"What do you think, are you interested in serving as a Zug? I would train you personally," said Zug Impendia.

"Who would I serve, the Prince or the Princess?" Darwina asked.

"You would serve a princess, I'm not sure which one," said Zug Impendia.

"Which one? I thought Lorne only had one wife, Mary," Darwina asked.

"Darwina, Mary will always be Lorne's wife, but she will not be Queen," Zug Impendia said.

"Why not?" Darwina asked.

"She's not Queen material. Quite frankly she has the disposition of a commoner. That's fine for her as one of the princesses but a Queen needs more gravitas and ability," said Zug Impendia.

"If not Mary, then who would be the new Queen?" Darwina asked.

"If it's a human then perhaps Marcia Mathers according to the Empress," Zug Impendia said.

"Marcia Mathews? I don't think the Prince even likes her. He likes her as a friend I guess but that's about it," said Darwina.

"Darwina, you sweet little thing, marriage for Kings and Queens rarely has anything to do with like or dislike, or even love. Marriage for a King is used as a political tool; a means for bringing greater benefit to his kingdom," Zug Impendia said.

"If that's the case, then maybe I'll marry him too!" Darwina said.

Zug Impendia couldn't help but laugh.

"YOU?!" Zug Impendia couldn't help but laugh at this little girl. She had lived for millions of years so it was rare she found anything amusing enough to laugh at.

"Why not me?" Darwina asked seeming offended.

"You're not suited to be a princess. You could never stand the boredom of all the things you would have to do, the parties, lectures, learning proper etiquette. You would hate it. Besides, you also lack the demeanor of a Queen," Zug Impendia said.

"I don't want to be the Queen. Besides, didn't you just say marriage for a King was about bringing benefit to the Kingdom? What could benefit the King more than having a wife trained as a Zug?" asked Darwina.

"At most you could only be a concubine." Said Zug Impendia.

"Okay, concubine then," Darwina said.

"You don't want to be a Zug then?" Zug Impendia asked.

"I can be both," Darwina said.

"You can't be the Queen's Zug and married to the King," Zug Impendia said.

"So, I'll be the King's Zug," Darwina said.

"The King's Zug is always a man," Zug Impendia said.

"Is that written into the rules or something?" Darwina asked.

"No, it's just how it's always been," Zug Impendia said.

"I thought the Zug were the most powerful warriors under the King and Queen," Darwina said.

"They are," Zug Impendia responded.

"Certainly, you don't believe the female Zug is weaker than the male Zug do you?" Darwina asked.

"Of course not, I would beat Cristos to a pulp if he ever challenged me," Zug Impendia said incensed.

"That's why I thought if I'm the strongest warrior and I want to serve the King then why can't I?" Darwina asked.

"Little sister you are right. I like your mindset. Let's conquer the throne. I'll make you into the strongest Zug in the entire Empire. One day you might even be stronger than me!" Zug Impendia had accidentally gotten swept into Darwina's fighting spirit.

"Fight to be the best!" Darwina cried.

"Fight to be the best!" Zug Impendia cried.

"Fight for the throne!” Darwina shouted.

"Fight for the throne!” Zug IMpendia shouted

"Fight for the Empire!” Darwina yelled.

"Fight for the Empire!” Zug Impendia yelled

"Fight to get a man!" Darwina exclaimed.

"Fight to get a man!" Zug Impendia exclaimed.

"Wait, what?" Zug Impendia was suddenly confused.

The pair looked at each other for a few moments before both suddenly started laughing.

"Good little sister, we will be warrior sisters from now on. Call me, big sister!" Zug Impendia commanded.

"Big sister! Call me, little sister!" Darwina commanded.

"Little Sister!" Zug Impendia yelled.

The two women started laughing once more. Truly, it was great finding a kindred spirit. Their yells and laughter were so loud the men in the War Room could hear them. General Brady shrugged his shoulders and reclined in the chair.

"Women," Zug Cristos shrugged his shoulders as well and laughed. The other two men laughed.

Unfortunately, poor Big Time didn't realize his position as the Zug to the King was being plotted against by his close friend Darwina Wright.

***

"It's time to wake up, young prince." A voice echoed in Lorne's mind.

"Who?" Lorne asked sleepily. He felt like he could barely wake up. It was like a person waking up from anesthesia. Lorne had never encountered this feeling before, so this new experience was very off-putting to him.

"It's me," The voice said.

"BS42?" Lorne asked.

"Indeed, young lord, you've slept for a long time. It's time for you to finish being borne," BS42 said.

"How long was I gestating?" Lorne asked sleepily.

"10,000 years," BS42 said bluntly.

"10,000 years!" Lorne was shocked awake.

"Yes, you received the parentage of a unique couple," BS42 said.

Lorne cast his mind into his Samsara pod. He appeared before BS42 in his spectral form.

"Special parentage. Don't beat around the bush what's going on?!" Lorne asked.

"When you were forced to quickly join with the embryo I was confused. Typically, the collective experience has been that while gestating in the womb of the mother for at least eight or nine months. However, your situation was different. You are the first Zimwarn ever born into an amniote embryo," BS42 said.

"A what?" Lorne asked.

"You were born into an egg." BS42 laughed.

"What, am I a chicken?" Lorne asked annoyed and confused. He never said anything about being born in an egg.

BS42 kept laughing at Lorne's unusual predicament.

"No, sauropsids also include those from the reptile family," BS42 said.

"So, am I a snake or a gecko or something?" Lorne asked. BS42 was clearly playing with him.

"Or something," BS42 laughed.

"Out with it, what am I?" Lorne asked.

"You're a dragon baby." BS42 roared with laughter.

"The reason it took you so long to be borne is it typically takes about three thousand years or so for a dragon to develop. However, you are a very special dragon baby and it took you ten thousand years," BS42 said.

"What? A special dragon baby? What makes me special?" Lorne asked.

"Why not punch through the egg and find out. I'm sure your parents will explain it to you," BS42 said.

"I don't speak dragon," Lorne said.

"Of course, you do. Dragons are a species which transmits a lot of information through their genes. Language, cultivation techniques, and magic spells. These are part of the dragon's inheritance. There is more to learn, but you start off with a lot of gifts by virtue of just being a dragon. Dragons are born so strong, so having children is difficult for them. Therefore, dragons are extremely protective of their young. If you come out speaking your parents won't be surprised at all. Go ahead and give it a try," said BS42.

Lorne removed his spectral form from the Samsara pod and returned to his new dragon body. Opening his eyes, he saw a discolored ceiling above him. He knew eggs were a little tough to break through, so he decided to give it all he had. Lorne squatted in the egg and shot up and through!

***

A male and a female were intently looking at the baby-sized egg sitting on the table in a simple home. It was about time for their baby to be born. They couldn't wait. Both parents looked more or less human. Except, the male had bright blue eyes with two mighty silver horns curving around his head. This was the crown of a true dragon. He was a four-clawed silver dragon.

His wife, however, did not have any horns. She wasn't a dragon. She wasn't a human either. Her eyes were a deep amber color. She was extremely beautiful with an undefinable mystical quality about her.

The male thought he saw some movement in the egg and peered closely to watch his child break free from the egg.

"Brother Tian, you are hovering too close to the egg I can't see anything," the female said.

"I'm the father and I need to see how strong this little one is. I can only hope it is mighty like its father and smart like its mother," Ying Tian said.

Suddenly, the shell burst apart, and a baby came flying out of the egg with its fist clenched as if it were trying to destroy some great evil. The baby made instant contact with Ying Tian's jaw punching him.

Ying Tian unprepared for the sudden attack was knocked senseless through the air crashing into the furniture in the living room. The baby was startled, as he saw the large human-like figure fly across the room. The baby spoke. "I'm sorry I guess I used a little too much strength breaking out of the egg."

The baby looked down at itself to see a perfectly normal looking baby body.

"Hey, I thought I was a dragon," The baby said.

The startled couple was taken completely by surprise. The husband who was knocked across the room jumped up and laughed.

"Hahahaha, my son you truly are a dragon! That punch alone proves it." The man said. When he made his way back to the table he noticed his wife was frozen in surprise. As he came around her he looked at the baby. He too was frozen in shock.

On the head of the baby were two little golden horn buds. The child's eyes were an intense gold color surrounded by a dark amber layer around the irises.

The baby looked at the pair for a moment. ‘Did he look weird or something?’ Suddenly Lorne felt something itchy on his chest.

"Oh, why does my chest itch?" Lorne asked. Something broke out from his chest.

"What's this?" Lorne asked as another arm came forward from the center of his chest. He looked at his third arm with curiosity.

Lorne's mother nearly fainted and his father gasped.

"A five-clawed golden dragon!" he shouted.