[Kataryna’s point of view]

 The day after the duel between Alkelios and Draejan, I went to visit the Third Princess. She expressed her thanks for my desire to support her through these tough times. Those were the honey-filled words any noble or royal would have said in her position.

“Just to be clear, with me, you drop the political act.” I warned her, cutting through her mask before it annoyed me too much.

She gulped and then nodded.

“To be honest, I didn’t know what to do... I was at a loss in regard to my political standing, but with you at my side, I may still have a chance at staying just above the floating line. There are not many noble dragonesses who have Breakthrough Awakened individuals under them, and the politicians in our kingdom are like sharks when it comes to... collecting them.” she said and then let out a sigh “I apologize beforehand for whatever inconvenience these people may come to cause.” she bowed to me.

I nodded.

“What of Alkelios and Seryanna?” I asked.

She knitted her brow and then looked down “I haven’t gotten the chance to speak with either of them since yesterday’s incident.”

“Sister didn’t answer the door even after I knocked on it for half an hour.” Kleo expressed her worry.

I let out a sigh and rubbed the back of my head.

“I had a feeling this might happen. Well, I’ll go talk with them...”

“Please do... I’ll leave my friend in your hands.” the Princess said.

“Friends.” I corrected her and then left.

It took me about half an hour to find Seryanna’s room in this overly complicated maze of a palace. It was located on the first floor in the east wing. This area was reserved strictly for the knights, while the rooms of the servants were all on the ground floor.

I pushed on the handle and opened the door without bothering to knock. If she was the least bit of the warrior she claimed to be, then she should have noticed my presence.

After stepping inside, I saw the modest way she decorated her room. Her bed was a simple one fit for an Awakened, it had cotton bedding instead of straw. There was a writing desk to the left, and a small closet for storing various clothing items. Those who stayed at the Seyendraugher Palace, as it was normal, would at times find themselves participating in various events which required a more elegant outfit from them. The dragoness in question was sitting at the table by the window and looking out at the passing clouds.

Her eyes lacked the energy of life, nothing had changed from the last time I saw her. It was as if she had given up on every last bit of hope she had left within her heart and couldn’t see a way to claim it back again.

The Seryanna right now was one I found to be... disappointing.

“Still drowning in self-pity?” I asked her as I walked up to her and stopped next to the table.

“I think I remembered locking the door...” she mumbled.

I blinked and looked back at... the wreck.

Huh? I didn’t even notice it was locked. I thought and then shrugged.

“Doors are cheap for Royal Knights, right? Just get a new one, besides, you didn’t answer when I knocked.” I told her.

“You didn’t knock.”

“Details.” I waved her off and then placed my hand on top of her head.

In that moment, with a smile on my lips, I released a wave of cold.

“W-What are you doing?!” she flinched and jumped back, landing on her bed.

She was breathing fast, and there were a few icicles that encased within them strands of her red hair.

I smirked.

“Looks like there’s still some light in there.”

Blinking surprised, Seryanna shattered and brushed the ice out of her hair.

While she did this, I took a chair and sat down in front of her, one leg over the other.

“So, care to talk?” I asked with a smile.

“About what?” she glared at me.

“Alkelios.” I replied.

When I said this, she looked away and gathered her knees to her chest.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” she mumbled.

“Oh really?” I said raising an eyebrow.

The air inside the room began to turn cold. She glared at me, but she stubbornly refused to talk and pulled a blanket over her shoulders.

I remained like that and didn’t say a thing for several hours until her stomach started to growl.

“Hungry?” I asked her.

She poked out her head from within her cocoon of blankets and glared at me. It was so cold, I could see her breath turning into steam. If I could compare her to something, that would be a newborn whelp as she poked her head out of her egg and took a curious peek at the world around her. In a way, she was cute, especially the way she was pouting back at me.

“No.” she grumbled and then returned to her blanket cocoon.

I giggled, but I didn’t leave.

A few more hours passed by and when it was starting to turn dark outside, she finally had the courage to say a few words.

“Why are you still here?”

“I’m curious about this new critter I found. It lives in a cocoon of blankets.” I giggled.

“Not funny.” she mumbled and poked her head out a little.

My tail was waving in the air, moving up and down at my side. I was having fun with this redhead dragoness.

Several minutes later of constant glaring, she finally realized that I wasn’t going to move my tail from here, so she reluctantly gave up on her defiant stance against me. This dragoness was 500 years too early to try and confront me!

Poking her head out completely, she asked “Can you at least stop with this cold?”

“Sure.” I nodded and smiled.

The air would return to normal once the heat from outside was going to melt the ice that gathered on the inside. It was going to take at least two hours for this to happen, so I thought about changing the scenery a bit.

“How about we go for a flight and eat a few pieces of preserved meat?” I asked as I showed her my [Purse] ring.

This was the special one I was using. It could carry an entire warehouse of goods. I still had our traveling luggage with me, including her bags. Once I had finished my talk with her, I planned on giving them back. I saw no need in keeping a hold on them.

“Sure...” she replied with a nod.

Once she was out of her cocoon, I grabbed a hold of her and jumped out the window. The weather was nice and just perfect for a flight. So, I stretched my wings and flew. Several guards flew over and tried to stop us, but once they realized who we were, they let us pass.

I continued to fly until we reached a nice spot on the shore of the river that passed by Drakaria. I landed there and set up a small camp. The fire was up in a matter of moments and burning beautifully under the night’s starry sky. All I had to do now was to prepare the grill for the meat. Just in case, before I prepared all of this, I made sure there were no monsters or other dragons around us. I wasn’t in the mood of letting anyone or anything spoil this moment for us, especially after all the trouble I went to pull Seryanna out of her ‘egg’. The dragons were chased away with my presence and the monsters were kicked to the other side of the plains. Overall, it took me no more than a couple of minutes to finish this task.

“The meat will be done in ten minutes.” I let her know as I got up and then walked up to her.

The dragoness was sitting on the shore of the river, watching the reflection of the two moons in the calm waters. It was almost the end of the dwarf month. I personally preferred their calendar over ours. It was precise and easy to follow. Once the two moons were perfectly aligned with each other, I knew that one month ended and the next one began.

“Thank you...” Seryanna said after she let out a heavy sigh.

“You’re welcome.” I took a seat next to her.

Picking up a rock, I tossed it in the water, making it skip four times before it went under.

“Did you have a lover? Back in Zerudan?” she asked me.

“Hm...” I leaned back with my arms pressed on the ground and looked up at the sky. “A lover, huh?” I said and then closed my eyes.

I thought back at the time when I was still a Knight in the Zerudan army. There was someone I fancied too, after all, I may wield the element of ice, but in the end... I was still a dragoness at heart.

My last wish, eh? Yes, I have one... Aimed at a certain dragoness... If you are here, among this crowd, then know that I had always loved you. That’s why, from the bottom of my heart, I wish for you to be happy...

Those words... that scene... they returned to my mind like a bad joke memory.

It was the day when I witnessed the execution of a brilliant dragon. He was someone who was found guilty by those with the so-called ‘noble blood’ flowing through their veins. When I cut them to pieces though, their blood was the same as a peasant’s, nothing special about it. But yes, his crime was made up because they feared he would become more powerful than them. It was foolish. To survive, our kingdom required his strength, yet the King saw not his value, just the greed and envy of the nobles around him.

When his head rolled on the ground... so did theirs.

“Ah, I remembered something unpleasant.” I sighed.

“Is that so... then why did you ask Alkelios to impregnate you?” she asked me.

“Ah, the egg business...” I said and closed my eyes again.

“For someone with your strength, that’s not normal. You could have even asked of this from a prince.” she said and shook her head.

“Do you think his value would grow if his blood was that of a royal?” I asked her.

“Wouldn’t it?” she asked me back.

“Seryanna, you are very young, so you might not know this, but the higher on a pedestal a dragon puts the value of his blood, element, or the color of his scales, the lower his worth as a dragon becomes. What are we, Seryanna?” I asked her and then tilted my head at her.

“Erm... Knights?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“We are dragonesses.” I looked into her eyes.

“Dragonesses don’t have strength, do they?” she looked down.

When I heard her say this, I couldn’t help but laugh from the bottom of my heart.

“W-What? Did I say something funny?” she quickly asked.

“Yes.” I nodded and wiped a tear off.

“Explain.” she glared at me.

“One moment.” I said and got up.

I walked over to the meat cooking over the fire and turned it on the other side. Just a few more minutes and we would have our meal. With a stick, I also stoked the fire a little bit, to make sure it was spread out nice and even. Afterwards, I returned to Seryanna side.

“Where was I? Ah, yes!” and then continued to laugh.

“Stop that!” she slapped my shoulder.

“Very well, but the answer is that we do.” I smirked.

“What do you mean?” she furrowed her brow.

I smiled and then looked up at the sky.

“With a single kiss, we can topple countries. With a wink, we can change a King’s mind. With a wave, we can shift history... If you know how to use this power and accept yourself, such things are not impossible.” I said.

“I don’t understand.”

“Hm. There’s a saying that goes like this: Fear not the King but his Queen, for whatever dragoness was able to steal his heart can surely turn the tide of war!” I then looked into her eyes.

“I still don’t get it.” she shook her head.

I sighed.

“Sorry... Although I’m the one who usually tells others not to speak in riddles, in the end, it seems like I failed to listen to my own words.” I rubbed the back of my head and showed her a weak smile.

“Then please speak without them... Maybe like that I can understand.” she told me.

I nodded.

“Before talking about a dragonesses’ strength in general, I think I need to speak of your strength as a dragoness. I don’t know if anyone told you this but being Awakened has more to do with the basic meaning of the word than it has to do with physically growing up. To Awaken means to find that which is true to yourself. It means to become the one that is true to the voice that is hidden within your heart.” I said.

“Is this true?” she furrowed her brow.

I nodded.

“It was a belief of Zerudan, but one which I didn’t find in Albeyater. Maybe nobody bothered to verify it, however, I can prove it very simply. How many dragons you know before having Awakened?” I asked.

“Several.” she replied.

“Did you notice how they changed after Awakening? Their personality was mostly the same, but there were some key aspects which made them look different. In some cases, they probably estranged themselves completely from you, didn’t they?” I asked.

“Yes, but isn’t that because they simply Awakened and saw me only as a child?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“Dragons aren’t idiots. In general, our instincts are very good. For us those who have went past the age of body maturity and entered the Pre-Awakened period, the one which you are experiencing right now, are seen as dragons who have yet to find their inner truth. They are dragons who still put on a very thick mask and forbid themselves from acting as their hearts desires.” I explained.

“What?” she replied confused.

“Awakening means to be true to yourself. Just remember this, and whenever you will find yourself going against what you believe on the inside... or what your heart and soul truly wish to do, try and act like them for once. You might unexpectedly find yourself clearing the conditions to Awaken little by little.” I smiled and then patted her head “That’s why you are seen as a child.”

She furrowed her brow and looked down at the ground.

“If it only were that simple... Maybe I’m just not destined to Awaken.” she grumbled.

“Not true.” I shook my head.

“It is true, after all... after all...” she hiccupped “If I was Awakened and had more power... If I wasn’t so weak... I could have stopped the duel... I could have protected Alkelios, and he... he wouldn’t have said ‘goodbye’ to me!” she retorted as tears began to flow down her cheeks.

I got up and went over to the fire to check the meat. It was almost done, so I waited there for a moment. Once it was ready, I gathered it on a plate and walked back to Seryanna. I placed the plate between us and took a bite out of one piece of grilled meat.

“It’s good.” I said.

She took one piece as well. Her stomach was demanding it through a noisy protest.

We ate all of it in silence. Once we were full, we washed our hands in the river, and I took out a few juicy fruits to quench our thirst with them. By now, the sky had completely darkened. It was night.

“I don’t think you are to blame about what happened to Alkelios. He’s someone who needs to learn how to handle himself. The strength one holds within their grasp is dependent on many things, including certain life changing decisions.” I said as I tossed another stone in the river; it skipped three times.

“No, it’s my fault... I was too weak... He’s just a human.” she grumbled.

“Aren’t you looking down on him now?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I would never...” she stopped mid-sentence “Yes... I just did that, didn’t I?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Of all people I should have been the one to never think like this!” she growled and grabbing the first pebble within her reach, she tossed it. The pebble skipped seven times.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” I told her.

“Then... What should I do, Kataryna? What can I do? I can’t even keep a hold onto my own lover!” she cried out and hid her face in her palms.

Whimpers escaped her lips as more tears gathered and flowed down her cheeks.

“Learn to be what you are...” I told her with a smile.

“What I am? A dragoness?” she asked.

“A Royal Knight who is also a dragoness who fell in love with a human man from another world.” I replied.

“That sounds weird.” she replied.

“Learn all parts of it, and you won’t have trouble standing up even against someone like Draejan.” I smirked.

“How? He’s far more powerful than I am!”

“Then grow in strength. Fight, battle, explore dungeons if you have to. Do anything to become stronger.” I told her.

“But he has tied up all the political loose ends! I can’t do anything against him!” she added the second excuse.

“Then learn how to undo them. Become a dragoness who is cunning and skillful at gathering information. Learn how to read your friends and foes, then use that against them. Learn the rules of society and the legal laws which govern it.” I told her.

“But I’m a Royal Knight... my duties are towards the Third Princess.” she whimpered.

“Rely on your friends to help you in your time of need.” I told her.

“You... you’re telling me that I can’t back away... that there’s still hope? Do you realize what you’re asking me to do?” she asked.

“To be yourself, but if you don’t believe me... for now, simply wait.” I closed my eyes and laid down on the shore.

“Wait... for what?” she asked.

“For Alkelios... or his reply to your desire.” I answered.

“My desire?”

“You want to claim that human as yours don’t you?”

“What?”

When I opened my eyes and looked at her, she was red as a tomato.

“You want to take Alkelios in your embrace, wrap your tail around him, and hiss like a crazy dragoness at anyone else who dares to approach him. Me excluded, of course.” I giggled.

“What? I would never...” she said, but I stopped her when she saw me raise an eyebrow at her.

“You would never what? Claim him as yours? Then why suffer and cry here if you don’t want him? Toss him over to another dragoness. Let him become their problem now.” I shrugged.

“How can you say that!” she retorted.

“Then? Are you saying that you won’t hand him over to another?” I asked.

“I didn’t exactly...” she stopped and looked down, knitting her brows.

I let out another sigh.

Maybe she’s not ready yet? I wondered.

This whole talk could have been a bit too early for her, but we were at a good start for now. Seryanna needed to sort out her own feelings and think about what she wanted to do with her life, but if I left her now, she would surely think of something stupid, so I decided to give her some food for her thoughts.

“This may be a bit too soon or just at the right time, however, it’s clear that both you and Alkelios are going through a very difficult period. In my eyes, all of this isn’t that much of a big deal, but this is just me. I’m a Breakthrough Awakened and my mind doesn’t always follow the same common sense as yours. Since it’s like this, however, why don’t you agree on doing a little something for me until you get a reply from Alkelios regarding the two of you?” I asked.

“But he’s forbidden from seeing me...” she pointed out.

“Forget about that. Just concentrate on what I said and take it as something quite possible. What do you say?” I asked.

“Hm...” she rubbed her chin and looked down at the ground.

The redhead surely took her time to answer, but I didn’t voice out my complain. The more I rushed her now, the higher the chances were of her breaking down and returning to her little blanket cocoon.

“Alright, I’m going to trust you because you are my friend.” she nodded.

Friends, huh? I thought.

It was good to know I had friends again, but this time, I wasn’t going to lose them to some idiotic political games. Not only was I far more powerful now, but I also knew how to bring those noisy mouths of theirs to a complete stop whenever I wanted to.

“While I deal with Alkelios and pull an answer out of him in regard to how he wants the two of you to move from now on, you think about the same thing. Just think carefully and don’t bother about the duel’s result and requirements. Don’t even bother about putting Alkelios’ political and military strength into balance with others, just think of this strictly from the point of view as Seryanna Draketerus the dragoness. Not the Royal Knight, not the noble, not the vengeful warrior, just the dragoness who fell in love with a man. After you thought about it, set up a plan on how you wish to obtain that. Add more to your current strength and get rid of your weaknesses by improving yourself. If you are weak, then grow more powerful. If you don’t have enough allies, then make more. If you aren’t confident enough, then give yourself reasons to be. Build yourself up little by little, step by step and don’t worry about the end result, alright?” I explained to her.

“I think I understand... Erm can you repeat it again?” she asked tilting her head to the left.

“Sure.” I showed her a smile and repeated myself.

From the way I saw things, Seryanna wasn’t a dragoness who had trouble understanding such things, however, there were a lot of new objectives and tasks she had to take into account from now on. Many of them were things she never bothered doing with anyone else, however, what I told her was the best and fastest way she could take without going through an endless drama of who knew how many years to pass. Alkelios would certainly not leave Drakaria, and the stubborn dragoness would end up meeting him sooner or later. A single night of passion was all they needed in order to spark things up again, but at that time, more drama would ensue as a result of their unsolved problems, and I honestly had neither the time nor patience to handle all of it. That was why I was currently drilling my advice in Seryanna’s thick noggin.

Once the redhead dragoness was on her way, I planned on doing the same with Alkelios.