"I had countless husbands and children, yet none of them Awakened. Death took them away from me before I could even grow attached to them.

"Even those I offered to share eternity with me, treated me like a monster and forced me to shut them up. Now, all of my subjects are dead and all I'm left with is stone and gold.

"Is this Tyris's doing as well? Has her curse reached me thanks to her blood that runs through my veins? I'm not letting you take everything from me again, you monster! I'd rather destroy everything myself!" Thrud unleashed another spell and a city block fell.

In her wrath and madness, she almost didn't notice an emerald bolt approaching to her position, blasting through the arrays that still defended Hervor from all threats.

Almost.

"A Dragon?" Thrud instantly regained her focus as the magical formations self-repaired and provided her with the information they had gathered about the invader. "It's been a long time since I killed one. Your flesh will make a meal worthy of a Queen."

Arthan's Armor wrapped Thrud's body and Arthan's Sword appeared in her hand as her face was twisted in a grimace of fury. Yet no protection could save her from what happened next.

The emerald bolt gracefully landed in front of her as if he weighed a few grams instead of several tons and shapeshifted into the most handsome man she had ever seen.

A handsome man with emerald shoulder-length hair and purple eyes who was kneeling at her feet, according to the etiquette that the Griffon Kingdom prescribed to loyal vassals when meeting their rulers.

The man that Lith knew as Jakra even spoke the ancient language of the Kingdom.

Thrud didn't hear it for centuries, yet she could still understand it perfectly. Tears kept streaming down her cheeks, but now she cried with joy.

She kept weaving her spells and preparing her relics. Thrud had been betrayed too many times to believe in free meals.

Jormun started to tell her about the Golden Griffon and the many legacies that Arthan had left behind for his heir.

At first, Thrud didn't believe him, but the more the stranger spoke, the more many mysteries of her homeland made sense.

The Mad Queen had already fallen in love with that voice. For the first time in her life, she had met someone who knew who she was and shared her dream.

Jormun said.

She patted his left shoulder, then the right, and then his head with Arthan's sword.

Her hand ran through his hair, caressing Jormun's face before moving down his chest.

The physical intimacy aroused Thrud as much as it disgusted Jormun.

After escaping from Huryole, he had slept for months before noticing that something was wrong with him. The life force of Dragons was incredibly strong, to the point of being capable of healing itself with time.

After spending centuries sealed inside the lost academy, Jormun had realized the existence of the slave spell that now impaired his mind only because he could feel his body trying to fix what he had always assumed was a natural development of his life force after mastering all elements and several martial arts.

The moment he had attempted to get in touch with one of his relatives, the spell had forced him to find the Mad Queen.

***

Griffon Kingdom, near the top of Lochra Mountain.

Lith had thought a lot about where to bring Kamila for her birthday. He would have preferred to take her to a place where he could give her an experience similar to Earth's summer on the beach, but she was born around mid-spring.

Not only were the seas still too cold to bathe, but she also refused to wear even a one-piece swimsuit in presence of witnesses. It would've been the equivalent of walking around in her underwear and people were quite modest on Mogar.

Without Solus, an inhabited island would mean no people, but no comforts as well.

"I'm sorry, but having no bathroom, sleeping on the ground, no privacy whatsoever, and being dependant on you to cook my meals sounds as romantic as another boot camp." Was her reply.

Hence Lith had taken her to a high-class resort where they could be immersed in the mountain's natural splendor without missing anything civilization had to offer. After becoming a Royal Constable, Kamila had started to travel around the Kingdom and do late hours.

Thanks to Jirni, she always managed to come back home for dinner, but after that, they would often leave again and only rarely sleep in their own beds. Between the terrible crime scenes she had witnessed and spending so much time interrogating criminals, Kamila was on the verge of a breakdown.

She felt terribly tired, but most of all, dirty inside as if all the horrors that rich and poor alike perpetrated to indulge in their vices had tainted her.

"Gods, this place is just perfect!" Kamila said while looking at the beautiful scenery the mountain lake surrounded by luscious green offered to the guests dining on the terrace.

The Flying Griffon resort had its own Gate. It connected the resort with the important cities of the Kingdom, allowing it to always have the best foods and provide its guests with anything they might need at a moment's notice.

"I promise you that we'll do this beach thing when I'm less stressed." Kamila couldn't take her eyes off the beauty of the full moon in the clear sky and its reflection on the lake.

Together, they provided enough natural light to watch the night wildlife and gave the valley where the resort had been built the feeling of a mystical place where time had stopped.

"Right now, all I need is a warm, comfortable bed and room service. Lots of room service. If I take one more step, I'm afraid my feet will fall off."

"It's a good thing that I reserved a suite then." Lith chuckled while pointing at her red stiletto heels that lay near the table legs.

Kamila wore them along with the red skin-tight cocktail dress she had chosen for their first real date in a long while where she could turn her work amulet off.

She wanted that night to be special, but the moment Lith had offered her to dine alone in their room because he wanted to speak with her about important matters, Kamila had immediately accepted and given her sore legs some relief.