Lady Denali didn’t care when I told her about my new lessons and duties. If I did what I had to do and didn’t get in her way, she was happier that I was out of her hair. Clearly, she still wasn’t over the whole “hair tugging” incident, but I also knew that Lady Denali never really took to me since our first meeting. Now, her immediate dislike for me had bled on over to Marigold because of our closeness. I felt bad about it, but Marigold didn’t seem to mind at all. She was simply there to do her job which didn’t necessarily require her to be close to the woman. The only one Lady Denali seemingly favored was Gina who had become something of a close confidant and friend. Eri was content to be neutral, neither hated nor loved but just left alone in the shadows. I honestly believed that she was still hung over the objects being flung in her direction and did her best to remain as out of the way as possible. As was her right!

Now, Priyana had grown quite big over these last few weeks. It has been about three months since her hatching and she is almost twenty feet long. Sibilla, Ralph, and even Godrick had voiced their surprise and excitement at the unusual size of the dragonet Queen at so young an age. These were good indicators that she would be well over eighty feet come her final size. People were excited because it had been a long time since a big Queen was born. Iva’s Queen had barely reached fifty feet, extremely small for her type, and Shegil herself was only seventy-five feet. Priyana’s immense size would mean great things for the fortress in terms of power and fertility. Her marking had become more defined now as well, a circle with curvy tendrils sticking out from it, which was atypical of all Queens. She also continued to have a voracious appetite and, when not eating, spent the remainder of her time sleeping on the balcony underneath the sun. Just growing things apparently.

When I wasn’t attending to Priyana, I was with Speaker Julian in the library learning. My lessons composed of history, politics, government, and of course dragons.

When I had questioned him on why I had to know so much about dragons, he had told me, “It’s important for you to understand dragons because they are formidable beings whom you will spend a lot of time conversing with. So, take care to be knowledgeable to avoid causing offense. Besides communication, the meaning of a Speaker is synonymously tied with understanding dragons and conveying that understanding to the people within the fortress. Not the riders, but the everyday people who don’t know much about dragons or the council people, or the lords and ladies of the various Keeps.” I scrunched up my nose at his response. I was sure these adults were more than capable of educating themselves!

That was usually how lessons with Speaker Julian went. He would teach me something and I would express my dissatisfaction for it. It was a glorious game I called “back-and-forthing” and I considered myself rather good at it despite being the younger player.

When I wasn’t attending lessons or taking care of Priyana, I was in the kitchens helping Ashari. In fact, I was there now, doing my best to help out while Ashari puffed on some dremp, a plant native to Geria that people took to for smoking, and watched me from her seat.

“You don’t gotta do this anymore, girl,” she said as I scrubbed the dishes. “I got a ton of people who can do it.” She took a puff from her pipe and blew smoke rings in my direction. “And better than you too,” she added with a smirk.

“I like spending time with you,” I said, ignoring her jab and focusing on furiously scrubbing a metal tray. What on Geria did they use this for?! It was all black and I was quite sure it was once silver. She ‘tsked’ at me, moving me aside and handing me her pipe to hold.

“Like this, girl,” she said. She exchanged the scrubber for a softer cloth, dipping the metal tray under the soapy hot water and rubbing with the cloth in smooth, circular motions. Slowly, the blackness began to fade to a dull silver but even with Ashari’s skillful ministrations, that tray would never reach its true silver luster again. “Don’t scratch up my goods. Ain’t cheap to get metal now since the tithes have stopped.”

I tilted my head, walking over to her seat and sitting down, happy to let everything from my shoulders to the tips of my fingers relax. “One of the natural resources we have is metal so why isn’t it easy?”

She gave me a look. “Ain’t you learning anything from that booknoser? Fortresses don’t get to have access to the resources not in their immediate area. Only them lords and ladies in their fancy Keeps with their craftspeople.”

“But why?”

She shrugged. “It’s the way it was written. Back then, fortresses got them dragons and the mountains. Ain’t fair I suppose to also have control over goods and trade. ‘Tis why they had the tithing system made instead. You want protection you freely offer goods to make sure what’s protecting you remains strong. Working together in harmony, at least till recently.”

“Cause of Ralph?” I asked curiously.

She laughed heartily. “Oh, kid. It’s not right to blame one person for trouble. He ain’t the best, I can admit that readily, but he ain’t the worst either. Geria knows shit has been messed up long before Ralph became Chief.” She rinsed off the metal tray and inspected it, nodding in satisfaction at her handiwork before placing it neatly beside the rest of the drying dishes on the stand. She dried her hands and reached out for her pipe. I dutifully walked over and handed it over to her, wrinkling my nose as she took a deep puff before blowing the smoke out lazily. “You know what we need girl? We need someone willing to enforce the old ways. Good ole Rick was decent enough, but he was more talk than actions. Believed them old stuff about that race that used to be here and the weapon they made. But we don’t need none of that word shit, no, no. We need action. People only listen to action.”

‘Good ole Rick?’ Godrick? “You don’t think Godrick was doing enough?” I asked surprised.

“I’m sure he did his best. But when you gots all these high and mighty people lording over you, ain’t much you can do. He wanted to convince them of the devils that still might roam the planet which ain’t a good thing to do nowadays. They just laughed and shut down anything he tried to do.”

I frowned and thought about the events leading up to Godrick being sent away during the mating flights of Shegil. “Is that why they tried to get rid of him?”

She stilled immediately, her eyes sharp and her smile harsh. “Of course. You can’t control someone? Remove them. And they did. Again, and again, and again.”

“Speaker Julian says I can help create change if I become a Speaker. If I do, I promise I’ll do something. I won’t just be words!”

She laughed again, crossing her arms, and leaning against the basin of soapy water. “You know something girl? I believe you. You got wits, you got this” –she tapped her head– “and most importantly you got courage. Sibilla, Geria knows, tried her best to make changes happen for us. She got me this position you know, and she helped a ton of others. But you, you gonna be the biggest success story if you succeed. Don’t you got somewhere to be by the way?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

I gasped and turned, rushing to the door. I stopped mid-way through and turned back, examining her as she remained in her spot, staring off into the distance with her pipe dangling lazily between her lips. “Chieftess Sibilla tried her best to create change for us servants,” I said softly, affirming what she said earlier. “She tried her best to make good changes.”

Ashari turned her head slightly, looking at me with a certain searching gaze that I didn’t quite understand. “She done did her best, no doubt about that. But change is neither good or bad. It simply is. Change might be good for us servants, but bad for them that use us. Can’t change people who don’t see issues with the system and their actions. Now go before you is late and they come hounding me.” She shooed me away and I obeyed, going through the door completely.

I stood there, after the door had closed, for a few seconds and reflected on what Ashari had said. I had to meet Speaker Julian for our lessons right now and I wondered if I could bring this up. With a newfound sense of eagerness, I hurried along to the library in hopes of learning more.

*~*

Speaker Julian was sitting at the usual table, several books and parchments spread out before him. He appeared to be peering over a map, tracing the western ocean and mumbling to himself.

“Good evening, Speaker Julian. What are you doing?” I greeted him, politely bowing and waiting patiently for his acknowledgement.

“Raiya, good evening! I was just doing some light research,” he said, hastily rolling up the map and putting it away out of sight. “Do you remember what we learned about last week by the chance?”

“We talked about what the different markings, colorings, and sizes of the dragons represent.” I didn’t know why he was asking me about last week’s lessons when throughout this week we had been going over the fortresses.

He gestured for me to sit and I did so before he said, “Very good yes. And so can you tell me about the dragons?”

I thought back to that conversation, frowning in concentration. “Um, the Queens are usually gold right? But some can be white or silver. They are the biggest out of all genders, about one-hundred-and-fifty or so more feet? At least the ones in history were large. Now they are becoming smaller. They also have curvy circular markings on their forehead.”

“Yes, and since you started with the females can you tell me about and the WarFuries next?” he asked, sitting down and intently peering at me.

“WarFuries are smaller than WarMasters, but they are much faster and more agile than their male counterparts. They have poor stamina though. They can’t lay eggs like the female Specialists and the Queens. They come in light pastel colors, typical of female dragons such as pink, purple, green, and…” I trailed off, thinking hard on the list of colors. He was always a stickler for details!

He laughed at my concentrating face. “Don’t worry Raiya, I don’t expect you to know all the colors of the dragons.” He ignored my shocked expression. ‘You sure did expect me to last week!’ I thought venomously. “Yes, excellent work,” he continued, “and do you know why WarFuries cannot lays eggs?”

“Um…because they fight?” I said hesitatingly. ‘I don’t really remember going over this!’ I thought frantically. Besides Queens could fight too so that doesn’t make sense!

“Sort of. The unique composition of the WarFuries makes it impossible to safely conceive. The, let’s class the two under the War category for now, War dragons were designed to be for battle only. That means that a lot of focus was put into creating a larger flight bladder for more methane to be produced so that the piezoelectricity crystals we use would spark bigger and hotter bursts of flame. On top of this, WarFuries couldn’t risk being out of commission during battles because of clutches. That’s why we have different classes of dragons for our diverse needs. They are all important in the grand scheme of our lives.”

“Oh, I see! It would be harder to fight and win if you only had WarMasters…” I said, nodding my head. “And the Queens could help ensure that more dragons were produced! The female Specialists could also lay eggs because they weren’t doing intense work too. They just can’t lay Queens or Princes.”

“Exactly! That is a right reserved for the Queens. Why were they designed like this? I’m not quite sure. I’d love to just get my hands on one journal written by those geneticists and see why they chose to design these marvelous creatures this way in comparison to the native dragons!” There he went on his usual excited chatter. My attention span drifted as he gushed some more, but a few snaps to my face and some coughs brought me back out of my daydreams. “I see that you’ve returned from your field trip” –I flushed– “so now you can tell me about the male dragons.”

I groaned, ignoring his gentle reprimand, and thought back slowly. “They…usually come in dark colors like black, navy, brown, red…and the Chief’s dragon is the Emperor of the fortress. Then you have Princes, who are the rarest dragons, WarMasters, and the male Specialists.”

“Very good!” he said, extremely pleased at my somewhat capable memory skills. “And the markings?”

“Queens have the curvy circular ones,” I repeated and as he nodded, I continued, “the War dragons have these ‘V-shaped’ markings, and the Specialists have markings that are ‘wing-like’ and varies somewhat depending on each individual dragon.”

“Yes good. You now have a good grasp on the hierarchy of the dragons and their physiology. You’ve already learned about their telepathic capabilities, but did you know about their telekinetic ones? No?” he said as I shook my head with wide eyes. “Yes, dragons are capable of telekinesis. Not on a significant scale mind you, but they employ it somewhat subconsciously when flying. Specialists have the highest capabilities for telekinesis which is why they are the ones who help in a lot of the manual work that goes on around here.”

Specialists are especially special. I stifled my giggle at my own joke, especially when Speaker Julian’s stern frown started to come across his face. “What else can they do?” I quickly asked.

He shrugged. “I am not quite sure what else they are capable of yet. I’ve been trying to find the old records, journals from the past to discern what else they imbued these genetic creatures with but…” he frowned, “it seems rather impossible to find any.”

I made sympathetic noises before asking, “So, what are we learning today?” I leaned forward, eagerly awaiting his reply.

“Patience child. First, the reason I tested you just now is because the date has been set for your official announcement and testing to become an acolyte. The Speakers and their apprentices should be arriving within the fortnight. What will happen is that, during the period of stay they are here, you will be examined, monitored, and tested. If you should prove worthwhile, the Speakers will cast their votes for you. Should you fail to impress, votes will be cast against.”

My mouth dropped open. “Wait, wait, you’ve been training me all this time and I wasn’t even allowed to learn yet?! Also, isn’t this happening a little too fast?”

He gave me a slightly guilty smile. “Yes, well. They don’t have to know, right? It’ll be our secret.” He winked at me before becoming serious again. “This is the perfect time. Under normal circumstances, you would have been announced upon discovery immediately and then tested later. We must combine the two just for you. Now then,” he said, raising his hand to stop me from interrupting, “do you know who the leaders are for each fortress?”

“Um…” I thought hard to see if I could remember any passing names I had learned from listening in on conversations. “Chief Ralph and Chieftess Sibilla?” I proffered sheepishly. How was I supposed to know or remember the names of the others, especially when we hadn’t gone over them anyways!

“Aside from those two. No? Well, listen up…”

What followed was an awfully long, boring, and brutal lecture. I will not lie, there were times that I did indeed doze off listening to Speaker Julian drone on, but he was quick to slam a book down or smack me awake with a scroll. I must perfect the art of sleeping with my eyes open.

“…and we will end here,” he finally said, and I groaned in relief. Bless Geria, bless Geria, bless Geria, I chanted in my head. “I expect you to find time to write the names of the leaders and their fortresses and bring it to me in four days.”

Bless Geria–wait what?

I looked at him to see if maybe he was joking, hoping he was joking but the seriousness of his gaze dispelled any room for doubt. I made a face, sticking my tongue out slightly. Not at him of course! “Yes Speaker Julian,” I muttered dully when it seemed he wouldn’t be satisfied until I verbally replied. I stood up and bowed before hastily leaving the dreadful library, not giving him another chance to impose work on me. Being a Speaker required a lot more patience and commitment then I currently had!

*~*

Just as Speaker Julian had said, the Speakers and their apprentices began to arrive. Though they all looked vastly different, some even rather eccentric or exotic, all wore the black robes trimmed in white. The apprentices, or acolytes being the official term, wore only plain, black robes. Apparently, the white trim was only meant for official Speakers who had passed. The lines of white represented seniority and years of service.

I had met some of the other acolytes and wasn’t surprised to learn that I was the youngest of the bunch. This instantly put me at odds with them though, and despite me wanting to become friendly acquaintances, they spurned my advances. There was no doubt in my mind that they believed I was not worthy of becoming one of them due to my age. The Speakers also eyed me in distrust when I would occasionally walk into the library amid their heated conversations with Speaker Julian. They’d halt, stare at me with the same distrustful look as their acolytes, and not say anything else until after my lessons had completed and I’d gone on my way. I was becoming very agitated and upset and Lady Denali pressed me harder upon noticing my struggles. Marigold had proved to be an invaluable friend throughout this time however, and I often talked to her about my experiences for which she expressed sympathy. Though she didn’t voice it, I could tell she wondered why I didn’t simply quit if it was becoming too hard for me. But I couldn’t quit, not when the opportunity to have a better life and create long-lasting change was in front of me. Not when I had already began making promises to those I cared about, who said they believed in me.

On the third day, after the arrival of all the Speakers and acolytes, I had my first official test in place of my usual lesson. When I walked into the library, one of the Speakers was sitting in Speaker Julian’s seat while he was standing amongst the rest. Speaker Julian gave me an encouraging smile as I drew nearer to the table, but it did little to dispel the unease building within me. Next to the seated Speaker, who I think was called Speaker Joseph, was his acolyte who made sure she had a permanent frown etched on her face. That seemed the best way to show displeasure though I didn’t think I was worth developing early wrinkles over.

“Sit,” Speaker Joseph commanded sharply and I scurried to obey. “Rhea, ask the questions,” he said, glancing at his acolyte.

She cleared her throat before asking, “Which dragons can mate with the Queen?”

“Princes and WarMasters,” I responded instantaneously. The speed of my answer drew a dubious exchange of looks between Speaker Joseph and Acolyte Rhea.

“How can dragons fly and breath fire?”

Ah, now I understood why Speaker Julian wanted to go over that conversation. He must have anticipated these questions.

“Telekinesis, special flight bladder, methane produced in flight bladder, and piezoelectricity crystals that they eat to ignite the methane,” I said, a small smile playing on my mouth.

She glanced at her Speaker, clearly frustrated at the ease and quickness of my replies while also feeling his annoyance grow from beside her.

“Why are Princes rare?” he asked, drawing my gaze from her to him as he took over the questioning.

The small smile promptly disappeared. Oh Geria, I don’t remember learning about this. My hesitance and ensuing silence sparked a triumphant gleam in his eyes as he leaned forward, looking like a predator that had finally cornered his prey.

“Do you not know?” Acolyte Rhea goaded, a smirk sliding across her face as she mimicked the movements of her Speaker.

I glanced helplessly at Speaker Julian from the corner of my eye. He looked none too happy with the two if his sharp glare was anything to go by. When he did look at me, he did so apologetically because he, and I, knew that he couldn’t help me. I couldn’t lie and guess either, that would lower my standing in their eyes even more.

“No sir,” I finally said, casting my head down in both shame and embarrassment.

“She doesn’t know why Princes are rare and we are supposed to agree on letting her become an acolyte? She’s clearly too young and incompetent,” he said, turning to his fellow comrades who nodded and murmured in acknowledgement.

Indignation rose in me, and my head shot up as my cheeks burned hotly. “I can’t have any formal training before becoming an acolyte, so yes, I don’t know why Princes are so rare, but I do know the differences between the dragons. I know how they fly, how they breathe flame, and I know why WarFuries can’t lay eggs! I also know the names of the leaders in all the fortresses, including their dragons!” I was panting after my rapid-fire tirade, but I didn’t remove my daring stare from the Speaker and his outraged acolyte.

“How dare you! A lowly child raising her voice at an esteemed Speaker? Have you no manners or notion of respect for authority?” she uttered, standing up and raising her hand to smack me for my perceived insolence. I flinched in anticipation of the blow, but it never came for her Speaker had raised his hand, stopping her would-be attack.

“Those are big claims little girl. If I were you, I wouldn’t say such things unless you can prove it. The consequences of lying, especially to Speakers, is very dire.” he said with narrowed eyes, his lone tone full of unspoken warnings.

“I can prove it,” I said, lifting my chin up and again staring challengingly into his eyes. Yeah, maybe my lower lip was trembling a little from trying to hold back my tears and maybe I was indeed very much scared of the elderly man, but I wasn’t going to let them think poorly of Speaker Julian regardless of their feelings towards me. So, I proceeded to prove my claims, thanking Speaker Julian for his continued insistence on having me write up the names to deliver to him. As I rattled off the names, the visible change over my audience was notable. The disdainful and uninterested looks were replaced with interest and acknowledgement. Several cracked a smile as I stumbled over some of the names, but all were impressed by the end of my list, including the seated Speaker in front of me. The acolytes…not so much. I could sense the jealousy radiating not just from Rhea but the others who were standing behind their Speakers.

“Looks like you found yourself a fine would-be acolyte Julian,” Speaker Joseph said, an approving smile sliding across his face. “No need for further examination. We will talk amongst ourselves and cast our votes over the next few days.” He stood up and, with his departure, so too did the others leave. As the last of the acolytes left, some still throwing curious and angry looks my way, Speaker Julian rushed towards me excitedly.

“Raiya, oh sweet Raiya, well done! You were so good,” he said, clasping my small hands in his rather large, slender ones. “They shouldn’t have asked you about the Princes! That is a question saved for only advanced acolytes testing to become a Speaker. It was unfair, but you managed to turn the situation around and win their approval! Your courage and wits at such a young age is as remarkable as Sibilla claims.”

I suddenly was feeling very exhausted from the testing-turned-confrontation. As the tension and adrenaline left my body, I still managed to give him a lazy half-hearted smile in response to his praise. “The acolytes don’t like me though. Even more so now it seems,” I sighed out.

“Never you mind about them. You’re all in the same boat competing to distinguish yourselves. Your gift that makes you unique among others does not amongst us. So, you must find other ways to stand out from your fellow acolytes.” He gave me a brief hug, and with that he told me to head back to my rooms and rest after my long day. I bowed politely and departed, knowing without needing to look back that he was already pulling out his beloved books to scour over in search of more information.

It was late in the evening so as I walked, I gently reached out to the Queen dragonet who was sleeping peacefully. I let her be, knowing that if she was asleep, I was thereby free of any other duties tonight concerning Lady Denali. Whether intentional or not, Lady Denali only requested me if she needed help with Priyana. She begrudgingly seemed to admit, not out loud of course, that having someone else to communicate with Priyana was exceedingly helpful though she frowned upon any private interactions without her knowledge. Priyana, ever keen to keep her Bonded happy, had mostly kept our interactions thus to an as-needed basis.

Since I had the remainder of my evening free, I decided to go in search of Godrick who was probably outside. I hadn’t had many interactions lately with my father-figure and, though we both understood the busyness of our schedules, had a somewhat distant relationship now as a result. In Sibilla’s case, one of her duties was overseeing servants so she had more opportunities to interact with me, but Godrick worked directly with the dragon riders. So, I had to go seek him out if I wanted to see him from time to time.

I hurried along, returning greetings here and there, on my way outside to the fields where he would most likely be at this time. I would have tried to corner him outside of dinner, but my lesson had taken away that opportunity thereby forcing me to come out here and be near the dragons. I’m sure Speaker Julian would be pleased at my broadening contact with dragons, but he wasn’t the one also deathly afraid of these “majestic, glorious, fantastical beasts” as he so described in his own words.

The sun had all but nearly disappeared, darkness encroaching upon the fields quickly. The heavy swoosh of beating wings was audible as riders flew their dragons over the large torches. With the glow flies and natural lighting coming from the three moons, I honestly didn’t think the torches were needed.

I didn’t have to go far before I could make out the shapes of two dragons, one currently dwarfing the other with two figures standing in front of them. The biggest dragon had swiveled their head to eye my approach and I recognized those iridescent golden eyes immediately. Nythointan’s scales came across as black, helping him blend into the night except for the patches of light that revealed their true navy-blue color. Godrick also turned quickly; no doubt informed of my approach by Nythointan.

“Raiya!” Godrick called out, happiness clearly lacing his normal deep, gruff voice.

My quick walk turned into a sprint, and I arrived breathlessly in front of the group. I exchanged a quick hug with Godrick and then peered quickly at the other figure only to recognize him to be that boy I had met on the balcony, the rider of the Prince.

“Hello,” I said, bowing quickly. Despite my laid-back demeanor with Godrick, I could not afford to behave as such with everyone or even in front of certain people. Ashari would always say that manners must be constant when in front of the public’s eye.

“It’s you again. Raiya,” he teased my name out, smiling slightly. I felt embarrassed, how come he got to know my name and I didn’t get to know his? That was so unfair! “I hear you’re training to become a Speaker now.”

I hesitated before nodding my head. I didn’t know if I should admit to it since I hadn’t been tested and officially recognized. Besides, I think he only mentioned it because he must think he is owed some credit for even revealing the role to me.

“I figured I should put my gift to use in the best way possible,” I replied.

Godrick frowned and said, “When Sibilla informed me of this, I wasn’t happy then and I’m still not happy about it now.”

I shrugged at him. “It’s better than serving Lady Denali,” I confided with a small giggle. The boy raised his eyebrows and Godrick humored me with a small smile. “Am I interrupting anything by the way? Training?” I looked between the two, remembering that I had showed up when they were engaged in some sort of private conversation.

“No, no,” Godrick says, shaking his head. “We were just going over something briefly. About the Enthronement and the mating period.”

“So, the rumors are true. You will be competing against the senior riders?” I asked curiously, looking at the boy.

He remained quiet for a bit, gazing at his dragon who was currently busy staring at the night sky instead before responding, “Nymerik will be able to in a year. He will be big enough to compete with the other WarMasters, regardless of if they are older.”

“But you’re so young!” I blurted out. It wasn’t really his huge dragon I was worried about, but he wasn’t that much older than me! It seemed wrong in my head.

“Denali is only like, three or so years older than me!”

My mouth dropped open. “You know Lady Denali’s age?”

“I help her with learning how to fly. Godrick said I should though Ralph isn’t too happy about it. Of course, we also talk on the side…” He shuffled his feet a bit, looking at the ground in an attempt to hide his face but I recognized his body language immediately. The darkness might be hiding the redness on his cheeks, but I knew it was there!

“You have a crush on her! How can you have a crush on that–!”

“Raiya!” Godrick interrupted, throwing me a warning look.

I closed my mouth, but then decided to slightly stick my tongue out at the pair in a display of defiance. I feel like manners should be ignored in certain situations. I pointed at the boy and changed tactics, saying, “He’s too young to be Chief!”

Now the boy puffed out his chest, leveling me with his own attempted warning look. He clearly was not about to let me jab at him freely. “Now see here! I have been studying under Godrick–!”

“For six or so months since you’re a new dragon rider!” I interrupted.

Outrage spread across his face, and we levied glares at each other, ignoring Godrick’s sigh and attempts to deescalate the growing signs of imminent ruff-and-tuffing by waving his hands between us. When it was clear that we were about to tackle each other and settle this as true children do, wrestling on the ground, Godrick said, “Hyun, you and Nymerik are free to go. We’ll meet tomorrow at the same time as today for drills.”

Curiosity overcame me and my tense body relaxed instantly, ears perking up as my glare abated. His name was Hyun? It was an interesting name, definitely belonging to an Easterner. He bid Godrick good night before walking with Nymerik back to the entrance of the castle, firmly ignoring me. Despite his lack of manners, I bowed at his retreating form quickly, never forgetting my own manners, but also using my long hair to hide my tongue that was currently firmly stuck out. He was lucky he got dismissed, I’d have given him what for. When I rose, my eyes met the disappointed ones of Godrick and I felt immediate shame engulf me.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly, trying to prevent the lecture I knew was about to come. “But I also work under her everyday…”

Godrick glanced at Nythointan who had lowered his head to also look at me with his own version of disappointment. He fondly put a hand on the side of the dragon’s face, gently scratching the eye ridges. “You know you can’t say that if you ever become a Speaker. You must learn to think before you speak. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. All that stuff. Plus, it’s not about Lady Denali but about your conduct just now with Hyun.”

“I know, but it’s only you. Also, he gave as good as he got,” I argued defensively.

“Hyun heard your attempts to badmouth her. And any dragon within hearing radius. It’s easy for words to spread quickly when spoken in open places. Regardless, he is your better. You must show respect no matter if he is younger, older, or even the same age. You started it with him.”

I sighed, hanging my head as shame coursed through me again. This was not how I envisioned my time with Godrick to go. I hated being lectured and I especially hated knowing I had disappointed him or Sibilla. I knew he was right and that I had been behaving childishly.

I shivered, feeling the coldness finally settle in my bones as the night grew colder. Godrick, noticing my growing discomfort, pulled off his cloak and draped it over my tiny form before saying, “Let’s go inside.” His gruff voice was gentle this time in comparison to the harshness when he had lectured me.

We trudged back to the entrance, and I clutched the cloak tightly around myself, inhaling the comforting scent of smoke, wood, and cinnamon. Nythointan did not follow, instead choosing to fly directly to Godrick’s chambers so that he could no doubt curl up on the balcony and sleep. As we walked, Godrick changed the topic and enquired after my studies. I told him about how I had struggled to be accepted by the Speakers and their apprentices. Though I now had the Speakers approval, I did not have the apprentices which still made me sad. He told me to not worry, that it was natural, and he saw it all the time in squads.

As we headed to my room, I bravely gathered my courage to ask him about Hyun. “So, that boy, Hyun,” I quickly said his name when I saw Godrick’s darkening expression. “He came from the Eastern continent, right?” I asked.

“Yes, he came with the Prince egg. He was recommended by Senzo as a tribute.”

“How lucky he is to have traveled with and obtain the rarest dragon as his Bonded!” I exclaimed, surprised at this news.

“Yes, indeed. Though there have been speculations… But those aside, I personally think they’re a good pair and I have high hopes for them. He’s a smart boy and that’s one smart dragon, if only silly now.”

“Do you really think that Nymerik should fly Priyana after the Enthronement?”

He glanced at me, a small frown on his face. “Assuming Priyana wins. Shegil and Iva’s Queen are still candidates. But I’m telling him to have Nymerik participate not to actually fly whichever Queen wins the Enthronement, but for the experience obtained in participating. Nymerik will need it for the time he needs or even wants to win.”

We reached my door and I begrudgingly handed him back his cloak. “So definitely for experience only?” I clarified.

“For experience only,” he agreed before crouching down and pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I wish that…you could have the opportunity to become a rider. You would have made an amazing one. Good night my little dragonet.”

He left, strolling down the corridor casually with his cloak slung over one shoulder and the beginnings of a jaunty whistle echoing down to me. I watched until he was gone before sliding into my shared room with Marigold, Eri, and Gina. Marigold and Eri were fast asleep, and Gina was nowhere to be found. I quietly made my way to my bed, collapsing face-up onto the blankets and staring at the stone ceiling, thinking about what happened today.

*~*

The next few days passed quickly. I spent most of my time either helping out with Priyana, volunteering at the kitchens, and studying. My usual lessons with Speaker Julian were currently on hold while the voting happened apparently, but he insisted I do something that would help keep the information fresh in my mind.

One day, as I was assisting Lady Denali with the bathing and rubbing of a anti-itch ointment on Priyana within the bathing grounds, a servant had come running in search of me.

“Raiya!” he called out breathlessly, putting his hands on his knees and trying to gain his breath and speak at the same time. “Speaker…Julian…library…looking…for…you!”

I almost dashed off, but a nudge from Priyana’s head reminded me of what I was meant to be doing.

Don’t stop, it feels so good she said, projecting an image of her with a pleased grin into my head.

Yeah, yeah. I’m sure it does with all your shedding of scales. You’re growing too fast I informed her. She merely smiled toothily at me.

“You will only go after she is completely oiled,” Lady Denali said out loud, a frown marring her pretty face as her eyes dared me to challenge her.

“Yes Lady Denali,” I replied, trying to hide my sulky expression. When both Priyana and Lady Denali were satisfied with the slickness of her scales, I bowed and immediately dashed off to the library. My heart was beating so fast, and I felt a sickness in my stomach as I saw the entryway. I slowed down, quickly smoothing down my skirts and hair to fix the damage the wind caused before entering. Speaker Julian eyed my panting, sweaty form but said nothing, instead gesturing for me to sit.

“Speaker Julian,” I said, bowing quickly before sitting down.

“Raiya,” he greeted in return. He closed the book that he had been reading, setting it gently down on the library table. “I trust you might have guessed why I called you today?”

“Have the votes come in?” I asked eagerly.

Surprise flit across his face, and something else. He seemed to hesitate before responding, “The other Speakers have told me that they finished voting last night. That means that we will be announcing the results tonight during the feast and they will depart starting tomorrow. Do you know what today is by the chance?”

My heart was thumping so loudly that I was sure Speaker Julian could hear it. “Um…” I hesitated, trying to think why today might be important. I kept drawing a blank however so I simply shrugged, it mustn’t have been important if us servants were not aware, before saying, “No, I don’t think so. By the way…you don’t happen to know the results, right?”

“No and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.” He eyed me sternly before giving me a small, sad smile. “But from what I have been hearing…you shouldn’t have much to worry about.”

Warmth spread through me, and I caught my breath in excitement. I couldn’t wait for tonight! He dismissed me and I hurried away but stopped when he called out to me.

I turned around expectantly. He seemed hesitant, fumbling with the book in his hands before finally saying, “Raiya…I hope that you have a good day today.” He offered a small smile.

“Thank you, Speaker Julian, the same to you as well,” I returned with my own smile, curious as to why he was acting so weird today. As I left, it suddenly hit me why he must be so nervous. Tonight might be a special day because I could potentially be announced as his acolyte! It all made sense now! I smiled at the thought, strolling through the fortress, and wondering what to do for the rest of the day.

The rest of the day passed, of course, agonizingly slow. Lady Denali and Priyana spent most of the day flying which meant the boy, Hyun I mean, was also with them. Which meant that I had nothing to do on that end to keep me preoccupied. Godrick would no doubt being monitoring the two as well or working drills so spending time with him as a no go. Sibilla was apparently preoccupied with finalizing a proper farewell for the Speakers with Speaker Julian’s help, so that ruled out those two. Eri and Marigold were not in our room, and I was sure Gina had gone to the fields to wait for Lady Denali. So, with nothing else to do, I went to Ashari to see if she needed any help.

The scene I walked into was like the feast night before the hatching event. Everyone was bustling about trying to get things done and Ashari was bellowing commands while vigorously stirring a large pot. Whatever was in it was extremely sweet as I could smell it all the way from here. When she caught sight of me, she didn’t need to say anything but simply pointed to an empty station and I ran to fulfill whatever the task was. It felt good to be busy because I knew time would pass quickly.

As I helped cook the meat, slowly turning it over the fire, I heard that the current pig on the spit was meant for the acolytes. A devilish smile spread across my face as a plan began to form in my devious little brain. I casually slowed down my side while quickly urging the person on the other side to speed up, warning them that if they don’t it’ll burn, and Ashari would be none to pleased. The poor soul quickened their pace in fear. The result? A perfectly overcooked on one side and undercooked on the other side pig! I gleefully imagined their faces upon receiving their portions.

When the late afternoon began to transition into early evening, Speaker Julian himself came to get me from the kitchens. He beckoned me to follow from the entrance, not daring to step in and be on the receiving end of some yells or potential spills. I excused myself, Ashari barely acknowledging my departure as she focused on checking to see if whatever she placed in the stone oven was done and left with Speaker Julian.

“I had the opportunity to send in a request to our weavers for your robes a few days ago. Right after Speaker Joseph tested you actually,” he informed me, keeping a rapid pace that forced me to trot alongside him. Curse his long legs!

“Will it be all black like the other acolytes?” I asked excitedly and he nodded his head.

“Yes, no white whatsoever. Now, go get ready. Bathe yourself and wear something other than your usual serving attire. Tonight is a very important night for you for many reasons. After tonight, you will first and foremost be an Acolyte of the Speakers, not a servant.”

“If they vote yes for me. Besides, Sibilla says I will still have to serve Lady Denali though,” I said with a frown.

He paused mid-step, looking down at me. “Did she now?” The mildness of his tone did little to hide his irritation.

I jerked to a stop, thankful for the moment’s reprieve before shrugging and saying, “It was part of my deal for being allowed to do this.”

“Well, that might be a problem. But I’m sure we can work around it…” He trailed off, seemingly disappearing deep into thought. I waited patiently for his return and, when he finally glanced back down at me, a look of surprise stole across his features. “Why are you still here? Go, go, go!” He shooed me away with his hands.

I bowed quickly and dashed off, hurrying to my room. Being elevated to better quarters after becoming an attendant to Lady Denali was one of the few worthwhile perks. Instead of trudging to the communal bath shared by the servants, I had a personal one that I only had to share with Marigold, Eri, and Gina. That was, indeed, a luxury.

I didn’t take too much time, scrubbing quickly and simply dunking my head versus soaping. I didn’t want to be late and trying to wash my mass of curls was a chore… It was when I went searching for clothes with only a simple cloth wrapped around me that I realized my newest problem.

I had nothing but my uniforms.

I didn’t arrive with any worldly possessions and of course I didn’t receive anything due to my status, so, I had nothing nice to wear. I squashed back the looming sadness and pulled out a clean version of my uniform with a sigh. They, like I, just had to deal with it. But as I pulled out the uniform, I noticed a blue scrap of cloth lying at the bottom of the trunk. I reached in, pulling out the familiar simple dress. My throat constricted and my vision became blurry as I realized that this was the dress I was wearing when my parents had sold me off. Though I had grown older, my physique had remained relatively small due to the lack of good nourishment and running around I did daily. I was sure the dress would still fit, but the question was, did I want to wear it?

Should I?

I had become a serving girl in it so would it not be fitting to become something more as a full circle moment? I walked over to the small mirror on the wall and dropped the cloth around me before gently pulling on the dress. The fit was snug now for sure, and I struggled briefly, thrashing a little here and there, but I managed to get it settled around me. It was shorter than I would have liked now, but it wasn’t too bad. I twirled this way and that, enjoying the softness of the fabric. My mother had made it for me as a gift for my fifth year, the same year I was given away. It was…my only worldly possession that I brought I supposed. My last connection to the woman who had birthed me, raised me, and had yet to enquire after me all these years later. She hadn’t even glanced back when I screamed for her to come back. That I was sorry. That I could be better, that I would be better.

“Looks nice,” Marigold commented, and I spun around with a yelp, completely startled out of my thoughts. I was not scared, just…surprised.

She laughed while approaching, reaching for the comb on the stand and gesturing for me to turn around.

“Did you just get here?” I asked. She hadn’t been here when I stepped out of the bath, right?

“Yes,” she said with a grin before playfully spinning me around to face the mirror.

“Thank you,” I mumbled, trying to calm my wildly beating heart as she winked at me through the mirror. She gently began to comb my wet mange, trying to ease the pain of de-tangling my curls by gripping my hair at the base near the scalp.

“What do you want? An up-do since it’s wet?” she asked.

I shrugged, thinking about it before responding, “No, a braid. A nice, thick one.” I giggled at the personal memory, and she didn’t pry for information, just simply nodded and got to work. When she was done, we both admired her handiwork. “Paint my face next?” I suggested and she playfully smacked my shoulder.

“You’re too young for that missy,” she said, raising her eyebrows.

I stuck out my tongue and huffed. It was worth a try!

“It’s for old people who need to cover up anyways.” A wicked grin spread across my face as her mouth dropped open.

“Well, aren’t you a cheeky one,” she muttered, her hand self-consciously rising to her own face.

I giggled and waited for her to finish getting ready herself before we departed together, hurrying to the dining hall. She broke off from me, saying something about meeting up with Gina and Eri and left me to enter in alone. It was weird to go into the dining hall from anywhere but the connecting corridor from the kitchens to the hall, so I skulked around the shadows waiting for courage to help me get through it. A hand on my shoulder caused me to jump in fright. I glanced back, a scream on the verge of escaping my throat, but was relieved to see it was only Speaker Julian. He put a finger to his lips before ushering me in with him. Our arrival didn’t cause a scene, thank Geria, and he walked me over to the table where the other acolytes were sitting. They greeted Speaker Julian enthusiastically but ignored my presence for the most part. Still, he told me to sit here with them and I couldn’t very well say no so I sat my butt glumly down on the stone bench, ignoring the side-eyes I got.

My eyes drifted up to the dais where the important people usually sat, watching Speaker Julian settle in his seat before engaging in conversation with Sibilla. But what quickly caught my attention was that Hyun was not up there like he was the night of the feast. My eyes darted quickly around, wondering if he was simply late or skipping the feast altogether. I ignored the swiftly rising feeling of dejection because why should I care if he was here or not? In fact, I hoped he wasn’t! But then I caught sight of Lady Denali at the table near the dais and saw him there too, sitting next to her and laughing. With her. I ignored the strong urge to stick my tongue out at the pair, swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth and keeping my head down. I didn’t really care to look at anything else anymore.

When the food arrived, I perked up as the meat was sliced and served. A small grin spread across my face as they looked at the meat, one side practically black, the other looking raw and pink still. The few brave ones that took a bite immediately spat the pieces back onto the plate, disgust etched on their faces. Yes, Ashari was right. Revenge was indeed best when served as a dish to your enemies.

I avoided the slices of meat, taking small sips instead from the soup I while glancing up every now and then to see if Speaker Julian would rise or one of the Speakers from their table by the dais. The few servants that were taking care of us smiled at me often and would bring me extra portions of servings. This was rather unusual because, even if we did know each other, we weren’t allowed to serve more than the regular portions. It was a firm rule that, if Ashari found you broke, she would break you. Of course, I appreciated it when they got to the treacle tarts and served me three. Regardless of if I knew math or not, common sense clearly said that three was better than one!

It was when I was in the middle of gobbling down the syrupy sweet treats that Speaker Julian and Speaker Joseph rose from their seats.

Geria’s hellfire. I knew what was coming.

“As I’m sure you are all aware of by now, we’ve had special guests stay with us for a small amount of time now. Some of you may know them already, most of you may not. They are, like I am to our fortress, ambassadors of their respective fortresses. They are, like I am, called Speakers. They have come here for a special person, a person you may or may not know. Raiya” –Speaker Julian gestured to me– “please stand.”

What a sticky situation I found myself in, a treacle tart half-crammed into my mouth which, I was sure, was covered in the syrup. I did my best to wipe at the syrup and crumbs while swallowing the tart hastily, trying not to choke. The snickers around me caused my cheeks to heat up, but I ignored them for the most part and stood. I resisted the urge to lick around my mouth and suck my sticky fingers clean. Sibilla and Godrick’s eyes affixed on me quickly and widened either at my now messy or appearance or because they saw what I was wearing. I hoped it was the latter. They probably were having their own memories of that day playing through their mind right now.

Speaker Julian gave me a brief smile and nod before continuing, “Raiya has been with us for five years now. In her time here at Dragonspire Fortress, she has served all of us admirably. But Raiya possesses a rare talent. A talent that I, Speaker Joseph” –he indicated the elderly man that had risen from his seat– “and many other Speakers possess. The ability to speak with all dragons.”

Murmurs echoed throughout the dining hall and nearly all seated turned to stare at me. Curious, confused, and uncertain gazes met my rather timid one. I could tell what they were thinking. How could I, a simple serving girl, possess such a gift? How could I, who came from nothing, be something? Impossible right?

“Speaker Julian is correct,” Speaker Joseph said. “When a person with the gift is discovered, we Speakers must convene to determine the truth. Throughout the time we have been here, we have monitored her closely. Though traditionally we would test her now, in front of you all, this young girl has far exceeded our expectations. We decided to skip the remainder of the testing procedures and have all casted our votes on whether to accept her as an acolyte or not.” He cleared his throat, glancing amongst his colleagues seated at the table. The brief pause caused me to start sweating and I hoped that my dress wouldn’t show this.

“Speaker Joseph, do the majority of Speakers accept Raiya as an Acolyte of Dragonspire Fortress, apprentice to me, Speaker Julian?” Speaker Julian formally asked.

I held my breath and, though the audience surely couldn’t have been as invested as I was regarding the future of my life, it seemed they too were holding their breath in eager anticipation.

“The majority have, unfortunately, decided to accept Raiya. I say unfortunately for we all lament the loss of a star acolyte to a fortress that isn’t ours. We congratulate both you, Speaker Julian for your new acolyte, and of course to you as well girl.” He nodded his head towards me before taking his seat.

Silence, then, Sibilla stood and began clapping with a proud smile spread across her face. Godrick was quick to join, then Speaker Julian, followed by the Speakers at the table, and soon much of the dining hall. The acolytes looked at me, some with shock and disbelief and others with jealousy and pure dislike as they processed the announcement. I was now one of them.

I didn’t care because I had currently retreated to the back of my brain, re-running his words over and over in my head. They…accepted me. Accepted me!

My eyes drifted to Speaker Julian, and he caught my gaze before mouthing, “I told you so.” He sat down with a smile and gave a thumbs up before returning to his conversation with Sibilla. My knees, which felt like jelly now, helped me collapse back onto my seat. Honestly, all this high praise was unnecessary I hadn’t really done anything! If memorizing a list of names was this rewarding, I wonder what else I could do? The expectations they had were remarkably low indeed!

The remainder of the feast passed by quickly. I remained seated, watching people leave at their own discretion. The Speakers didn’t stick around long after the announcement, being the first to leave with the acolytes of course scurrying after them. I’m sure that by tomorrow night, nearly half would be gone. Chief Ralph had left with one of the serving girls that had attended to him that evening and Sibilla had departed to her chambers shortly after. Godrick left next and then Speaker Julian, who briefly stopped by my table to offer his congratulations and tell me about our resumed lessons starting up once again. He seemed to want to say something else since he hesitated, hand on my shoulder tightening briefly, before letting go and simply bidding me a good night before departing quickly. The servants came and went, slowly clearing off the tables that were devoid of people and I rose ready to help them but that’s when I caught sight of Lady Denali and Hyun again. I never realized how young she was but seeing her play around and laugh with him was very revealing, not just to her age but also the growing connection between the two. Not wanting to watch the pair, I elected to leave instead. I would help extra tomorrow to make up for my sudden departure tonight.

I wandered back to my room, exhausted over the day’s events, and just looking for a nice long deep sleep. When I got to my door, there was a small cake with my name on it and a box next to it. I stared at the sight, not sure if I was seeing things or not. I looked up and down the corridor, but no one was in sight. Stooping low, I picked up the box and opened it slowly. Inside lay a note nestled on a pair of black robes. I picked up the note, setting the box back down near the cake and gently opening the crinkly paper.

Raiya, congratulations on another year! We are so proud of you. A gift from those who love you to you.

Tears welled in my eyes. The kindness, the continued wishes for a joyful day, and all those other signs and hints that I had ignored.

How could I have forgotten that today had been my birthday?