The beast just stood there, ignoring its surroundings. Even if it had a dead-like look in it’s eyes his whole body emitted a feeling of sadness that touched something deep inside me.

I wanted to help but when I tried to move I could feel the cloth which was tied around me constricting my movements. So the only thing that I could do was let out a sad cry.

But what happened astonished me.

Not only did my parents and whole entourage started trying to calm me down with panicked expressions, but the dragon gained a small light in his eyes and turned his massive head in our direction closing the distance as much as his Harness allowed it. And that set the whole square in a panic. Somewhere along the line of actions I started feeling my control over my emotions slip away and the next thing I knew was that my mouth opened, my eyes watered, I could feel my face heating and I let out a mad cry which sounded through the whole square.

I could see my mother panicking screaming at my father to do something, while he also stood there looking at me in a sort of mad panic.

The light in the dragon's eyes returned full force, and it started fighting against it’s constriction. Buckling like a wild mustang. Whatever a mustang is ...

I was ripped out of Old Zong’s arms by my mother who started rocking me back in forth, I could feel the calming energy starting to envelope me, until it suddenly shattered with a “bang” sending my mother flying backward, and if not for my father's fast reaction I would have fallen to the ground. Dangerous the shock sobered me up a bit but I could still not stop crying, all the while looking at the crazed dragon who was starting to be subdued by a whole army of men with long whips and a bunch of people chanting something I couldn’t understand. But I could see the light in his eyes fading and the sadness in me grew.

As the dragon stopped thrashing around I looked into his eyes once again, and what I saw finally calmed me down. Even though his eyes looked dead again I could feel a bit of that light from before flickering in the depths of his eyes calming the rage and sadness that had suddenly overcome me.

When I finally calmed down I saw Old Zong standing in a daze where my mother had left him.

I could feel my fathers arms around me shake a bit as he looked at me with concern. The next moment my mother's face blocked the view as she had stood up and run over to us leaning over me to discern if I had any kind of injury from the previous blast.

Seeing that I was at least physically fine she hugged both my father and me and laid her head on my father's shoulder a tears trailing down her cheeks and landing on my face. Suddenly an exhaustion hit me that I never felt before and I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, falling asleep in my father's arms.

When I woke up I found myself on a bed, the whole room seemed like it was swaying from side to side.

I couldn’t see my father or mother anywhere but as I let my head fall to the side I could see the maid from the queen sitting next to my bed seemingly painting her nails with some horribly smelling liquid with a red colour which had the same red colour as her scales and hair, while staring at a book.

Seemingly noticing my stare she looked up and the disgust for me seemed to radiate from her eyes as she muttered “Blasted monster bastard, I am not paid enough to look after this freak.”

I was surprised.

Before I had no real contact with her just seeing her sometimes in the corner of my sight, keeping her distance from me. I knew that I had never done something that deserved such hatred.

I had heard how my parents had talked about her so I knew that she did not like my family of “Mongrel”-Bloods and felt that it was an insult to her dignity to serve us. But I would have at least expected her to be more careful with her behaviour. Even if we were “Mongrel’s” in her opinion, my father was still a king and had enough power to kill her with a twist of his hand.

I don’t know if I should consider her courageous or plain dumb … seeing as she is reading a book full of pictures I tend to believe the latter.

Having enough of her baland hostility I did the only thing I thought was right such a situation.

I opened my mouth and cried.

Moments later my mother ran into the room slamming the door against the frame.

Mommy you should do something about your entrance … if you continue with that you will destroy a door one day with your strength.

The maid stood up and moved a few feet away from me but still held an expression of contempt but this time she was looking at my mother.

“What did you do?” The hostility that my mother radiated was almost visible as the tension in the room heightened and if you listened intensively you could hear small crackling sounds in the air.

“Nothing. This little … baby, just started screeching on her own. Now if you will excuse me I have more important things to do than to talk with you.” She said and started walking out of the room.

Just as she reached the doorframe my mother spoke again.

“Lidiana, just to make this clear. I don’t care that you are one of the queen's people. If you dare and harm my child you will die so horribly that you would wish you were never born. Do you understand me?”

I could see the women, Lidiana, shiver at her words but then she squared her shoulders and looking back said “Yes mam.” before walking away.

My mother hugged me closer and started to sway me up and down after she had carefully examined my body for any kind of wounds.

After a while she moved herself to the window and I could finally see where I was.

What I saw was endless blue sky. I mean the whole room seemed to move through the sky, clouds passing by the window and even birds that looked quite strong were easily overtaken.

Slowly I could make out a dark dot beneath us that came closer as time went by. Suddenly we were indulged in a mass of white. My mother seeing me panic a bit at my loss of view out of the window calmed me down.

“Sweety, we are just flying through a cloud don’t worry. Just wait a bit and then you will see our home ok?”

“Guu”, I answered with a smile.

But just as suddenly that we entered the white, what my mother called a cloud, we exited again.

What I saw was what would be my home, well at least according to my mother.

I saw an island. It was covered in green and had four bigger settlements at each corner. In the middle of the island was a big city build on top of a hill and in the middle of it was a grand castle. Not as big as that one of the queen but big enough to stand out.

Our room was flying a few times around the island each time flying closer to the surface and getting nearer to the castle.

I could feel the room shake and with a low “bam” the room connected with the earth sliding a bit until we came to a standstill.

My mother heaved a sigh and walked to the door smiling down at me and caressing my face. I started giggling a bit since her touch tickled a bit.

As we stepped out of the room we found ourselves in a hallway of doors. I could see my father waiting down the hallway and my mother hurried to him a smile plastered on her face and her eyes twinkling. As she came to a halt just a few steps away from him she looked breathlessly up to him and asked “Can we finally behave normally?” the hope of an affirmation could be felt from it.

My father gave her a warm smile and took us in his arm, my vision temporarily lost I could feel him squeezing us to him and hear him murmur “Yes, sweetie, we are finally home.BUt be careful. I heard that a few new maids just suddenly showed up in the castle after Speras birth was announced. But let’S not think about that for the moment ok? Come on let’s meet Mesana.”

As we exited the construction I was confronted with a large market place that was empty except of a group of males that stood next to each other in a row. Shoulders squared head held high. Suddenly they opened their mouths a shouted “Welcome home your Highnesses King Mesanth and Queen Emerthelil. Long live the princess!” and they bowed to us. I looked at my parents and could see a bit of blood rush to their cheeks.

My mother looked around a bit and seemingly seeing what she had looked for she smiled walking forward and halted in front of a man a bit older than my parents.

His dark brown hair started graying in-between a bit and you could see wrinkles around his eyes and mouth which were in contrast to his very bulky body of muscles.

All of this power stood in a stark contrast to the cute round bushy ears on top of his head.

I could see him looking at my mother with a smile and warm eyes. I almost thought that he would hug her but then I noticed his uniform which was a bit more elaborate than the ones of the other men standing at attention next to him.

“Fon, it’s good to see you.”

My mother said smiling at the man in front of her. Wait … Fon? Why is that name so familiar? Ah right! Mommy said that Fon was a General of my fathers and Mesana’s adopted father … whoever Mesana is.

My mother started talking to Fon with my father standing next to her smiling at the both of them. Suddenly a clear voice could be heard from the distance

“Sorry, Sorry let me through please! Coming through make way ~”

After a moment a beautiful young woman with long hair which was striped white and black as well as round ears on top of her head and a long sleek tail in the same colour that swished behind her broke through the group of people around us, coming to a stop a few steps next to us.

Fon seemed to brighten considerably, almost beaming at the young woman. My mother showed a warm smile and my father had a gentle look on his face. It was clear that she was very loved by my family and I could conclude that she must be Mesana the white Tiger-beastman that my father had talked about, the adopted daughter of Fon.

Mesana beamed at us and at the next moment she hugged my father around the waist completely ignoring Fon who started to glare at my father.

“Brother, how nice that you all came earlier than expected. How was your stay at the old crones castle? Did you finally chip a bit of their pride while you waited for your child’s birth?”

“Mesana …” My father started, only to be interrupted by my mother “Mesana, darling please don’t give him these strange ideas, ok? We have to at least wait until Sera had her awakening ceremony before taking actions.”

“Ah right… Tara”, she said as if it explained everything.

Well sorry to be party pooper but what ? What is a awakening ceremony ? Who is Tara ? And why is she so important ?

I looked at bok my mother and Mesana questionably but both seemed to ignore me.

Well if you can do it I can do it !

I thought and with that I curled up in my mother's arms pointing and disregard their conversation.

Well that was until Mesana brought me up in the conversation.

“Well, putting these depressing topics aside. I think there is someone you have to introduce to me right?” She said looking at me eagerly.

“Mesana … why are you ignoring me?” Fon asked in a whiny voice only to earn a “tsk” from his daughter which gave him the cold shoulder.

The man hung his head down and my father moved beside him to pat his shoulder after Mesana let go of him to move next to my mother.

“Hello little cutie ~ I’m your aunt. You can call me aunty. If ever someone is not nice to you tell me and I will punish them, ok? Hohoho”, she started laughing while stroking my head her laughter causing a shiver to run down my spine. And judging from the expressions of your current company I wasn’t the only one.