfred and Julius were somewhere in the city, probably looking all over for her.

Finally, Anna reached her peak, and moaned out Gil's name one last time as she climaxed, causing her to let out a loud gasp. As soon as she squirted her feminine liquid, her door opened and the servant carrying her food walked in, pausing at the scene. The servant girl's face was in shock; her mouth opened wide.

Anna was a very conservative woman, and quickly hid herself underneath her blankets. She was embarrassed, but she had no reason to blame the servant; she told her to come up with her food, after all. Anna simply closed her eyes, and started to laugh, which caused the servant to laugh a little as well.

"Just set the tray on that end table," Anna said, still breathing heavily from her activity. "Also, send me fresh sheets."

The servant girl smiled nervously, and slowly shut the door, leaving Anna alone again.

Anna, still naked, made her way to the end table where the tray of food was sitting. It was a slice of pizza, as well as a small fruit salad. Before taking the tray, Anna put on a purple robe, and then took the tray to a small table, where she ate in peace. As soon as she finished, she heard a knock on her door, which made her smile. The poor servant girl felt the need to knock now.

"Come in," Anna laughed, and saw the servant girl enter her bedroom, carrying new sheets and blankets. "What's your name, if I may ask?"

The servant girl continued to tear the bed apart. "My name is Sofia, my lady," the girl replied.

Anna continued to look at the servant girl, until she had finished making her new bed. Sofia picked up the dirty sheets, and headed over to Anna's table, where she took the empty tray. "Do you need anything else, my lady?"

Anna thought a moment, and smiled. "Yes, bring me two glasses of Forgarian wine, Sofia."

Sofia hesitated. "Two? My lady, I could bring a cask up, if it will make it easier to you," she stated.

"Two empty glasses and a bottle of Forgarian wine is all, Sofia," Anna calmly replied.

Sofia nodded, and once again headed for the door. Once she was gone, Anna made her way over to her diary, smirking as she remembered her attempts at poetry. Instead of writing poetry, Anna wrote about Gil, and everything she liked about him.

She had only just met the dragon, and she managed to write two full pages about him. She mentioned his tail, his horns, his eyes, his wings, his red scales, even his feet, and especially his tongue. By the time she had finished writing about him, she felt strange. She had just met the dragon yesterday, and she was starting to feel a connection to him.

As she stared at her diary, she heard knocking again. "Come in, Sofia," she hollered. There was no response, so Anna got up and headed for the door. As she opened it, she was surprised, and delighted, to see her brother, Tylus looking back at her, and behind him, she saw Sofia walking towards them with the wine and not two, but three glasses on a tray.

Chapter 5

Sofia, the servant girl, was a bit uncomfortable being asked to drink wine with the crown prince and the princess, but Tylus ran into her on his way up, and told her to get another glass. The three of them sat at a table in Anna's room.

"Tylus, you have no idea how happy I am to see you," Anna groaned. "I do not envy you at all for being the heir. Or do you enjoy running the empire?"

Tylus shrugged. "Father asked me to allow you to rule with me. I thought you should be ecstatic to rule the empire, Anna," Tylus laughed.

Anna shook her head. "It is all yours, brother, have fun," she giggled, and took a sip of wine. As she swallowed, she looked back to her brother. "So he let you come home, then?"

Tylus looked down at the wine glass in his hand, and sighed. "I never thought I would be a coward, Anna," Tylus whispered. "He agreed to let me come home, but I could tell he was disappointed."

"You handle civic matters professionally, Tylus," Anna said while staring into his eyes. "That requires a lot of courage."

Tylus shrugged again, and drank his entire glass of wine. "I better go pick up on the duties you failed to do, Anna," he laughed, and set the glass down. Tylus stood up, and headed for the door, but stopped.

"Anna, where are your guards at?"

Anna paused. "I gave them the day off," she lied. She knew her brother would be a little upset that Julius and Alfred hadn't returned yet, and he may even decide to discipline them for not guarding his sister, even though the fault was hers.

Tylus nodded. "I'll be in the throne room if you need me."

Once Tylus shut the door, Anna took another sip of wine, and turned to the servant girl, Sofia. She was awkwardly looking down at her cup, not speaking. If Anna were in her shoes, she would probably have felt a bit awkward as well.

"Sofia?"

Sofia looked up at Anna, and smiled. Sofia had black hair, olive colored skin, and dark eyes. She wasn't bad looking, but she certainly had her flaws. Anna noticed she had a bit of a crooked nose, and her eyebrows were a bit bushy. Anna felt bad for judging the girls' appearance; however she was beautiful in her own way.

Anna noticed that Sofia was now looking at Anna's diary, and it made Anna realize she had forgotten to close it. Anna quickly grabbed the diary, and closed it right away, her face turning red in embarrassment. Sofia was taken aback, and stood up.

"I am so sorry, my lady," she fretted. "I didn't mean to pry at all."

Anna looked back at the girl with suspicion. "How much did you read," she asked.

Sofia looked at the floor. "Not far, but I saw it was about someone named Gil, and I saw the word...tongue," she muttered.

Anna stared at the girl, who looked terrified. She didn't mean to scare her, but if the wrong people found out about her and Gil, no matter what kind of relationship they had at this point, it could cause quite a bit of controversy. Anna sighed, and touched the girl on the shoulder. Sofia had to be at least 16 years old, maybe 17, and Anna felt guilty.

"Just pretend you never saw the name Gil," Anna whispered.

Anna realized that her asking the servant girl that made it sound almost like she had a secret lover and if that got out...

"Look, Gil is a...man...that my father had set me up to marry," Anna whispered. "It isn't official yet, but we have met on a few occasions, just to get to know one another."

Sofia looked back at Anna. "It is none of my business, my lady," she reassured her. "My lips are sealed, I promise."

The girl looked even more terrified than before. "Good, maybe someday you can meet him," Anna told her happily.

Sofia looked terrified at the suggestion. "No, no, my lady," she replied quickly. "I do not plan on ever getting that close to a..."

She must have seen the words scales and wings, Anna thought. Anna sighed, and rubbed her forehead. She didn't want the girl to think she was some freak. "Sit down Sofia, I guess I may as well tell you about my family," Anna grumbled.

Emperor Malcolm continued to ride in his carriage, his armies marching along the Imperial highway to the frontier provinces. They still had many miles to go, however things felt strange. The army was still in civilized lands, yet it was so quiet.

The carriage stopped, and voices could be heard outside. Before Malcolm could stand up, he could hear the sound of fighting and yelling in the distance. As he opened the carriage door, his heart sank at the sight. Thousands of orcs and centaurs were relentlessly attacking the legions before they could mobilize.

"Protect the emperor," a legionnaire shouted, seeing Malcolm in the carriage. Many legionnaires used the carriage as a rally point, and formed a barrier around it.

In the distance, five different horns could be heard, each horn signified a legion had been overrun and were now routing. Malcolm didn't know what to do. He has never been ambushed before, and while he hesitated, the men around his carriage were being slaughtered by volleys of arrows, despite their best efforts of using a shield wall. The centaurs were just too good of archers, and they knew exactly where to hit.

It didn't take long for the defenders of the carriage to fall one by one, until it seemed like only Malcolm remained. He shut the door to his carriage, and sat in the chair, in utter disbelief. He trusted the orcs and they betrayed him. For minutes, he sat in his carriage alone, as the fighting slowly died down outside.

Malcolm could only guess if Alexius was still alive, but seeing as how fast the legionnaires were killed off, it didn't seem likely. He put his hands over his face, and began to sob. He didn't get to weep long before the door to the carriage swung open, and as Malcolm looked up, he could feel the knife of betrayal skewer his back.

Caitlin, his niece, stood in the doorway, smiling at her uncle. Malcolm shook his head in denial, and Caitlin simply smirked, and nodded in return. "How could you do this," he yelled at his niece.

Before Caitlin could respond, Garbo, the orc, walked in behind her. "We weren't sure our plan would succeed, emperor," the orc bellowed. He was holding a severed head, and Malcolm gasped as he saw it was his son, Alexius.

"Where is Tylus, uncle," Caitlin asked, with nothing but disdain in her voice.

Despite seeing the severed head of his dead son, Malcolm started to laugh. They may have tried to wipe out he and his sons, but he sent Tylus back to the capital city, and he would be there by now, safe. The orc and the blonde woman looked at one another in confusion.

"He is far away from here," Malcolm laughed. "My son and my daughter are out of your reach."

Garbo snarled angrily. "Every member of the Imperial family must die, and soon, your entire empire will crumble, Malcolm."

Caitlin paused, and looked at Garbo in confusion. "What are you talking about, my love?"

Garbo smiled. "Every member of the Comnenus dynasty must die...my love," he told Caitlin.

Before the woman could react, he plunged his ax right into her face, shattering her skull. Blood splattered all over the interior of the carriage, and sprayed Malcolm's face. Malcolm didn't even bother wiping it off of him. He knew what was coming.

"Poor girl," Garbo said with a sigh. "I want your daughter, emperor, not her."

Malcolm only looked at the orc defiantly. "You shall not have her," he said sternly. "She is promised to someone else."

Garbo laughed. "I do not want her as a wife, fool. She will pleasure me as I see fit, and then she will be given to my men to do with as they please."

Malcolm stared back at the orc. "I thought you said every member of my family must die, Garbo," he asked.

Garbo shook his head. "Anna will die, but not right away. After thousands of orcs and centaurs have had their way with her, I doubt she will last very long."

Malcolm shook his head, and smiled. "You cannot have her, Garbo." Something told Malcolm that Gil would not be pleased some savage is trying to steal Anna from him. Malcolm saw the way Gil first saw her when she was a baby, and he saw the way he looked at her when he had introduced the two of them not even three days ago.

Garbo leveled his face down to the seated emperor, and moved his face inches away from Malcolm's. "If I cannot have her, then I will take her."

Garbo than plunged his ax into Malcolm's face, in a similar fashion to what he did to Caitlin. He then continued to hack Malcolm's body with his ax, until only a bloody mess remained. Garbo was laughing the entire time, relishing the feeling and taste of Comnenus blood.

The bloodied Garbo exited the carriage, and saw thousands of his orcs and centaurs looking back at him. "My brothers," he yelled. "The main Imperial armies have been destroyed!"

"White Harbor and the rest of the major Imperial cities are undefended," he continued to yell. "Plunder, violence, slaves, women, all ripe for the taking!"

Garbo, now standing atop of the carriage looked at his army of orc and centaur. "We will sack the wealthiest city in the land," he yelled. "The Forgarian Empire has lasted long enough!"

Chapter 6

Anna told Sofia everything about the Imperial family. Despite looking shocked at certain parts, she seemed to understand, however she didn't want to meet a dragon, and looked terrified at the thought. Anna knew the girl had duties to attend to, so she let her go about her business until Anna was alone in her room again.

Still carrying her diary, Anna set it down on an end table, and left her bedroom. She had intended to take a nap, but she could finally rest easy knowing Tylus was back, and the job of ruling the empire fell to him. As Anna walked towards the stairs that headed to the fourth floor, she was stopped by Tylus, who was heading back up.

"Any wine left over," he asked, as he walked up the grand staircase.

Anna laughed at her brother. "Of course; it's in my room," she smiled as she headed downstairs.

Anna stopped. "And Tylus, speak with Irving about the north."

"Already working on it," was all Anna could hear, as Tylus was already out of sight.

Although Anna loved to read, she rarely visited the Imperial library. She wanted to see if there were any books Gil might like, although the main reason she was in the library was to read a bit more about dragons. Anna wasn't entirely sure she would find many books about dragons, but the Imperial library had the largest collection of literature in the known world, so it was a start.

The Imperial library took up the largest space in the palace, despite being on the fourth floor. Tables and chairs were scattered about, as well as a few fountains with buckets full of water. The reason for the fountains and buckets of water was because on many an occasion, a scholar would accidentally knock over a candle or a lantern, and these buckets of water could potentially save the largest collection of knowledge in history.

Naturally, the librarian was pleased to see Anna walk through the archway into the library, and looking past the librarian, Anna could see row after row of high bookshelves, all jammed pack with scrolls, hardback books, leatherback books, and even a few pamphlets had their own shelves. There were a few robed men sitting at tables, no doubt monks studying religious texts or other material. Despite the size of the library, not many people were actually inside.

The librarian approached Anna with a smile. "Hello, my lady," he said, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "Can I help you look for anything?"

Anna thought about it, and decided it probably wouldn't be very fun browsing through hundreds of shelves looking for dragon related material. "Can you fetch me any literary works that focus on dragons," Anna asked, while biting her lip.

The man seemed overjoyed at the notion. "Of course I can, my lady. I will gather up everything about that subject and I can send them up to your bedroom, if you like."

Although Anna would be perfectly happy to read in the library, it would be more comfortable for her to read in her bedroom. "That would be perfect, sir," Anna told him. "Thank you!"

The man bowed, and walked off into the maze of bookshelves. Anna turned around, and saw Julius and Alfred standing in the archway. The two men looked like they had been running around for hours, and Anna could see them breathe a sigh of relief when they spotted her.

"Anna, I mean my lady, we have been looking for you for hours," Alfred gasped, clearly out of breath.

Anna frowned at them. "I apologize; I finished the religious ceremony early, and decided to head home."

Anna was now walking out of the library, and the two guards followed her, though Alfred seemed to be lagging behind. She turned around, and looked at Alfred, his face red, beads of sweat streaming down his chin. "I am home now, guys," Anna whispered. "Go enjoy yourselves, and then wait for me upstairs."

The two men saluted her, and then walked off in the opposite direction. Anna smirked when she heard Alfred mention he felt like he was going to pass out, and she actually laughed out loud when Julius joked about his weight. Alfred wasn't overweight, but he did have some extra fat on him.

When Anna entered her room, she immediately noticed the wine bottle was gone, and rolled her eyes at the thought of Tylus coming in here and taking the bottle. It was good wine; Forgarian wine was often regarded to be the most expensive wine in the empire, and it was well worth the price. Anna wasn't too sure what the recipe was, but she knew it contained cherries. She wondered if Gil would like the taste of it.

Anna smiled as her thoughts drifted towards Gil. The scaly bastard was starting to grow on her, but she still hardly even knew him; they hadn't even known each other for three days yet. However, she still couldn't get the idea of a human woman "courting" a dragon out of her mind. As much as she liked Gil, it just felt strange to her. Perhaps with time, she would feel differently. Maybe her feelings would change faster if he kissed her hand again.

Now on her bed, Anna continued to think about Gil. She thought of his orange eyes, with the strange black slit in the center. Although his eyes were similar to a reptile, Anna could see emotion and feelings in Gil's eyes, whereas the eyes of a snake always appeared to look so cold and dead. When Gil laughed, his eyes got wide and filled with joy, and when he got sad, his eyes narrowed and filled with sorrow.

There were many questions she wanted to ask him, but she knew she better not. He made it clear to her he didn't wish to speak about some things, such as his name. Anna had no idea why, but she knew she should let it go. Besides, the name Gil just seemed so much more mysterious to her, and she liked that.

Anna was so lost in her thoughts; she didn't even notice the knocking on her bedroom door. Her door was unlocked, and told the knocker to come in. The librarian walked on in, carrying a bunch of books and scrolls.

"Here you are, my lady," he mumbled, his voice sounding a bit strange due to him carrying all these books.

The librarian set them down on her end table, and bowed once again. "If there is anything else I can help you find, let me know." He then walked towards the door, and gently shut it behind him.

Anna was too busy staring at the books to even remember to say thank you. He brought seven books, and two scrolls. Each of the books were leather back, and looked to be in pristine condition. Anna set the scrolls off to the side, and brought the stack of books over to her desk. They were heavy, and she was unsure how an old man like that librarian could carry them all up here.

She sat down on her chair, and brought the book at the top of the stack to the center of the desk. The Banned Practice of Dragon Slaying was the title, and it was a rather thick book. Anna shook her head, and put it off to the side.

The next book title caught her eye, although it appeared to be a children's book. The Dragon Hatchling and the Old Man was this one's title, and Anna smiled as she flipped through the pages. It contained many drawings and illustrations, and appeared to be about an old man who looked after a dragon hatchling, protecting it from harm. Anna thought Gil might want to see this one, so she put it in a separate location on her desk, near the dragon slaying book.

Anna smiled as she put the next book down in front of her. Dragon Mating and Courting Rituals was the title of this one, and it appeared to be very old, although it looked to be in excellent condition. Anna couldn't believe her eyes as she saw the author: Malinor Comnenus. Below his name was Ursalira. Anna started to chuckle. This book had survived for 1,000 years? The language and writing style must be difficult to read, but Anna definitely put this one on top of The Dragon Hatchling and the Old Man.

The next book was titled Why You Should Fear Dragons and although Anna was tempted to look at this one, she knew she had nothing to "fear" from Gil, so she put this one on top of the dragon slaying book. Anna sighed, and noticed her stomach was rumbling. It was nearly supper time, but she wanted to look at the rest of these, first.

A small book was next, and Anna estimated it only had a few dozen pages. Ursalira: Dragon Goddess was the title of this one, and Anna noticed that it was actually in poor condition, although one couldn't tell from the outside appearance. It was missing many pages, although they appeared to have fallen out, not torn out. Anna put this one atop the book about fearing dragons, although she was interested in Ursalira, now was not the time to read about her, yet.

There were only two books left, and each was rather large. The next book, Dragon Blood and It's Alchemical Properties nearly bored Anna to death just by reading the title. Without hesitating, she put this one on top of the book about Ursalira, but she rearranged the stack so she wouldn't damage them.

The last book caught Anna's attention, simply from its cover. The image of a black colored dragon with piercing yellow eyes was looking right back at her, and this dragon actually looked vicious. She was starting think maybe she should read that book about fearing dragons, after all. The title of this book was called The Dragons of Euphaea. This book claimed to list every type of dragon documented, and Anna was a little intrigued.

Anna opened the book to the first page, and noticed the glossary, strangely located in the first page of the book, and not at the rear. The glossary was divided into four sections. The first section was labeled "Southern Dragons" and listed page numbers 3 to 120, the next section was labeled "Dragons of the North" and listed page number 120 to 171. The third section made Anna raise an eyebrow. "Dragons of the Sea" pages 171 to 193. The thought of dragons swimming around the oceans actually made Anna cringe. To Anna, the ocean was filled with monstrosities, and they were considered very dangerous. The last section was labeled "Dragons of Panagini" although it only contained 3 pages, 194 to 197. This made sense, considering Panagini was a largely uncharted continent.

Anna's eyes were drawn to the dragons of the north section. She remembered Gil mention them, and how they were vicious and mean, and how they were cold-blooded. Part of her didn't want to read about them, lest she start to fear dragons.

Anna opened up to page three, the start of the southern dragon section. "Dragons can come in all shapes and sizes, from the size of horses, to the size of palaces," Anna read aloud. The thought of a dragon the size of an entire palace awed her.

The more Anna read, the more she longed to see Gil, until she couldn't take it any longer. She grabbed the children's book, and left her bedroom. Despite still being hungry, she wanted to see Gil right that moment. She had something she wanted to tell him.

It was not yet dark, although the sun was beginning to set, and the palace grounds looked as beautiful as ever. Anna was running now, and she ran right by the topiaries until she was in front of the cavern. She stopped to catch her breath; unsure whether she should actually go into the cave or not. Luckily for Anna, Gil poked his head out, and gave a toothy smile as he saw her. He allowed some of his body to be seen, mostly his chest and his front legs. He appeared to be holding something in his hand-like foot, though Anna didn't pay any attention to it.

Anna didn't hold back, and she ran right for him; hugging him tightly when she got close. Gil gasped in shock as she clutched him. He felt so soft and warm, which was strange considering how hard his skin actually looked.

"My answer is yes, Gil," Anna said, not too loud but not too quiet. "I accept you as a...husband?"

Gil laughed, his laughter causing his chest to vibrate, which felt strange to Anna. "I know," Gil whispered. "Your brother dropped this off to me not long ago."

A red notebook landed near Anna, and her face turned white. It was her diary! He must have read everything she put in about him.

"I like how you underlined the word 'tongue' in your diary, Anna," Gil laughed, licking his lips with said tongue. "But all joking aside, if you accept me as your mate, I will never hurt you. I will never force you to do anything you do not wish to do, and I will never put you in harm's way."

Anna didn't care that he read her diary, although she was still quite embarrassed. "Now that Tylus is back, I can hang out with you more, Gil," Anna smiled, still hugging Gil.

Gil was beaming now, even though Anna couldn't see it. "I would like that very much, Anna," he said, still smiling. This was a dream come true to Gil, and he had his doubts she would accept.

"Are you hungry," she asked him. Her stomach was rumbling again, and she swore she could hear his rumble, as well.

Gil laughed again. "I am a dragon, Anna. I am always hungry."

Anna broke free of his embrace, which was actually difficult. She was hugging him tightly, but she had no idea he was hugging her back. Before Anna could forget, she handed him the book she brought him.

"What's this," Gil asked. He didn't sound amused, although he tried to look interested.

Anna looked at the book in his hand, and then at Gil. "I just thought maybe you would want to read, and I thought it sounded cute," Anna smiled.

Gil looked at the book, and then to Anna. "For our children, perhaps," he mused.

Anna stiffened at the thought. She wanted to have children, but it was too soon to be speaking about it, although dragons probably didn't really care about timing. It was actually endearing that he was thinking about that sort of thing already. Most men Anna knew would immediately shy away from having children.

"I am going to go get some food, as well as some wine."

Gil nodded at Anna, who turned away and headed to the palace. "Anna," Gil hollered.

Anna spun around. She wasn't too far away yet, and the volume of his voice actually made her jump. She looked at the dragon, who was only smiling back at her.

"Get pizza."

Chapter 7

Anna returned to the cave entrance with another cart full of food, in addition to a barrel of wine. She noticed the cart she had brought yesterday and she made a mental note to bring them both back to the kitchens. The cooks used these carts and would probably complain if they continued to go missing.

The cart Anna was wheeling out contained two whole hams, a turkey, three pizzas, and an apple pie. Below the food, on the lower part of the cart was the barrel of wine she had taken from the kitchens. Although the sun was going down, it was still relatively light outside, and Anna was worried she might be seen.

Gil seemed to read her thoughts. "What do you say I take you and all this food somewhere more private?"

"I am not too sure I am ready to ride you yet, Gil," Anna laughed.

Gil gasped at the notion of her riding him. "As much as I would thoroughly enjoy you riding me..." he said with a wink, "I think I will just carry you."

Even though Anna blushed at his sly remark, she let out a gasp of alarm as he grabbed her with his left foot, and the cart of food in the other. It was a wonder none of the food dropped, but Gil clutched it all close to him, as well as Anna. As it was still light outside, there was no doubt many people probably saw the dragon fly away from the city, although Anna scarcely paid any attention to that. She was flying, and her life was in Gil's hands, literally.

Anna had never seen the city from this high up, and she could make out faces looking up at them, and they all looked like ants. She was being clutched tightly in Gil's hand, and it was a little uncomfortable, but she knew he wouldn't let go of her. The two of them kept on flying, until the port city of White Harbor was just a speck in the distance.

Gil found a clearing in the hills, next to a small stream of water. The clearing was surrounded by trees, so the two of them wouldn't be too exposed. Gil gently landed, his wings retracting close to his body, and he carefully put Anna and the cart of food on the grassy ground.

Anna walked around, marveling at the beauty of the location. It was so quiet, except for Gil breathing and the sound of the babbling stream. "This is a beautiful place, Gil," Anna told him, while she was still looking around.

"Yes, it is very romantic, isn't it," Gil replied. He was looking right at Anna, with a smirk on his face.

Anna scoffed. "Don't get your hopes up, sir," she laughed. "I am a lady, after all."

Gil sighed, jokingly. He turned to the cart of food, and licked his lips at the smell that was entering his nostrils. He saw ham, which he loved, a turkey, which he also loved, and he noticed the pizzas, and his eyes lit up like a child's on their birthday.

Anna took the barrel of wine off the cart, and poured herself a glass. She had only brought one glass; she assumed Gil wouldn't use one. When she looked up, one of the pizzas was missing, and Gil was looking at the next one. Anna laughed, and rolled her eyes as she took a sip of the wine.

"You know Anna, every summer I celebrate the day of my hatching, and I suppose today is as good a day as any to celebrate it."

Anna raised her glass to Gil. "Happy hatch day, Gil," she said as she took a gulp of wine.

Gil looked at the wine, but he looked like he was looking past it, as if he were thinking of something. "Thanks, Anna," he replied, though his voice sounded less cheery as usual.

Anna didn't want to bring the mood down. This was supposed to be a good night; she looked forward to this moment all day. "How old are you?"

Gil snapped out of his thoughts. "148 summers old," he said proudly.

Anna knew he was old; her father even mentioned it to her. "Is that considered old or young to dragons," she asked him.

Gil thought about it for a moment. "If I had to guess, I would be considered around 30 in human years," he said slowly. "But that is just a guess."

Anna nodded slowly. The mood was getting a bit somber, but she couldn't figure out why. Was he upset he was getting older? Anna would probably be upset on her 30th birthday, as well.

"I'm sorry Gil, but I didn't get you any kind of present," she said with a smile, trying to lighten up the mood.

Gil looked back at her, and smiled in return. "This food is all I could want," he said with a laugh. "Now come get your share before I eat it all!"

Anna chuckled, and helped herself to some ham, turkey, and a slice of pizza. This time, the pizza had meat on top of it, as well little slices of some yellow fruit which gave it a sweet taste. Anna didn't bring any utensils, so she was eating with her hands.

"That's not very lady like," Gil teased as he saw her stuffing ham into her mouth with her hands.

Anna just shook her head. "No it is not," she said softly. "Don't tell anyone you saw the Imperial princess eat this way."

Gil only smiled at her again. "My lips are sealed, don't worry."

Gil ate the rest of the food relatively quickly, and like last time, let out a belch. The noise made Anna jump in alarm, which caused Gil to start laughing.

"Your face," he laughed.

Anna shrugged, and let out a belch of her own. It was rather powerful after drinking some wine and eating some food. Anna only smiled as Gil continued to laugh again.

Gil stared at the pie, but didn't go for it like he did last time. Anna saw this, and smirked. She ate the last bite of her pizza, and beckoned Gil to come closer.

"Kneel your head down, it will be easier for me," Anna told him.

Gil looked shocked at the notion of lowering his head down to her. "What?"

Anna ignored him, and he sighed and did what she asked. The pie was already cut in four pieces, and Anna took hold of one slice, and held it in her hand. Gil only stared at her in confusion.

"Well don't just stare it, open your mouth," she laughed.

Gil opened his maw, and Anna tossed the piece in, which landed on his tongue. For a moment, it just sat on his tongue, until Gil finally closed his mouth. He gulped, and smiled at her, his orange eyes staring right back into her own eyes.

"Gods woman, are you trying to get me fat," he said.

Anna shook her head. "No, I am trying to make you happy," Anna replied. "Apple pie always makes people happy. But, I guess I will have to eat the rest of it if you are full already."

Gil opened his mouth again, and Anna threw in the last few pieces of pie. She wasn't hungry for it. Gil gobbled the rest of it down, and to Anna's surprise, licked her hand clean of any leftovers.

"I could have you flogged for licking me without my permission," Anna joked.

"I don't think that would hurt me very much," he smiled. "Unless you flog me on my face; now that would hurt," Gil cringed.

The moon was out now, and the stars were shining. Anna filled her cup of wine one last time, and let Gil have the rest of the barrel, which he chugged down. It didn't come as a surprise to Anna that he belched after he had finished the cask.

The two of them lie on their backs atop the grassy ground, and looked at the stars. It was a clear night, and Anna had never actually star gazed before. She wasn't sure what stars even were.

"Are stars the holes in the heavens, Gil," Anna asked. She was almost positive they weren't, but it didn't hurt to wonder.

Gil sighed. "I don't know, Anna," he whispered. "You know, when I was younger, I tried to fly up to one of them."

Anna started to chuckle, as did Gil. "And what did you discover about them," she asked him curiously.

Gil continued to stare at the white stars. "Nothing; I flew as high as I could, and the star didn't get any closer," he said. "If the stars truly are the heavens, they are much too far to reach."

The two of them continued to look at the stars, chatting here and there for a long while. Gil slowly stood up. "It is getting late, Anna."

Anna stood up, as well. "I could sleep under the stars, you know," she told him, while looking into his eyes.

Gil looked back into her blue eyes, but quickly turned away. He could see where this was going, and as much as he wanted to, now was not the time. He had too much respect for Malcolm to mate with his daughter before asking permission, even if she did agree to the proposal.

"I better fly you home, Anna," Gil said. He knelt down, so Anna could get on top of him.

Anna climbed his leathery wing, and although she could see Gil wince and shut his eyes a few times, she finally got on top of him, and grabbed on to one his spikes coming of his back. The top of him felt so hard; his skin didn't feel as soft or smooth as his neck did. His back felt rugged and bumpy, but Anna didn't say anything. She was honored to ride atop Gil, and was looking forward to riding on him properly, not in his hands.

The lights of White Harbor shined through the darkness, the moonlight causing the sea on both sides of the city to sparkle. As Gil flew through the night, every time his wings moved, the muscles in his back also moved, which felt so strange to Anna, considering she was sitting atop him. With every wing beat, she felt the muscles in his back clench together, causing her to move slightly.

When Gil landed in front of the cave on the palace grounds, Anna didn't immediately get off him. She was touching every little bit of his back hide, not necessarily rubbing him or massaging his scales, but she was touching them with fascination. Though his back wasn't as smooth as the underside of his neck, it felt so strange to her.

Anna didn't even realize Gil had curved his head around, and was staring right at her, not in confusion, but he was looking at her with amusement. He continued to look at her, and his eyes widened as he saw her gently lay her head against his back. He could feel the warmth of her face against his hide. Gil smiled at her, and carefully knelt down, causing Anna to look up, right at him.

"Enjoying ourselves," Gil asked her, not taking his eyes off her.

Anna wasn't embarrassed, and her face didn't turn red. She continued to feel his backside, and even started to grip one of his spikes. Gil had no feeling in his horns or spikes, but they were attached to his skeletal structure. Anna held onto one of the spikes on his back, and used it to slide down to the grass. It was a rough fall, and she landed right on her butt.

Gil smirked, but didn't laugh at her. "Are you okay," he asked her.

Anna turned her head around, and smiled. "Yes," she replied. "I feel something unlike anything I have ever felt before," Anna whispered.

Gil knew she wasn't talking about the feeling in her rump, and he stared back into her eyes. She was slowly leaning her face closer to his, and he was doing the same. Finally, their faces made contact each, and Gil opened his mouth slightly, allowing his tongue to kiss her, as she kissed him back.

To Anna, it was a strange kiss. He couldn't fit his tongue into her mouth, so she instead kissed him in his mouth. It was awkward, but Anna didn't care about awkward. Anna wanted Gil, and she wanted him right now.

Anna started to take off her purple dress, but was stopped by Gil, who broke free from the kiss. "Not yet, Anna," he whispered.

Anna looked back at him, and slowly nodded. "You're right, I..." Anna was interrupted by Gil.

"I want to just as badly, if not more," he laughed. "But I can't be with you fully until your father gives me his blessing."

Anna looked back at into his face, which was just inches away from hers. His head was nearly four times the size of her own, and looked massive this close. Anna could see the lust and fire in his eyes, and she respected his ability to not give in to his desires.

"I better go to bed," Anna slowly said. "Good night, Gil."

Anna rubbed her face against Gil's, and he kissed her one last time, before she turned around. Anna walked a few steps to the palace, smiling. She still hardly knew Gil, but she had never desired anybody like she desired him.

Gil yelled after her, causing Anna to turn around, and she spotted him, looking at the journal on the grass; her journal. Anna looked at the journal, then to Gil. She thought about running back and picking it up, but decided she would some other time. She also remembered the carts, but decided not to worry about them.

"Yes, Gil," Anna asked. She wasn't in shouting distance yet, so they could continue to chat at a normal volume.

"I think your poetry is pretty good."

Chapter 8

Anna couldn't sleep that night. In bed, she kept moving around, not being able to find a comfortable spot. After a few hours of not sleeping, Anna laid on her back, with her eyes open.

Like usual, Anna couldn't get Gil out of her mind. She kept imagining his face, and everything about him. She even thought about him in sexual ways, and how she wanted to mate with him. Anna knew it wasn't strictly because she wanted to do it for fun, but she knew it was because she was falling in love with him. She was falling in love with a dragon, and she didn't care.

Anna got out of bed, and walked over to her desk. She picked up the book Dragon Mating and Courting Rituals, and carried it over to her bed, where she pulled the covers up over herself, propping up against her headboard. She was interested to see just what Malinor and Ursalira thought about courting, and she was curious to see if they documented mating.

The book was very droll, and Anna felt a bit awkward reading the parts about mating. The language was very strange, although she could pick up certain words and phrases. Supposedly, Ursalira would lie on her back, and Malinor would mate with her similar to how humans would do it, and it was how they reproduced, as well.

The part that interested Anna was the courting rituals part. Unlike wedding bands humans used, male dragons would somehow "create" an object for the female. Although Malinor was human, he had a dragon sized tiara made for Ursalira, which was crafted out of silver and had many gems encrusted into it. However, Malinor was human, but if he was the dragon, and Ursalira was the human, or even a dragoness, the concept would be the same.

Dragons didn't have ceremonies. They would just either wear or keep the object that was given to them nearby, as a sort of gift that belonged on the top of a hoard. Anna couldn't help but wonder what Gil would create for her, and she smiled at the thought.

Most of the rest of the book was words that no longer were in use, and Anna didn't have a dictionary with her. She shut the book as the morning sun was starting to light up the bed room. Anna was still not yet tired, but morning was approaching, and Anna didn't want to sleep the day away, however, an idea came to her.

Gil spent most the day sleeping, and was active at night, she remembered him telling her. Anna got in the bathtub, the water of which was very warm, in the hopes of making her a little bit sleepy, and quickly washed herself. When she had finished, she put on the purple bath robe, and left her bedroom.

The palace was quiet at this time. Although the sun was slowly starting to rise, it was still dawn, and most palace residents would continue to sleep for at least another hour, if not longer. She encountered the occasional palace guard on patrol, none of whom asked her any questions. They only saluted and nodded.

When Anna was outside, she realized it was earlier than she had thought. At first, she felt like an idiot for wondering around outside in her bathrobes, but her doubts were quickly eliminated when she saw him. Gil's head was outside the cave entrance, resting on a small boulder, and his eyes were wide open.

Gil smiled in surprise when he saw her approach, and he lifted his head to look down at her as she stood before him. "You couldn't sleep, I take it?"

"Nope," was all that Anna said.

Gil yawned, and opened and closed his mouth a few times. "I was getting ready to sleep," he told her. "You could... join me in my cave if you want to."

That was what Anna was hoping he would say. She nodded happily, and Gil moved away from the cave entrance, allowing her to enter. Anna took a deep breath as she walked into the dark mouth of the hillside cavern.

"Watch your step," Gil told her. "This was an old iron mine many centuries ago."

Anna did as he said, carefully looking where she took each step. Although it was dark, there were many cracks and holes in the cavern ceiling, allowing natural light to enter. The old mine was spooky, and Anna could see a few very old looking pickaxes, as well as busted lanterns here and there. The place was enormous, with many tunnels and passages leading off to gods knew where. Anna walked beside Gil, who was naturally following the largest passages.

After what felt like an eternity, Anna could make out a makeshift bed, made out of blankets that appeared to be of Imperial make. Her father must have given these to him, or he got them by some other means. Despite feeling like they were miles underground, Anna could actually see the entrance to the cavern, not too far away. It only felt like they were wondering around inside for so long because Anna was taking baby steps the entire time.

Gil sprawled out on his blankets, laying on his right side after tucking his wings against himself. His soft looking underside was fully visible, and Anna made her way over to him. She gently got down on the blankets, and snuggled up on her side against his underside. If he were a human man, they would be spooning.

"You better not roll over and crush me, Gil," Anna chuckled, her voice echoing throughout the cavern.

Gil closed his eyes. "Don't worry; I never change positions."

Anna's back brushed up against Gil's chest. She could feel his chest expand as his lungs took in oxygen, and she could feel them deflate when he exhaled. This wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but she was with Gil, and that was all she needed. Anna fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

Crown Prince Tylus woke up, and immediately headed to the throne room. Today was going to be busy. He had heard reports that the northern countries of Listaria and Bolserius planned to secede from the empire, and that couldn't happen. Anna had set up a new legion, which was still forming; their training wouldn't be complete for many months. Tylus didn't have months to deal with this issue.

Despite the emperor taking nearly all of the legions with him into Panagini, White Harbor had one legion garrisoned. Tylus met with the legion legate, who was the commander of that legion, and gave him new orders. He was to take this legion to the border of Listaria, and act accordingly should the worst happen. The legion that was being trained at the moment would replace the legion that was now being sent to the north, many leagues away.

Although the city would be undefended, White Harbor had many town watchmen, not to mention the walls of White Harbor were 56 feet tall, and 20 feet thick. The walls of White Harbor were the 3rd largest structure in the city. The weakness to the city was the harbor; an enemy fleet could simply sail in and land hostiles which could then bypass the walls. However, the Forgarian Empire has ruled the seas for centuries, and no enemy fleet existed.

Tylus hoped that this decision wouldn't come back to haunt him. He only wanted to make his father proud of him, and with his father and brother fighting in Panagini, the odds of White Harbor being attacked were astronomical. If the enemy did break through the legions in Panagini, and headed to White Harbor with a horde of centaurs, White Harbor would fall, but that wouldn't happen. Part of Tylus wish he stayed with his father and brother, but they would do fine without him. Tylus just wasn't a warrior.

The walls of White Harbor were the only structure in the city that was white, at least from what Tylus knew. Any barbarian horde who passed by would surely move on once they saw the towering walls and spires surrounding the city. The city was just too protected, but sending the garrisoned legion away did worry Tylus.

Tonight, Tylus planned to host a dinner party, inviting all the nobles of the city to the palace. Tylus loved to host events, and dinner parties were a way of showing off Imperial power to the other nobles. The parties weren't necessarily intended to rub the wealth of the Imperial family in other people's faces, but it was a way for the powerful to get together and discuss matters of the empire. Most importantly, these events were a way for one to hear the gossip and rumors going on throughout the provinces.

Tylus had a knack for politics, and he liked to think he would be a decent emperor when his father passed away. However, Tylus didn't think he was ready to rule yet, and he hoped that day wouldn't arrive too soon. He thought about sending a raven to Auroria, to have his mother return, but he didn't really care for the woman.

Tylus wrote letters to each of the noble families living in White Harbor. He would tell Anna directly, so he didn't need to send a letter to her. Tylus thought about inviting Gil, but he didn't think he would enjoy being around nobility, and he didn't think nobility would be comfortable with a winged lizard dining among them.

It would be the dinner party of the century; a party which no one would forget.

Chapter 9

It was late in the afternoon when Anna woke up. She was still sleeping up against Gil, and Anna was glad. Part of her thought it was all a dream. Anna rolled over onto her back, and saw that Gil was staring right at her. She wasn't alarmed, and in fact, she smiled up at him.

"Were you watching me sleep," Anna asked him.

Gil smiled back at her, inadvertently showing his teeth. "For about an hour, now," he replied.

Anna yawned, and stretched, still on her back. It wasn't the most comfortable bed she slept on, but she felt completely rejuvenated. Anna slowly stood up, using Gil's chest as a support. She then turned around, and embraced him.

"Anna, I have been thinking," Gil whispered. "I need to retrieve something from my original home. I made it for you when you were only a baby, in the event you...accepted me."

Anna smiled, and she recalled what she read. How dragons would craft something for the one they would share their life with. The thought made her get goose bumps, and she started to laugh.

"What is it," she asked him.

Gil's eyes widened and he opened his mouth in shock. "It is a surprise, Anna!"

Anna looked back at Gil suspiciously. "Give me a hint, then," she asked him.

Gil continued to stare at her, and then sighed. "I made it myself, though your father helped" he laughed. "That is the only hint you are getting."

An idea popped into Anna's head. He didn't know she knew about the concept of gift giving, so she decided she would tease him a bit. Anna put on her best acting face.

"I need to give you a gift, as well then," she whispered. "I can hand it to you myself."

Gil's eyes widened again and he shook his head horizontally. "No," he yelled, in an embarrassed sort of way. "I must give you the item, only me. You do not give me anything."

Anna put her hands on her hips. "I want to hand my present to you, personally, Gil," Anna whispered. Finally, Gil seemed to get the idea of what she was saying, and he quickly rolled onto his belly.

"No, Anna," he said in a hushed whisper. "Not yet. Don't tempt me."

Anna sighed. "Why not, Gil," she laughed, as she rubbed his side with her hand. "We are both living beings, and it is natural."

Gill bowed his head. "It isn't that Anna, that is just not the traditional way we do these things," he whispered.

Anna laughed again, and she kissed him on the side of his neck. "Where is your old home?"

Gil looked back at her. "About five days away, flying," he said, clearly thinking about the distance.

Anna groaned. "That means you will be gone for ten days?"

"Yes, probably," he said while scratching his head. "I would take you with me, but..."

Anna's eyes widened with hope.

Gil sighed, and had a sad look in his face. "No, I promised your father I would give you the item when he was present," he said sadly.

Anna nodded. She was only teasing him, and she wasn't that impatient. "Well, the sooner you leave, the soon you will return," Anna smiled, although a tear ran down her face.

Gil saw the tear. "Don't be upset Anna, I will only be gone for a few days," he said, as he reached out with his clawed hand-like foot, and wiped the tear away. "You will love the present, Anna."

The tear was real, and Anna wasn't too sure why she even created it. She felt strange, almost like she would never see him again, but she didn't know why she felt that way. Anna nodded, and was taken aback when Gil leaned his head down to her level.

The two of them kissed, although this time it wasn't awkward like the last time. Her lips were touching his strange lips, and the two of them locked tongues, although his completely overpowered hers. The two of them continued to kiss, the passion too strong for Anna to pull herself away. His warm, slippery tongue on her own tongue almost made her lose her balance.

When Gil finally pulled away, Anna nearly collapsed. She regained her balance, and saw Gil just smirk at her. The two of them walked to the entrance to the cavern, until the sunlight hit both of them, causing Anna to squint her eyes. Gil didn't need to squint, and he stared at Anna as she put a hand over her forehead.

"I will be back in a few days, Anna," he told her, and kissed her lightly on the lips again.

Anna hugged him, and shortly after, he flew away, not caring that people on the ground might see him. Anna smiled as she saw him get smaller and smaller, as he flew into the sky. She knew, at that moment, she had fallen in love with Gil.

Anna made her way back into her bedroom, and noticed that Albert and Julius were playing dice outside the bedroom door. She smiled at the two of them, and while Albert was looking in her direction, she caught Julius cheat, which only made her laugh and shake her head.

Anna was getting hungry, having skipped breakfast and lunch from sleeping all day. However, Tylus told her on the way up that there would be a dinner party in a few hours. She wished that she had given Gil a few pizzas to take with him.

Now that Anna was alone, she walked over to the book The Dragons of Euphaea, and sat at her desk. She flipped over a few pages, this time to the Dragons of the North section. On the first page of that section, there was an image of one. It was pale white, with red eyes. It appeared to be more serpentine, and less winged lizard like. Anna could see why Gil didn't like these dragons.

Anna read something interesting. Evidently, the dragons of the north are actually pure reptilian, whereas the dragons in the south were not classified as reptilians, but just dragons. Anna felt guilty about comparing Gil to a winged lizard, and told herself she would refer to him as simply a dragon now. Not a reptile and not a lizard.

She laughed to herself. She wouldn't really like it if Gil compared her to a hairless monkey, or some gorilla. Anna flipped to the dragons of the south section, and flipped through the pages, until an image caught her eye. It was a red colored dragon, similar to Gil's colorings, and she read the part beneath it:

After the events of Koror the Cruel, dragons that are red are seen as bad luck. Many dragons that hatch, and bear the color red, are usually abandoned by their parents or are killed. If the dragon is abandoned, they are never allowed to enter a clan, and are on their own until death. Red dragons are usually incapable of producing fire, and those that are abandoned rarely reach adulthood as they are incapable of defending themselves from predators.

Anna's mouth was gaping shock. She gently closed the book, and stood up. Now more than ever, she wanted to hug Gil tightly, and never let go. Anna couldn't help but wonder if he was upset about his name because of who he was. Could he have been abandoned? Anna decided it didn't matter now; she was his, and he was hers.

Anna decided that she wouldn't tell Gil what she had learned when he returned. He clearly didn't want her to know about that, assuming it was true. Instead, Anna decided she would take another bath. She bathed quickly this morning, and sleeping all day next to a warm dragon made her sweat a bit. She wanted to look nice for the dinner party tonight, and she quickly picked out an outfit, as well as picked out a pair of shoes, and even got out a nice necklace to wear.

After she had picked out her outfit, she undressed from the bathrobe she wore all day, and lowered herself into the warm tub. The water was toasty from the servants heating it, and Anna soaked in the feeling of the warmth against her skin. She scrubbed herself with soap gently, and afterwards, simply lounged in the tub for a couple of minutes. Her hair was fine the way it was, and she didn't get it any wetter than it had to.

Anna dried herself off with a towel, and put on the purple dress she planned out. She then put on her shoes, as well as the jewelry she set aside: a red ruby necklace made from gold. Anna then sat at her vanity, and put on her makeup, mostly pink blush and mascara.

It was dark outside now, and the dinner probably already started, which was fine. The party would go on all night, and Anna wanted to look her best. Anna grabbed her light brown hair, and worked her fingers into it. Usually, she would have help to do her hair, but tonight, she wanted to do it all on her own.

Anna liked to wear her hair up in strange ways. On one occasion, she purposefully did her hair in the most ridiculous fashion she could think of. After several public appearances, every noble lady was wearing their hair in the exact way, which made Anna laugh for days. This time, however, she planned to wear her hair up in a beautiful position. It was similar to a bun, but she let the sides of her hair hang down, near her ears, in a small spiral strand. It didn't come out quite the way Anna had hoped, but it didn't bother her.

If she had a hairdresser, she would love the new hairstyle, but she simply didn't care. After making sure she was ready, she left her bedroom, and saw Julius and Alfred standing watch in the hallway. The two guards walked over to each side of her, and the three of them started to head towards the grand staircase.

"Let's hope they have lots of pizza," Anna chuckled, more to herself than to her guards.

The three of them arrived in the throne room, which was bustling with activity. Men and women in formal attire were walking and chatting, some were seated and eating, while others were sipping wine and ale. Anna saw Sofia, the servant girl, walking around doing her duties. When Sofia saw Anna, she simply smiled and nodded her head. Anna made her way over to her brother, Tylus, who was chatting with some older looking man.

"No one has heard anything from the provinces in Panagini, prince," the older man whispered to Tylus. "No trade caravans, no travelers, nothing."

Tylus looked worried, but smiled when he saw Anna approach. "Sister," he said aloud, then looked at her hair. "Your hair looks...interesting."

Anna rolled her eyes at her brother. Although her hair did look a little strange, she actually tried to make it look nice. Besides, Tylus had such short curly hair he couldn't do anything with his own hair if he wished to, and his voice sounded like it was strangely full of envy.

"I think you are jealous, Tylus," Anna smirked. "You should let your hair grow out longer so I can make it beautiful, like mine."

Tylus scoffed, and the older man nodded at the two of them, and walked off, heading for the wine caskets. "I have a strange feeling in my gut, Anna," Tylus whispered to her. "I just feel as if something isn't right."

Anna looked back at Tylus. "What do you mean, Tylus," Anna whispered, sounding confused.

Tylus looked at his empty cup, emptied of wine. He wasn't sure how to explain it to Anna. He just had a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

"Last night, I went to the Cathedral of Daphne, where someone performed some ridiculous religious ritual on me, like a fortune telling," Tylus said, this time not in a whisper, but not loud enough for anyone else to hear.

"You too," Anna laughed. "What did the patriarch tell you?"

Tylus smirked. "It was actually a priestess. She told me there would be flames and destruction in my future, as well as pain and suffering, but refused to say anything else."

Anna froze, and then let out a nervous laugh. "I was told the same exact thing, except I would find happiness and joy, or something," Anna said softly. "Mine was told to me by the patriarch, though."

Tylus looked back at Anna. "She didn't mention joy and happiness in mine, Anna," he slowly responded.

Anna stared at her brother. "They are just ridiculous fortune telling's, Ty."

Tylus raised his eyebrows, and then looked down at his cup. "Can you do me a favor, Anna," Tylus asked her, looking up from his cup.

"Of course," Anna forced a smile. She felt like Tylus had just brought the entire mood down.

Tylus patted her on the shoulder. "Go to father's room, and get the Imperial seal. I am going to send a message to father, as well as mother," he mumbled, and forced a smile. "Just as a precaution," he added

Anna slowly nodded. She had never seen Tylus so nervous before. He did have a point; they hadn't received any messages from either of their parents, and he probably just wanted to check in. Anna was glad Tylus was there. She would have probably pulled all her hair out by now if she was still ruling.

The hallway outside the throne room wasn't as packed, although the occasional noble could be seen in the corner, no doubt plotting something. Anna walked up the grand staircase, until she reached the fifth floor. Without company, the palace was quite spooky at this time of night, especially when many of the lights were off. Anna could hear the occasional laughter from the throne room, despite being five floors up.

Anna entered her parents' bedroom, which was completely dark. The only light being the natural light of the moon, which was full, from what Anna could tell. She made her way over to her father's desk, and easily found the Imperial seal, used to stamp important documents. The seal was in the shape of a silver dragon, although the stamp it made was simply a dragon. It was quite heavy, and Anna held onto it, not having any pockets to put it in.

Before Anna left the room, something caught her eye on the balcony. She made her way over to the windows, but still couldn't make it out. It appeared to be a small flame. Anna opened the door to the balcony, and was startled to see the flame wasn't on the balcony, it was in the distance. Anna slowly came to terms with what she saw, and her mouth slowly opened in fear.

The moonlight easily illuminated the city, and more importantly, the fields beyond the walls. Anna counted seventeen flames in the distance, and could make out a sea of blackness beyond the walls. The sea was moving, as were the flames. This was an army at their doorstep, and it was not her father's army. Anna dropped the Imperial seal, and ran as fast as she could to the throne room.

Despite nearly tumbling down the grand staircase, Anna arrived in the throne room in less than five minutes, and many of the partiers gasped as she came barging in. Anna ignored their shocked expressions, and she headed for her brother, who was staring at her strangely.

"Tylus," Anna moaned, out of breath. "Outside the walls...a horde," she yelled, just loud enough so people near the two them heard her.

Tylus slowly frowned, and before he could respond, bells were ringing in the distance. These weren't the bells that rang when a wedding was being performed, or a funeral of someone important was being held. These were the bells that signified the city was under siege.

Chapter 10

A few people in the throne room started to panic, when the old man Tylus was chatting to before stood up, getting everyone's attention. He was clearly intoxicated, and stumbled as he stood atop a chair. He cleared his throat.

"It is probably some new legion recruit playing with the bells," the noble laughed, slurring his words.

The older noble headed for the doors that led to the throne room, and opened them, allowing the cool night breeze to rush in. He smiled as the bells stopped abruptly, and turned around. The man had accidentally dropped his goblet, and he bent over to pick it up, when the entire front of the palace collapsed on top of him.

Everyone in the throne room screamed, and headed for the nearest exit. Now that the front of the throne room was demolished, Anna could see flaming stones launching in the distance, headed their way. A few hit the walls of the city, while others hit structures. None of them hit the palace this time. The nobles continued to scream and some made their way atop the rubble, heading out of the palace.

"Anna," Tylus yelled. "Over here!"

Anna ran over to Tylus, who was at the back of the throne room. The nobles continued to flee around them, and dust from the ceiling fell upon them. In the distance, screams, as well as destruction could be heard as buildings collapsed.

"Go to Gil," he yelled. "He needs to get you out of here!"

Anna shook her head. "Gil left earlier, he won't be back for days, Ty," Anna said, panic in her voice.

Tylus paused. "I sent the garrisoned legion, as well as our navy, to the north," he said slowly, as if realization has sunk in. "This horde couldn't have gotten around father!"

Anna sighed, and started to cry. "You know what that must mean, Ty," she told him, while wiping a tear from her eye.

Tylus ignored her. "Anna, go to the treasury vault downstairs," he yelled, as he held onto her shoulders. "Do it now!"

Anna nodded, and ran for the basement door, behind the throne. Anna hurried down the spiral staircase that led into the dank and dark palace dungeons. She had never been down here before, and she wasn't too sure where she was going. As she made her way to the stone floor, Anna stopped. She turned around, and headed up to her bedroom as fast as she could, and locked the door behind her.

Garbo continued to bombard the city with rocks and boulders, coated in flame. He took these siege engines from the legions, and it was only fitting that he uses them on their own city. Garbo didn't have siege towers, a battering ram, or ladders. Instead, he had a trick up his sleeve. However, it wasn't time to play that card yet.

Garbo saw a stone hit the largest cathedral in the city, causing the dome to cave in and forcing the entire structure to collapse. Garbo laughed hysterically at the sight. The bigger they are, the harder they fall was what he was taught, and how right that was.

Garbo looked around, and saw his horde of orc and centaur stare at the city, eagerness in each of their eyes. He looked at his soldiers closest to him. He spotted young as well as older orcs on his left side, and on his right side, he saw young centaurs, barely out of adolescence, as well as older centaurs, eager to pillage the city, and have a little fun with the female inhabitants.

A day before, Garbo and his horde sacked several cities in Panagini, near the Euphaea border. These cities weren't that wealthy, but they enslaved the women and children, and sent them back to their homelands where they would serve them in the future. They simply killed the men, as male humans didn't make good slaves.

Along the way to White Harbor, Garbo changed his mind about the princess. He wanted her to himself, and he wanted to destroy the empire, as well. However, the princess was a beautiful woman, and he intended to keep her as his personal pleasure slave, and he made it clear that no one in his horde was to harm her.

Garbo planned to simply raze White Harbor to the ground, taking as much of its wealth and inhabitants as he could, and then burn the city until only ruins remained. Garbo's homeland was many miles from here, and he liked the idea of bringing the enslaved to foreign and harsh lands, where they would suffer and live out the rest of their days.

After all, the humans of this empire forced him and his people out of their ancestral homeland, forcing them to live in the desolate east. That was many centuries ago, but Garbo wouldn't forget what his father told him, passing down the knowledge and hatred for these people. After White Harbor burned, the horde would return home, leaving this region a desolate and uninhabitable wasteland.

Garbo decided the bombardment of the city was over. He walked out in front of the horde, so most of his army could see him. "Let's have some fun," he yelled, and he charged at the walls, towards the gates.

Garbo smiled as the gates swung open, just as he knew they would, allowing him and his horde to storm into the city. When he was last in White Harbor, he bribed a town guard to open the gates, and that guard stood near the opened gates with a smile on his face. His smile quickly turned into a frown as Garbo hacked him with his axe.

Frightened people ran deeper into the city as the horde flooded in. Some were caught and were either killed if they were men, or if they were women, they were grabbed and dragged down alleys where they were raped by many members of the horde, centaur and orc alike. Afterwards, the victim would have a rope around their neck, and were given to centaurs or orcs that were designated slave holders, and they forced them into large cages.

Garbo ignored them, and he hacked and slashed at everyone who stood in his way, whether they were men, women, or children. He even sliced open a strange looking tiger man near an art booth. He had two people on his mind: the crown prince, and the princess.

The harbor was aflame. What little ships that remained were sinking to the bottom. Garbo saw the Imperial Palace, which was damaged, and he shifted his path towards it. In the distance, he saw the ruined cathedral, and several men trying to get out of the rubble. Garbo ignored them, as they were too far away for him to kill them.

Garbo walked up to the gates of the palace, which were opened. The orc turned around, and saw a good visual of the destruction, as the Imperial Palace was on a hill. The sounds of screams and terror, as well as steel clashing made him smile. All the running and fighting was making Garbo sweat, but he wasn't tired yet, he was warmed up.

Several palace guards, some on fire, exited the structure, but Garbo as well as several of his horde members easily cut them down. They waited until more of the horde caught up, and then they stormed the palace, entering through the ruined front entrance. Garbo saw his target: Crown Prince Tylus, who was helping a wounded guard, hurt from falling debris.

Tylus saw Garbo approach, and froze, shock on his face. "You," he yelled, as a tear ran down his cheek. "Why, Garbo?"

Garbo ignored him. "You can imagine my surprise when you weren't with your father and brother. I would have liked to kill each of you at the same time."

Tylus stuttered, not able to form any words. Garbo walked closer to him, and hit him in the head with the back of his axe, knocking him unconscious. Garbo kicked his unconscious body several times. He wanted him alive for only a few moments longer.

"Take everything you can find," Garbo yelled. "If you find the princess, bring her to me!" Garbo headed to the grand staircase. He remembered hearing the fifth floor was the bed chambers of the Imperial family, and that was where sweet Anna would most likely be.

Anna heard commotion coming in the palace. She wasn't sure what she should do, so she knelt down on the floor of her bedroom and prayed. She prayed to every deity she could think of, particularly Ursalira. Afterwards, she started to sob as she saw the books about dragons on her desk, making her think about Gil, and how she would never see him again. She cried at how his life must have went, being the color red, and she sobbed harder at the thought of him returning with his gift for her, only to see the city in ruins.

Outside her window, Anna could see structures on fire, as well as faint screaming and the sounds of fighting. The Cathedral of Daphne was no longer standing, and it made Anna sad. The world was on fire, and as far as Anna knew, it was ending as well.

Anna thought about her father, as well as Alexius. She even thought about her mother, Priscilla. She thought about what she would do to see her mother one last time, no matter how much they disliked one another. She thought about her cousin, Caitlin, who would probably never know what happened here. She was thinking about Tylus when her door slammed open, knocking the lock clean off.

Anna gasped, and spun around. In the doorway, a large, green man stood, carrying a bloody ax. He was shirtless and only wearing tattered pants. She instantly recognized him, although she couldn't recall his name. Anna could see the sweat and blood on him, and she closed her eyes at the sight.

Garbo slammed the door shut, which didn't close all the way due to the door being broken. He approached the crouching woman, with a smile on his face, and he easily took off his tattered pants, and set his ax on an end table. "Take off your dress, woman," he hollered angrily.

Anna didn't do anything; instead she only trembled, and forced back the tears in her eyes. Before she knew it, she was smacked across the face, which made a loud sound that snapped her out of her fright. She felt her dress being taken off, and could hear it ripping until she was completely nude.

Garbo grabbed Anna by the hair, and threw her atop her bed. Before she could move, he was on her, holding her down. Anna started to struggle, but it was to no avail.

"Have you ever been screwed before, princess," Garbo whispered to her. "Your daddy mentioned he had already given you away. Where is the mystery man at, now?"

Anna started to cry as he felt the orc force his way into her, causing her pain. She tried to struggle, but he then moved his hand to her throat, and started to squeeze. After squeezing for a moment, he let go, allowing her to gasp for air.

Garbo continued to thrust in and out of her. He rubbed his chest against her breasts, and Anna turned away; his fetid scent filling her nostrils. Anna was no longer crying, but she had her eyes closed, and accepted what was happening. She was slapped again across the face, this time drawing blood.

"Look at me, princess," Garbo shouted.

Anna slowly turned her head around so it was facing him, and she stared into his eyes. They were red and filled with hatred. He leaned down and started to kiss her, sticking his tongue into her mouth as he continued to thrust into her. Garbo stopped kissing her shortly after, and started to pound into her with more force, until he was ready to release.

Anna could no longer take it anymore. She continued to look into his eyes, and she saw the subtle change in his face as he released into her. Anna felt nothing as he climaxed; her body and soul was already numb to everything that was happening. Garbo fell atop her, and he licked and kissed her face.

"The other orcs and centaurs will not be as gentle as I was, princess," Garbo whispered.

Anna was no longer oblivious to her surroundings. She didn't remember putting her torn dress back on, or remember being dragged through to palace by her hair, and then thrown into a strange cage outside on the grounds. Her cage was small, and unlike the ones nearby, she was the only one in this cage.

Around the cages, there were piles of bodies, many of which belonged to palace guards or nobles attending the dinner party. Anna could see the familiar faces of Alfred and Julius lying atop one another, not moving, in one pile. In another pile she could see the face of Irving, the diplomatic advisor, as well as the severed heads of Raul and John.

Across from her, in another cage, this one full of women, Anna could see the servant girl Sofia, crying. A few of the woman were looking at Anna, with tears in their eyes. Anna turned around, and immediately closed her eyes. In her cage were the severed heads of her Father, Malcolm, and her brother, Alexius. They were both on spikes in the cage, but her father's head was a bloody pulp, and Anna could hardly recognize it.

Anna's whole body was numb to everything that was happening. Even when she turned around, and saw Garbo, as well as many other orcs walking through the grounds, with her brother, Tylus, in tow. Garbo looked at Anna and smiled, and he tied Tylus up to a stake, which he then set alight with a torch.

Anna saw Tylus burn to death; his screams will forever haunt her dreams and memories. His screams lasted a long time, and Anna no longer felt sadness, but hatred for the ones who had done this to her and her family. Even as Tylus continued to burn, she glared at Garbo with all the hatred she could muster.

Garbo pointed to Anna. "That one comes home with us," he yelled. "The rest the centaurs can have."

Before Anna knew it, she was moving. Her cage had wheels, as did the others. Anna looked at the servant girl Sofia, as the cage full of women was wheeled off in an opposite direction. She saw the look of horror and fear on the poor girls face as her cage was wheeled away. Anna looked around the grounds, and saw Gil's cave, and she could make out the red journal on the grass. She wished she had run to his cave to hide, not her room.

Anna closed her eyes as something was tossed into her cage; Tylus' charred head. She looked around, and saw many orcs smiling at her, as they headed out another entrance of the city. As Anna turned around, she saw the city of White Harbor burning to the ground, and she saw the palace she had called home her entire life crumble to the earth as it was demolished.

Anna slumped down in her cage, ignoring the looks the orcs marching alongside her cage were giving her. She wondered if Gil would be able to save her, however unlikely that would be, but she could only hang onto hope. Despite everything that has happened, Anna smiled as she closed her eyes, and thought of Gil's face smiling back at her.

After many days of flying, Gil finally reached his old home. The reason he didn't have the gift with him was because he never would have thought Anna would say yes to him, although he wished he did bring it with him when he moved to the city. Gil flew into the side of the fiery mountain he called home.

He loved his old home. It was a mountain that spews fire and ash from the summit, and it was located on a very small island off the coast of Euphaea, which meant no humans would bother him, although some dragons looking for a home would sometimes fly by, and Gil was surprised he didn't find one in his old cave.

Gil didn't have a hoard of treasure like other dragons. The only item of value he possessed was his gift he made for Anna when she was born, in the event she would become his when she was of age. Gil made it himself, although his friend, Malcolm, actually forged it. However, it was he who found the gems for it.

His gift was a human sized replica of the tiara Malinor had given Ursalira. The gems were authentic and were the same ones used in Ursalira's tiara, which was lost. But Gil found them, and they were now going to be Anna's. Malcolm actually suggested that he give the tiara to the museum, but Gil would only consider that if Anna denied him, and she accepted him. She accepted him based on who he was, not what he looked like.

Gil picked up the tiara, and put it in a satchel he had wrapped around his neck. He wanted it to be a surprise to Anna, so he had to hide it somewhere. After all, he couldn't fly into the city carrying it in plain sight. This was his greatest treasure, and he hoped Anna would like it.

The mountain rumbled once, causing the small cavern to shake. Gil smiled at the feeling, as if it was nature's way of telling him to get out of there and go claim your mate. He leapt from the mouth of the cave, and started to fly in the direction of White Harbor; back to Anna.