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I can't believe this story took about 2 years to write. Finally got it finished (though I kind of rushed the ending, and you can probably tell) and now here it is. If there are any bits that don't match up, let me know, since I rewrote practically every part a dozen times. Please leave constructive criticism if you plan to criticize. Enjoy.

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The Princess's Secret

Long ago, when dragons still roamed the world and knights were employed to hunt them down, there was a kingdom. It wasn't an especially interesting kingdom, but it was a kingdom nonetheless. It had a happy king, a happy queen, a happy princess, and many happy knights and peasants, who made everything run smoothly. But this happy kingdom had a secret. Though they lived and prospered, they were obliged to pay tribute to the great dragon that lived in the mountains that surrounded the kingdom. The dragon in turn stopped any forces seeking to invade, and used his magic to confuse and confound rebels that tried to enter the kingdom. For the kingdom was within a great valley, and was protected by the high mountains, and the dragon was the only creature who could keep watch over the entire mountain range.

But the dragon demanded tribute. On the first of the year, every year, for nearly five hundred years (the kingdom was nearing it's millennial anniversary), the dragon would come down from the mountains, land in the castle courtyard, and demand his tribute. At first, it was little things, like a fountain in the courtyard, where the dragon could partake of sparkling, clean water whenever he desired it. Then it was a portion of the gold the peasants mined from beneath the mountains, which the dragon added to his hoard. But recently, it seemed the dragon had become taken with the king's daughter.

And who wouldn't be? She was a tall girl with long blond hair that reached nearly to her ankles, and blue eyes as deep as the sea. She wore a circlet of silver upon her brow, and silver bracelets on her wrists and ankles. And when the dragon came for tribute, she wore a dress the dragon had prepared for her, made out of woven spider silk threads and small sapphires. The dragon had had it made using materials from his own hoard.

Then, one Tribute Day the dragon made an unreasonable request: he wanted the princess. The king outright refused to give in to the dragon's demands, until the dragon, who had called himself Nykos the Shining (because of his shimmering blue colors), threatened to stop protecting the mountains from invasion, a dire threat for the kingdom had many enemies who were envious of the prosperity they experienced. The princess, hearing the way the conversation was turning, agreed to go with the dragon. The dragon took her in his six-toed front claws and departed. The king declared a state of mourning, so sure was he that his daughter was dead. But lo and behold! She appeared just over a month later, looking as healthy as ever.

When the king questioned his daughter, she replied that she had escaped the dragon's cave several days, and had spent the rest of the time trying to find her way down the mountain. She showed her father the dirt under her nails and the abrasions on her hands, which proved her story true. The kingdom rejoiced, for their princess had returned unharmed. The king secretly worried that the dragon would come back for her, but it seemed that her presence was not missed by the dragon, for he did not return until the next tribute day.

On the next Tribute Day, the dragon appeared once again, and seemed not to have remembered requesting the princess as tribute, for he requested her once again. Again she went with the dragon, and again she escaped the dragon's clutches a month later. This became their routine. The dragon would return every year, see the princess, and request her for tribute. She would go off with the dragon, and return a month later, whole, hale, and healthy. When asked about her experiences, she replied that the dragon had her do menial chores, like scrubbing the walls of his cave, preparing his meals, and sorting his treasure. In fact, having her as tribute seemed to be more for show than his actually needing or wanting her there. This pleased the people, for they could not stand the thought of their beloved princess being harmed or despoiled by the great winged beast.

And great was Nykos the Shining. He was tall as a house, and as long as a play field, with a heavily armored hide colored cold, metallic shades of blue. And worst of all, he was a Frost dragon. Were he so inclined, he could freeze the entire valley with but a single breath from his icy lungs. This was why the first king of the Valley Kingdom had made a pact with the dragon. The dragon would protect the king's lands, people, and kingship as long as the king continued to pay tribute, once a year, every year. The pact was forged on the battlefield upon which the king and the dragon fought to a standstill, the dragon unable to slay the king, even with his breath, and the king unable to pierce the dragon's armored hide.

But many generations of men had passed, and the king's bloodline had thinned, his descendants slowly losing some ineffable thing that the first king had possessed. With each passing generation, the new king was weaker than the one before. Though the king held sway over his people, the only real reason his rule continued was the fear the dragon instilled in the people.

Ten years passed since the first time the dragon had requested the princess as tribute. The girl was fifteen, and the king was now actively seeking a prince outside his kingdom to marry her. True, there were many princes who would take the princess to be his bride, for she was beautiful, and marriage to her would make her husband the next in line for the throne. The king knew he had to be careful, since he didn't want his daughter to be married off to a scoundrel who would marry her only for her position. So he sent servants to each of the kingdoms that held a prospective prince, where each servant would become some form of menial laborer, and after a month's time, they would return and inform the king of their treatment. The plan would've been foolproof, save for the dragon's next tribute.

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Tribute Day came again. Nykos the Shining winged his way down from his icy lair just as the first rays of dawn caressed the castle. He circled the castle several times, unleashing his loudest roar to awaken the castle's occupants. When he heard the people within scrambling about, he dropped lower and lower, until he came to land in the courtyard, careful not to carve divots into the grass. He folded his wings and waited patiently for the royal family to come out.

After a time, the nobility came out of the castle, looking rather harassed. The king made his way up to the dragon like always. "My king," said the dragon with a slight laugh in his voice, "thee and thy queen must mate like rabbits."

The king looked surprised The dragon rarely spoke more than his tribute request before. And his comment had the ring of an insult. "I...I beg your pardon?" asked the king, sounding offended.

"I mean no disrespect, my Lord. But thou dost seem to have many, many daughters."

The king's blood froze in his veins. Did the dragon realize the trick they had played upon him? "You are very right, my Lord Dragon," said the king, lying smoothly. "However, she is our last daughter. And before you request her as tribute, we would like to know what happened to our other daughters."

The dragon suddenly looked embarrassed. "Well, my king...It seems each of thy daughters left my cave while I was away, and disappeared into the mountains. I've not seem them since, though I spent a goodly amount of time searching for them. I apologize my Lord, but I'm in need of someone to tend to my cave while I am away from it, and only one of royal blood can withstand the cold of my mountain."

"I see..." said the king softly. He looked over to his daughter, and she met his gaze. Her eyes showed a bit of sorrow, perhaps at deceiving the dragon.

"This time, my Lord," continued the dragon, "I shall take better care of this daughter, and make sure she is protected from all harm. Provided she swears upon her honor as a lady of thy kingdom that she shall not attempt to leave my cave without permission. Dost thou agree, my Lady?" He looked to the princess, who blushed softly.

The princess met her father's eyes again, and he seemed to be entreating her to lie to the great dragon, to say she would not escape in such a way that would leave the option open. The princess shook her head just slightly, then addressed the dragon. "My Lord Dragon," said the soft-spoken princess, "I, Princess Ahni of Valley Kingdom, so swear."

The dragon bowed his head. "And I swear, my Lady Ahni, that I shall care for thee as if thou were mine own kin, as long as thee hold true to thy word." He sank down into a laying position. "We must be off, my Lady. On to my back with all haste."

The king called to his guardsmen to aide his daughter in mounting the beast, and the king himself handed her up. When she was situated upon the dragon's back, she bade a tearful farewell to her father, before the dragon launched himself into the air. The dragon circled the castle and town thrice, then soared away, towards the tallest mountain in the range, called Nessunvanna, which meant Ice God. It was there that the dragon kept his lair.

The air was so cold that, on the first day of her imprisonment, the princess had thrown out a bucket of washwater, only to have it freeze before it hit the ground. But the dragon was right: only a member of the royal bloodline could withstand this cold without any form of protection. Indeed, those of royal blood did not feel the cold at all, even when covered in ice and snow. The dragon knew the reason why, and so did the princess, for Nykos had explained it to her when he first brought her to his home.

The cave itself was like no cave that had ever been made by the hands of gods. Nykos had spent centuries carving it, using his ice breath the way the gods used glaciers to sculpt the world. Slowly but surely, the cavern had been created, and crafted to be aesthetically pleasing to his eye. He carried the princess through the many twisting passages of his lair, until he reached the room he had crafted for her.

"You must be tired, my Lady," said Nykos, craning his neck around to look at the princess on his back. She could hear the change in respect when he spoke, the archaic mannerisms that peppered his speech when he spoke to the king vanishing. "Would you like to have a rest?"

The Princess Ahni nodded. "I would love a rest, my Lord. You came so early this day that I was woken long before it was time." The dragon sank to his belly and the princess slid off his back. As soon as she hit the floor, the dragon stood once more.

"I apologize, my Lady. I was overly excited when this Tribute Day came. Have a good rest, Lady Ahni. I shall be in my room should you need me." The dragon padded away, tail swinging from side to side, its thin edge clearing a path through the light snow on the floor.

Princess Ahni turned and entered her room. As soon as her door closed, she once again looked around the room in awe. Though she had slept there many times before, she nevertheless was amazed by this room.

The ceiling of the room was made of clear ice, which, when the sun was overhead, let light in, though it made the light shimmer and dance prettily as it came to the ground. She had a wardrobe filled with dresses which matched the one she wore now, each crafted with extreme care. And her bed...never was there a more luxurious bed in all the kingdom! It was crafted entirely of ice, though softened magically so as to feel like a normal bed, and it had a thick, comfortable blanket which lay atop it. This blanket, however, was no ordinary blanket. It was a blanket of snow, though somehow the snow stayed together in its blanket shape, and never fell apart or tore. The princess slipped her dress off and let it fall to the floor, then stepped out of the mass of metal-cloth. Now in her undergarments, the princess climbed into her bed, pulled her blanket up, and curled into her sleeping pose, letting out a sigh of contentment before falling asleep.

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Nykos lay atop his hoard of precious metals and jewels, resting comfortably upon the frozen treasures. Most people believe dragons steal gold and such out of greed, but in truth dragons find it hard to sleep comfortably on normal beds, like grass and cave floors, so they adopted the practice of sleeping atop precious metals and gemstones, where they found they could sleep just fine, since such things could be rearranged for perfect comfort.

His scales shimmered in the filtered light of the clear ice as he nestled into the mound of gems and metals, his dual-lidded sapphire-colored eyes only half lidded, the clear membrane of the first lid covering both eyes. He wasn't asleep. Dragons who lived among their element didn't sleep. They gained power from it, which removed the need to sleep. But resting, resting was something he had to do. He needed to clear his head this day.

He gave a hiss of laughter, icy fog rolling from his nostrils. He had finally claimed the princess for his own, for all time. His icy heart swelled at the thought of Princess Ahni. She who had willingly given herself up to the Frost dragon, though she had no idea what her fate would be. She had served him a while, and he had opened her eyes to the great truth of Valley Kingdom, the truth that had been hidden for centuries. Once she had gotten over her shock at being let in on such a secret, she readily accepted him into her life. And with her understanding of the situation, the great dragon felt no need to keep her longer. He had released her from his care and left her at the edge of the Dimro Forest, to the east of Valley Castle. He would've left her alone for the rest of her life, had she not extracted a promise from him to claim her again on the next Tribute Day. Which he had done. And when he returned her again, she made him swear to come for her every Tribute Day. He was more than happy to oblige, for he was lonely on his mountain, and the princess's company was welcome.

He took in a deep breath through his mouth, his chest expanding to almost four times its normal size, then exhaled, letting the air flow through his ice pouch. A wave of Frost erupted from his maw, coating the far wall of his room with fresh ice. With a low rumble of satisfaction, he uncurled himself from around his hoard and, after stretching a bit, made his way through his cave, stopping only when he came to the princess's room. With a sigh, he laid down to wait.

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Princess Ahni awoke slowly, her eyes opening ever so slightly, only to close again immediately. The sun was high overhead, which meant it was now shining through the ceiling and directly into her eyes. She sat up slowly, peeling her blanket back as she went. She shook her head to clear it, then gazed around her simple room.

The little room was barely furnished at all. The only furniture in it, besides her bed and wardrobe, was a small vanity and chair, both of which were made out of ice. The vanity had a mirror that was also made of ice but backed by silver so it would reflect. On the vanity rested a few combs and brushes (also formed from ice). These she used once she found the will to climb out of bed. Being in the cold of the dragon's cave made it difficult for her to wake easily.

When her long hair was smoothed the way she liked, she went to her wardrobe to pick out a dress. Before she could even open the door, she heard an impatient rumble. With a soft smile, she quickly donned a dress of purified platinum, turned away from her wardrobe, and went to the door. Cracking it open slightly, she gazed out into the hall, and into the large blue eye of the Frost dragon.

"You have awakened, my Lady," said the dragon. She could hear the amusement in his voice.

"No small thanks to you, my Lord," she replied. "With all the noise you have been making, it's a wonder the mountain hasn't fallen in." She giggled, and the dragon gave a hiss of laughter, a chill fog erupting from his nostrils.

"Do you hunger, princess?" asked Nykos.

"Yes, my Lord. A good meal would be most welcome...before..." she trailed off. Tonight was supposed to be a special night, one that had to be, else she would never be able to take her rightful place upon the throne of Valley Kingdom.

"Then come with me," said the dragon. "I have a meal already prepared, simply awaiting your pleasure." He kneeled down then let one of his wings unfurl and touch the ground, making a ladder for the princess. The girl climbed onto his back with the ease of one who had done it many times before. Her requiring of guardsmen to help her mount had been simply an act. When she was situated between his shoulder blades, he set off down the hallway at a quick pace, making his way to the dining hall. Rooms flew by in a blur, and the princess quickly lost track of how many they had passed. She simply was thankful she didn't have to memorize the layout.

A few moments later they arrived in the grand dining hall. It was extravagantly large and impossibly magnificent, decked out with beautiful ice sculptures and murals made of snow flakes. This was only the third time the princess had ever seen this room, since she usually took her meals in her room. And, just like the first time, it took her breath away.

Ringing the room were torches set in gold, cheerful flames frozen in ice. The table in the center of the room was set for one, a delicious meal laid out and frozen as well. Small wisps of steam could be seen, frozen along with the rest of the meal. The places beside her seat were devoid of utensils and chairs, for the Frost dragon rarely ate in her presence. She had seen him eat only once before, and hadn't liked what she'd seen. Thus, he simply kept her company while she ate, and only ate while she slept, and that sparingly because of the nutrient energy of his element.

He moved to her place at the head of the table and knelt, allowing the princess to slide off his back. As soon as her feet touched the ground, he craned his neck over her, took the back of her chair in his teeth, and slid it out. With a curtsey, she slid into her place. When she was seated, he slid behind her and pushed her chair in with his side, effectively seating her at her place. Once she settled, he curled himself around the table, body circling underneath, before coming to rest with his head on his hindquarters, like an ouroboros. With a simple flexing of his will, all the Flash-Frost he had used thawed. Torches resumed flickering and the princess's food resumed steaming, no cooler than it had been before its freezing.

Princess Ahni ate in silence, barely tasting her food, as worry gnawed at her stomach. She knew what would be expected of her this night, and she worried what it would mean. Perhaps Nykos had been lying to her the past ten years. Perhaps he was simply a dissident, the kind her father often spoke of. For her father was a well-traveled man, often leaving Valley Kingdom to visit his home country of Meridia (which lay along their Northeastern borders) and bringing back news. These 'dissidents' he spoke of were people seeking to topple kingdoms and incite peasants to violence. Was Nykos perhaps one of those people?

Her nervousness must have shown on her face, for suddenly Nykos's head filled her vision, his eye capturing both of hers. In that moment, all of her worries seemed to melt away. A passing thought wondered if it was magic, but it was quickly banished by his voice.

"What worries you, my Lady?" he asked.

Though she tried to resist answering, the dragon had a presence about him that demanded her attention and honesty. Though when she spoke, it was barely a whisper, the dragon heard her quite clearly. And though it pierced his cold heart, he understood her concern.

"We have spoken often, my Lord Nykos," she said softly, practically hypnotized by his giant eye. "The things you say, they make sense, yet they contradict everything I have been taught about the history of Valley Kingdom. Why, then, should I believe you?"

The dragon hissed softly, a cold puff of air coming from his nostrils. "You should believe me because of who you are, what you are. A dragon does not lie to kin. This is the one law held true by all dragon-kind. And dragon-kin."

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This was the princess's secret. She wasn't human, as her father thought, but instead was a half-dragon. More importantly, she was a true-blood heir to the throne of Valley Kingdom because of it. But this was just the first of the great secrets Nykos the Shining had imparted upon her.

The first ruler of Valley Kingdom had actually been a woman, a Dragonslayer with Frost dragon blood running through her veins, though the blood was so thinned over generations that she barely had any power at all. This was why Nykos had been unable to defeat her: she was immune to his Frost due to her ancestry. After several days of fighting, they made a pact. She would turn the valley of their battle into a kingdom and the dragon would protect it. In exchange, he would have a claim to the throne, since he would be her consort. Nykos accepted her terms and they sealed the pact with a mating.

Not surprisingly, the first queen became pregnant, which convinced Nykos to alter their arrangement. Instead of simply being her consort, he would lend his draconic might to the royal line, via his seed. The first dragon-child born in each generation would be the next ruler. The queen agreed, and, after hiring many craftsman to come to her valley to build her a castle, settled in to wait out her pregnancy. The craftsman brought their families with them, since building a castle was a years-long process. And when they beheld the great valley that would one day become Valley Kingdom, they were struck dumb by its beauty. Each man immediately decided they would settle in this valley, and asked the woman who would one day be queen for permission. She granted it and they settled in, then began construction of the castle, which Nykos paid for out of his own hoard, for no expense was too great for the comfort and protection of the mother of his brood.

It took four years for the craftsman to build the castle, and during that time waves of refugees from warring kingdoms beyond the mountains crossed over into the valley, where they settled as well. This was the beginning of Valley Kingdom, and the people immediately recognized the woman as their leader, their ruler, though this was mostly because she could somehow control the great dragon who lived in the mountains. She told them the binding spell she had on him required her to mate him every so often to continue its work. More than that, for it to continue through the ages her descendants too would have to mate him. The people called her 'Sorceress Queen', for her magic was powerful enough to bind even a Great Frost dragon.

The lie she told her people ensured that Nykos could come and go as he pleased, and the people wouldn't question the queen leading the dragon to a secluded area to mate. At first, she had mated him only to seal their pact, but she eventually grew to love him and mated him as a wife mates her husband. Nykos felt the same way, and they took their mating vows in secret the night before the castle was christened. But tragedy struck soon after.

The queen fell ill, deathly so. The people blamed prolonged contact with such a cold creature as the cause, but nothing could be done. He was too powerful for any normal person to kill, and the queen's magic had only bound him. They couldn't stay in Valley Kingdom if the queen died, because the binding would be undone. The queen, however, allayed their fears, saying that the binding only need to be fully redone every ten years, but since she could no longer do the binding, her daughter would, once she was of age.

The Crown Princess was only three at the time, but because of her draconic heritage had achieved maturity mentally. Physically she was the same as any child of that age, but mentally she was as advanced as any adult dragon, though she lacked much of the knowledge the dragons possessed. But she did know her duty, what would be expected of her when she came of breeding age. And though the thought frightened her, she knew that the dragon who was her father would not hurt her.

Ten years passed, the old queen died, and the princess became queen at the age of four. At first, there was a bit of turmoil as several different factions within the kingdom fought over who would be her regent, until they discovered she could think for herself. She spoke eloquently and told them she needed no one to rule in her stead, for she was capable on her own. This cheered the people, though they were spooked by the fact that a four-year-old was speaking with the authority of an adult. But time went on, the princess grew, and the people came to respect their tiny but powerful queen. She ruled with a fist of iron, with laws that all must obey or face harsh punishment, yet she allowed the people to come and go as they pleased and live out their lives as they saw fit, provided they respected her laws. Taxes were low and spirits were high. It was she who instigated the Farmer's Break, a tax-cut for those who grew their own food. She also passed a law that started the first Healer's Hall in the kingdom, where before healers, untrained as they were, hid their abilities and used them sparingly. With the creation of the Healer's Hall, healers from across the kingdom and even beyond could learn to use their abilities, strengthen them, and put them to use for the greater good.

When it came time for her to be bred, she took it in silence, letting the great dragon have his way with her body. Though he was gentle and caring in his treatment of her, she didn't really enjoy mating the dragon. When he had sown his seed, she made a request of him. She wished to take a human husband, rather than be his occasional mate for the rest of her life. Nykos was saddened that she thought so little of him, but he understood. He accepted her request and allowed her to take a husband.

After a few years, he managed to sow the queen successfully, and she eventually bore his child, a half-dragon with power not over frost but over fire. She was amazed at this development, but when Nykos explained dragon breeding to her in its entirety, she understood that it was normal. Eventually, she gave up the throne to her daughter, then her daughter after, and on.

This continued for five hundred years, each queen being his child, yet being different from the one before her. They gave birth to many different variations of dragons, and those variations spread down the line. Yet all good things must come to an end, and Sister Fate is often cruel when the die is cast against one. During the five hundredth year of Valley Kingdom, the queen and the Crown Princess both fell ill from a sickness that had swept through the kingdom that year. Many people died from it, the queen and the princess among them. The king had died some years previously, so the crown went to the queen's second daughter, who was sired by the late king. She had overheard the secret of the royal line and had become insanely jealous of her sister, who had been lucky enough to be dragon-born. This jealousy twisted her, and for this the people suffered.

She was queen for a week before she began raising taxes. Where before the taxes had been more than fair, so much so that some felt they had cheated the kingdom, the queen raised taxes to unheard of levels, parting many people from their hard-earned coin. With this coin, she threw lavish parties, bought expensive gowns, and indulged her every hedonistic whim. This continued for several years, until the so-called 'Day of Bonding' came, which was the day, ten years previously, that the old queen had given herself to the dragon to renew the binding spell upon him. The people called on the new queen to perform the one duty that she HAD to perform, and she refused.

At first.

The people, upon hearing their selfish queen refuse to perform the duty of the royal family, began to stir in revolution. Even the kingdom's armies, loyal and true men each and every one, took up protest against the queen. The queen, fearing for her life, sent word that she would perform this duty, on condition that the people never again take up arms against her, else she would remove the binding spell completely. The people agreed and the queen summoned the dragon, the tool for which was a simple chime which, when rung, sounded a single clear note that echoed up the mountains and to his lair in Nessunvanna.

When Nykos came to the meeting place, he saw the queen there, lying spread-eagle on a stone slab, a bored look on her face. When he came near and sniffed at her face, she frowned and smacked him on his nose. He drew back in surprise and growled at her.

"Stupid beast," he heard her mutter. "Mount me, dragon," she said with an arrogant sneer. "Get it over with so I can go home. I've a party to attend this evening and I would not be late."

Nykos moved away from her, which surprised her, seeing as no man had ever refused an invitation to her body. "Ignorant oaf!" she cried, sitting up. "I order you, as your queen, to mount me! You are bound, dragon, and must do as I command, for I am queen!" She had only heard part of her queen mother's explanation to her elder sister, so thought the dragon really was a spellbound monster.

Nykos could stand it no longer. He whirled on her and locked eyes with her, causing her to shiver in fear. And when he spoke, she very nearly lost control of her bodily functions. "I am not thy slave, o ignorant queen!" he said. "I am a free creature, beholden only to my own conscience and a pact I made with thy ancestors. Were it not for those two things, I would smite thee here and now and be done with it. But that would disgrace their memory." He stood over here, reared back to his full height. Unleashing a breath of cold laced with magic, the queen's hair and skin turned deathly white, like those who have caught the deepest of chills. "So I say unto thee, o foul queen, that I shall not mate thee. I shall not bless thee with the gift of a dragon-child, for thou art unworthy. Instead, I impose a tithe. If you would not have me freeze thy kingdom, thou wilt pay me a tribute every year. And so wilt thy children. And thy childrens' children. Until such a day as I feel the debt paid, thy kingdom shall never be free of me. And shouldst thou refuse to tithe, I shall call down the ice from the very mountains to cover thy kingdom. And let this warning stand: I shall be watching thee." With that, he flew away, leaving the queen shaking in her nakedness.

And so began the tribute. Because of the queen's ignorance, her descendants were made to pay the price. After a few generations, the knowledge of the so-called 'Queen's Rite' was lost, recorded only in the most ancient of scrolls in the castle library. And after those generations had passed, the tradition of queens ruling Valley Kingdom was lost, and the queens' husbands took over the rule. This time of strife and near rebellion against the crown continued for many long generations. Ahni's father managed to calm the people by organizing yearly festivals and celebrations, which placated them just enough to keep them from openly revolting. But still, without the Queen's Rite, no pure-blood heir to the throne could ascend and calm the people totally. It seemed Valley Kingdom would disband in his generation.

Until Ahni's mother discovered a crumbling scroll in the library. When she carefully unrolled it, she found that it contained a record of the Queen's Rite, and the means to summon the great Frost dragon. Thus it was that, one day while her husband was away, the queen took from the castle throne room an antique chime that hung above the king's throne and stole away into the forest with it. When she came upon the ancient meeting place, she rang the chime once.

Nykos, of course, heard it when it sounded and immediately left his cave, following an instinct that had not surfaced in centuries. How surprised he was to see Queen Ahnsha awaiting him in the forest clearing, completely devoid of her garments. He almost fled, but she asked him in a kind voice to stay and hear her out. To his mystical senses, she gave off an aura not unlike the first queen's, and he turned to listen.

She explained her finding of the scroll and her wish to reinstate the Queen's Rite. He heard the honesty in her voice, and neither ill will nor greed had a place in her words. When she heard Nykos' story about the corrupt queen, she apologized whole-heartedly to him. Seeing her sincerity he agreed to her request.

They coupled many times that day and night, and into the early hours of the next day, when the queen was sure her womb had quickened. She swore the great dragon to secrecy, since her husband both feared and hated the dragon, and bade him depart, though she swore that, should he have need of her, he need only come to the meeting place and call out and she would make her way to him. Nykos felt his icy heart swell with pride, for though he hadn't sown the royal family in many human lifetimes, Queen Ahnsha showed a form of compassion and understanding that none since the corrupt queen's elder sister had shown. From then on, every few months he called Queen Ahnsha down to the meeting place, where they sated their desires on each other. He made love to her in every way she asked, and she accepted him any way he wanted. And the best part, in her mind, was that her husband would never find out.

For the king had a secret even he did not know. He could not quicken his queen for he possessed no fertile seed. He was ignorant of his own infirmity, and instead boasted of his virility when she became with child, despite the fact that they had tried for years to produce an heir. She knew him to be an honest fool, actually believing his tale, and thus kept her secret from the king.

As soon as she gave birth to Ahni, the queen stopped making love to the great dragon, who informed her that it was far too risky to expose the child so soon to something so contrary to her father's wishes. Thus, Ahni grew up ignorant of her own origins, and would have remained so if Nykos had not carried her off to his mountain ten years prior. Within hours of bringing her there, her ignorance had been banished, replaced by the truths the dragon had told her.

When she asked him why she should believe him, he answered thusly.

"A dragon cannot not lie to our kind. This is the one law held true by all dragon-kind. And dragon-kin."

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By the laws of dragon-kind, Ahni was what was known as 'dragon-kin', the child or descendant of a dragon, but is not draconic in any exterior feature. Dragon-kin appeared human (or rather the species of their non-dragon parent, for dragons, being magical creatures, could mate successfully with most any creature), possessing only birthmarks to indicate their magical origin. But while dragon-kin did not look like dragons, they often possessed mightier magic than their dragon parent. Many great mages throughout history were dragon-kin, and their deeds were legendary.

Ahni knew what she was, had known for ten years, and had come to accept it. Unlike her mother, who possessed little power, Ahni, who was technically an inbred dragon-kin (since the corrupt queen had still been family and the blood chain had never been broken), possessed power many times greater than her mother's.

For dragons, inbreeding did not cause horrible defects and deformations. Instead, blood breeding blood caused diversity to occur. Two Fire dragons of direct blood relation could mate and bear an Earth dragon, despite there being no Earth dragon ancestry in their line. And the Earth dragon hatchling would possess aspects of its Fire dragon ancestry, often showing immunity to fire.

Ahni spoke not a word to the dragon as she finished her meal, eating quietly while her mind raced. She supposed her attitude previously had been the last gasp of the corrupt queen's arrogance, for she had felt horrible after the words left her. Now the dragon watched her with one great eye as she ate, being silent so as not to disturb her. She was well within her rights to call off the Rite if she was too uncomfortable with the idea. But he could tell by her resigned countenance that she would not.

When her meal was finished, she slowly stood up from her chair and turned to Nykos. "I..." she began. "I'm ready. If you'll have me," she added, looking down. She felt she was not as beautiful as her mother, that her form was not as pleasing to the dragon. How little she knew. The great dragon slid beneath her then, lifting her onto his back. As soon as she was comfortable, he was off, back down the frozen halls of his home. He twisted and turned down the countless tunnels, taking Ahni further than ever before as the filtered sunlight that had illuminated the tunnels earlier began to dissipate, slowly cloaking them in darkness.

A few tunnels later and all light was extinguished. Ahni, terrified though she was, made not a sound beyond her breathing as the great dragon continued. She had thought they were headed to his hoard chamber, or to her room, or to one of the countless other rooms she had seen within mighty Nessunvanna, where he could mate her undisturbed. But no, Nykos continued to go deeper into the mountain, and Ahni could feel the curve of the tunnel, sloping downwards toward the base.

Much time passed, what felt like hours but could have been days. As the darkness became all-consuming, she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling herself grow cold for the first time in her life. Then the dragon made another turn and she beheld a light. It was a small light, quite far ahead, but it was there. She felt her warmth return with the sight of it. Closer and closer it came, and Ahni realized it was another of Nykos' frozen torches, casting the barest of glows as it sat frozen in time. Once level with it, Nykos slowed and Ahni took a look around. The torch she had seen was but one of many, each set high in the ice, casting little light and doing nothing to dispel the darkness that lay pooled upon the ground.

"Dismount," commanded the dragon in a tone that brooked no argument. Wordlessly, Ahni slid from the dragon's back and stood on the surprisingly warm floor. Nykos dipped his head down to her and she met one of his eyes. "Princess Ahni," he said. "Before we mate and you obtain your birthright, I have one final secret to reveal to you. Will you see it?"

Ahni pondered a moment, then nodded. Nykos' will flexed again and Ahni could FEEL the Flash-Frost melting, allowing the full light from the torches to illuminate the entire room, dispelling the darkness. Ahni gasped at what she saw.

There, in a giant mass, were eggs. Many hundreds of dragon eggs, of all different sizes and colors. Curious, she went up to the nearest one, the shell of which was black as pitch, with thick slashes of green across its surface. A strange feeling stirred in her heart and she knelt to pick it up. Nykos watched with approval as Ahni picked up the egg, instinctively cradling it like a baby. Without thinking, Ahni began crooning a song to it, in a tongue she did not know, as she stroked the egg. When the song was completed, Ahni shook her head, snapping out of her trance, and turned to Nykos.

"What just happened?" she asked, a slight quaver to her voice.

Nykos chucked, chilled air spilling from between his teeth. "You have Imprinted, your Highness," he replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Dragon eggs are special. They cannot hatch without a mother to look after them. And some of these have been resting for a thousand years." Ahni opened her mouth to speak, but Nykos continued, cutting her off. "Imprinting is what happens when a mother dragon croons to the egg, causing it to quicken. Within a few months, the egg hatches. Once Imprinted, the dragon within the egg recognizes the one who crooned as its mother, and will obey her every command."

"What?!" Ahni broke in. "This dragon thinks I'm its mother?! And it'll do whatever I say?! I couldn't possibly!" She lowered her voice, casting loving eyes upon the egg. "I couldn't possibly order such a creature around. It wouldn't be fair for me to do so."

"Ah, but Lady Ahni," replied Nykos, stretching his neck to gaze at her, "that is what it means to be queen. To make decisions and order others to do your bidding. The only difference is the dragon in the egg will have no choice. However, you would have to make it a firm order. Just asking would allow the dragon to refuse."

"I could never. I shall put the egg back."

"Can you?"

She tried. She really did. But Ahni could not make herself put the egg back with the others. She could feel a bond with the egg's occupant, though they had never seen each other before. She looked up at Nykos.

"How long has this egg been here?" she asked.

"This one has rested here for nine-hundred eighty-eight years. This one is the child of the first queen."

"The first queen's child?" she asked. "So this is the second queen?"

"No. Not every child born of a human and dragon's coupling is born dragon-kin. Some are born dragon-kind, and must wait in the egg for one to quicken it. Only you, the first queen, and one other have ever even seen this room, and only a small number of these are the first queen's eggs. We mated many times during her life, and she never bore another dragon-kin child. Instead, only hours after our coupling, she would lay an egg. I would immediately take it here. The queen understood why: if another dragon were to appear and follow her orders, she would be feared rather than loved, and risk assassination. So I took care of each of her eggs, and her daughter's, and her daughter's daughter's. These eggs here are the culmination of thousands of matings over the course of five hundred years. In the far back," he pointed with his tail, "are the eggs your mother laid when we coupled, your siblings. They too await the quickening."

"Shall I quicken them as well?"

"You would not be able to. A dragon mother can only quicken one egg at a time, and will be unable to quicken another until the dragon in the egg reaches maturity or dies. We do not know why this is, but it is a fact of dragon life. We breed quickly, lay eggs rapidly, then must hatch them one at a time." Nykos curled himself around Ahni. "I must speak seriously with you, Princess," he said, gazing into her eyes.

She tore her eyes away from the egg to meet with the dragon. "Go ahead," she replied.

"The reason I brought you here was not simply to mate you and seed a dragon-kin child in your belly." Nykos sighed, bathing Ahni in cold air. "I have grown weary of life, my Lady. I was old when the first queen and I made our pact. I am now over twelve thousand years old, and I am tired. Beyond that, I am also quite lonely. No females of my own kind appeal to me, not that I have seen any in fifteen-hundred years. No rumor has reached me that females of my kind still exist, and I doubt my seed could sow one of my own kind anyway. I feel the ages creeping into my bones, and I know that soon I shall die. Before I do, however, I had two wishes that needed fulfilling. First, I needed to pass on the secret of this room to a female dragon or dragon-kin. And second...I wish to mate one last time. In only a span of human years, I shall shuffle off my mortal coil and leave this plane. Before I do, however, I would like to feel the touch of a female one last time. Would you indulge me, my Lady?"

Ahni bit her lip, mulling over these newest revelations. The great dragon that protected Valley Kingdom was dying. And he wished to mate with her before he did so. His dying wish, as it were. Giving a gentle kiss to the egg, Ahni walked away from Nykos and set the egg down, away from the others. Then she turned, a kind smile upon her lips.

"I would be honored, my Lord. It will be a great honor to accept your last seeds." She slipped out of her dress and stood naked before the great dragon. Nykos had, in his time, seen many naked females, but Ahni's body was glorious in his eyes. Every inch of her skin was smooth, unblemished. Her nipples were a rosy pink, the tips hardened from want and the unfelt cold. And her nethers, completely hairless. She was every inch the perfect human woman, and as she shed her jewelry, Nykos couldn't help but become aroused as she bent to lay them atop her dress. Once she was finished, she walked back to the dragon.

Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her firm breasts against him. Nykos curved his long neck around her, giving her a draconic version of a hug. They held each other for a few moments, before Ahni pulled away and knelt beside him, stroking the dragon's side suggestively. Carefully, so as not to smash the eggs, Nykos rolled onto his side, exposing his underside to the princess. She stroked his surprisingly soft belly, feeling a few of the thousands of tiny scales that allowed him to be both flexible and impenetrable. Her hands crept lower on his body, moving towards a small slit between his hind legs. Her mother had explained its purpose to her. It played the same role as a horse's sheath, protecting his endowment from the elements.

She gently slid her fingers along the seam, then pressed them lightly into it. The lips parted easily, and she pulled them gently in opposite directions. Slowly, the tight muscle behind the lips parted with a wet, sticky sound, allowing the dragon's member to swell beyond its snug container. It grew before Ahni's eyes, and she watched as it filled out, becoming a long spear of flesh. It was a pale pink in color, with many thick arteries and veins leading to and from it. It possessed no mushroom-shaped bulb on the end, which her tutor's textbooks showed a human's penis possessed, but was instead stake-like, completely smooth from tip to base. Curious, she reached a hand to it, gripping it lightly.

Unlike the rest of the dragon's body, his shaft was warm, if not hot, and slimy. Ahni resisted the urge to remove her hand and wipe it off. This, her mother had explained, was the dragon's natural lubrication, since dragon matings, while wild and repeated many times in succession with little time to rest, were quite short, with no 'foreplay' as her mother called it. When a pair of dragons met and decided to mate, the female would simply lay on her belly while the male inserted itself and thrust until climax. Without this natural lubrication, such matings would be painful for both parties, and could end in serious injury.

Gently, Ahni stroked the length from tip to base, feeling it as it widened gradually, becoming as thick as a grown man's two fists together. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she began to worry once more, but she desperately wanted to honor the old dragon's last wish, and it was with this in mind that she moved away from him and went onto her hands and knees.

She heard him rise from the icy floor and move around behind her. She felt his smooth little scales as he slid his belly over her back. She could almost taste the intoxicating musk that rose from him, a scent of snow, ice, a frosty winter morning, and of peppermint and wintergreen. It was not an unpleasant odor.

The chill that radiated off the great dragon's body sent a shiver down Ahni's spine, even as the dragon mounted her, probing her small slit with his large tool. Ahni squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think about the dragon's two-foot-long prick as it settled against her wetness. She bit her lip in anticipation of her deflowering.

Nykos' first thrust was swift and brutal, spreading Princess Ahni obscenely wide, burying all of him inside her warmth. Ahni cried out in surprise. The dragon's penis was so deep within her, she could feel it pounding at her ribcage. He should not have been able to fit so deep. Yet he did, pummeling her insides and stretching her flesh grotesquely.

Her body stretched to accommodate him, shunted organs and bones aside to facilitate the dragon male's having his way with her. Ahni could feel this happening, yet it didn't hurt. It was magic, she reasoned. With magic, anything is possible. She was only half right on this score.

It was partially her own personal magic, and partially the fact that she was half dragon. Dragons vary greatly in size, and are often solitary beings. When the mating urge rises, most dragons simply find the nearest dragon of the opposite sex and breed. The many species of dragon vary wildly in size and shape, while individual dragons may grow much larger or smaller than their species average. Thus, dragons developed the power to rearrange and stretch their bodies to facilitate breeding. It was such a powerful spell, encompassing the whole world and all of dragondom, that forever afterward it was seen as a genetic trait.

This made it much easier for Nykos to achieve top speed, sliding in and out of her depths at speeds unattainable to humans, pummeling her depths with his fleshy spire. Ahni cried out each time he thrust in, the scales on his slit rubbing her clit with each arching thrust. Only seconds after he began, Ahni cried out in climax, her walls squeezing the dragon as tight as they could, trying to milk him.

Nykos didn't even notice, continuing to pound away at the princess as fast and as hard as he could. Ahni came again. And again. And again. Minutes passed and Ahni lost track of how many times she peaked. Indeed, she was so full of good feelings, she couldn't even feel Nykos inside her anymore, though vaguely she knew he had to still be there. She sank down from her hands and rested her chin on her arms as the dragon continued to ream her depths.

Finally, Nykos let loose a great roar and a spout of frost, chilling the entire room, and came. His mighty rod expanded and seemed to explode, blasting Ahni's womb with his seed. Ahni felt him cum, and savored the chill that filled her so rapidly, expanding her womb and causing her belly to swell like pregnancy. Not a drop of dragonseed escaped from her swelling form.

She remained spitted on the dragon's shaft for many minutes, as he continued to pump his mystical cum into her. She swelled farther and farther, yet never reached the limit of her expansion. She could feel something within herself wriggling against her insides, yet what it might be she did not know or care. All she knew was that though his liquid was icy cold, it caused a heat to build up in her nerves, warming her if not physically then spiritually.

The great expulsion of ice and cold tapered off from the dragon's mouth as his orgasm ebbed, ending in a chill fog that flowed down from between his large teeth. He waited a few more moments, then slowly withdrew from her. A few droplets of his potent seed clung to his shaft and tip, but the rest was firmly locked inside Ahni, as was proper of a female dragon. He gave a shiver, an instinctual motion, causing his penis to shake, throwing off the watery leftover seed from it. It splattered against a wall, and Nykos, having satisfied both instinct and lust, fell on his side, breeding tool sinking back into its pocket. He breathed deeply, groaning in satisfaction.

The princess groaned in satisfaction as well, falling onto her side also. But as exhaustion overcame her, she remembered the egg she had crooned to. She crawled to it, then curled herself around it. With a few careful rolls, she was against the egg's father, who was now fast asleep. Seconds later, she joined him in blissful slumber.

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Months passed. Valley Kingdom had settled into a state of mourning when their princess did not return from the dragon's lair. All feared she was dead, devoured by the vicious monster who dwelt within Nessunvanna. The king despaired, for his queen would not quicken for him, so he would be the last king of Valley Kingdom.

Until one morning. A great roar broke the somber quiet of Valley Castle. The air cooled to near-freezing, despite the fact that it was mid-summer. As the residents of the castle turned out to see what was happening, Nykos' shining hide flashed through the sky, shimmering like a train of sapphires. Laying in his front claws was the princess. The king and his guard swept into the courtyard, just as Nykos landed. Without a word he laid Ahni on the ground and took off once more.

The king took one look at his horribly disfigured daughter and collapsed. The Captain of the Guard, a Swordsmistress by name of Tianna who was all of nineteen, examined the princess quickly, then sent a runner to fetch the Royal Midwife. Then, after having the guards carry the king and princess to their rooms, she sought audience with the queen, for she had made a startling discovery.

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With a steadying breath, Tianna knocked upon the Princess' door.

"Enter," came the response.

With another steadying breath, Tianna pushed the door open and entered Princess Ahni's bedroom. The room was lavishly furnished for its occupant, with a large bed covered with soft blankets dominating its entirety. Streamers of silk hung from it, which kept out both insects and rats. The walls were hung with brightly colored tapestries and were hidden by shelves of books. All in all, the room looked like a princess must live there. But Tianna had known Ahni for ages, and knew that the room was not a reflection of her own will but of her father's pride.

The princess herself was seated in a rocking chair by the window, gazing out across the land as her newborn babe suckled upon a breast. As Tianna drew closer, she could see that Ahni's other breast was occupied by a tiny black dragon hatchling, the color of shadow, with eyes the color of emeralds. They were solid in color, with no pupil visible, yet it seemed to see her as she approached, for it pulled away from Ahni and cried a greeting at her, mother's milk all around its mouth and running down its chin. It returned to its meal immediately after. Ahni looked up at the startled girl, an expression of perfect contentment upon her face.

"Sit with me, Tianna," she said with a smile. Shaking now, Tianna pulled the chair away from the princess' vanity and sat across from her friend. She forced a smile as the younger princess whispered to the young latched to her chest. Ahni looked up at her after a moment. "I have given them names. My daughter is Ahnaliese. And this little fellow..." She leaned in and kissed the hatchling upon his head. "He is Dassius. Ahnaliese and Dassius kalRyal senNykos."

Tianna flinched upon hearing their full names. 'kalRyal' was Oldspeech for 'Royalty', a notation of royal blood, while 'sen' meant 'child'. Thus, Ahnaliese and Dassius, of Royalty, children of Nykos. A bold admission of their parentage, and not one to be kindly accepted by the people.

"Your Highness," began Tianna.

"Oh please, Tianna," interrupted Ahni with a giggle. "We've been friends for AGES. You've never called me 'your Highness', and I'd rather you didn't start now."

"Fine, then," replied Tianna, annoyance thick in her voice. "Ahni. Those names... The Great Dragon is their sire?" The princess nodded with a smile. Tianna closed her eyes, building her courage. "If it is your will, I shall dispose of the ill-conceived spawn of that beast."

Ahni gasped in shock. This jostled the baby girl, who began to cry loudly. Ahni reacted on instinct, pulling the child up to her face and administering both kisses and soft words. Once little Ahnaliese settled down and went to sleep, Ahni rocked her gently in the crook of her arm. When at last she felt her child pass into the realm of dreams, she turned her attention to Tianna, giving her a glare that would have felled a tree. Tianna suddenly felt very small, despite being taller than Ahni.

"Listen well, Tiannandaria kalPjas senAiden," said Ahni, venom in her voice. Tianna cowered as the princess named her true name. Tiannandaria was her full name, of Peasantry, child of Aiden. "These are my children, gifted to me by Nykos the Shining. I'll let nothing and no one bring harm to them. Not even you, my dearest friend." Tianna could feel the magic rising off Ahni in waves.

"I-I apologize, Princess," said Tianna hurriedly, hurling herself to the floor, prostrate before Valley Kingdom's princess.

Ahni closed her eyes, forcing her anger down. She did not apologize, for she had not been in the wrong. "Rise, Tianna. Sit before me." Tianna did so, shivering. Though Ahni had calmed, Tianna could still feel the magic emanating from her, like cobwebs upon her skin.

She chewed her lip a moment, then voiced the request she had come to make. "Princess Ahni," she said. "Please show me your birthmark!"

Ahni, though somewhat surprised, was not unprepared. Wordlessly, she pulled Dassius away from her breast. Dassius, in turn, made a noise of discontent, then burped and curled into a ball with a sigh. She held out the fist-sized ball of dragon to Tianna. Seeing this to be an act of trust, Tianna took the hatchling, holding him gently as Ahni swept her hair back over one ear. When she had done so, she turned her head so Tianna could see the mark. Ahni's birthmark was in the vague shape of a flower, colored a lighter shade of purple. After a minute or two, Ahni released her hair, allowing it to flow back into place over the marking. She smiled knowingly at Tianna.

"Ask," said Ahni, knowing Tianna's next question.

Tianna took a steadying breath, then spoke. "Are you half-dragon, then?"

Ahni laughed. "I'm a smidgen more than half," she replied, hugging Ahnaliese gently.

Tianna looked scandalized. "You could have lied to me," she responded. "I would have believed you."

Ahni suffered a fit of giggles. "Silly girl," replied the princess. "A dragon does not lie to kind. Or kin." Tianna flinched again.

"H-how long have you known?" she asked, acutely aware that Dassius was now awake and nuzzling her chest through her tunic.

Ahni smiled gently. "Ever since the first time our Guardian spirited me away to his icy lair. He told me how to identify dragon-kin: find their markings. Yours are the brown circles that follow your spine."

Tianna gave an ironic smile. "You've known what I was for years, yet I find out only today that we are alike. Why did you not tell me?"

"Nykos swore me to silence on the matter. If I went about declaring that I was the child of a dragon, people would have reacted badly. Only when I am Queen can I publicly declare the circumstances of my birth."

Tianna was about to respond when she felt a tugging at her tunic. She looked down to find Dassius tugging it this way and that; every so often the cloth would slip free of his toothless mouth. "Now stop that," she commanded with a giggle. She pulled him away from her shirt and lifted him to eye level. His head shot forward and began nuzzling at her chin. She turned her head slightly so as to look at Ahni from around her son. "Do you know what kind they are yet?" she asked.

Ahni shook her head. "Nykos says it's nearly impossible to tell a hatchling's nature until they're old enough to feed themselves. Once they're that grown, they will begin to instinctively exercise their magic. Then we'll know what they are and plan accordingly."

The pair continued to chat back and forth, Tianna always holding one or the other of her princess' babes. They talked of many things, from flying to the use of magic, yet Ahni skillfully avoided identifying her nature, even after Tianna revealed that she herself was Volcan, a wielder of the power of Lava. They talked for several hours, the sun slowly falling below the horizon. Just as Ahni bid Tianna good night, a knock came at her door. With Ahni's blessing, the door opened.

"L-Lady Ahni," said the boy in the door. He was Max, Maxelius kalPas senVarn, a simple castle servant of seven years. His father, Varn, had been a loyal servant to the royal family, and after his passing the king had moved his family into the castle. Max's mother was the castle midwife, she who brought both Ahnaliese and Dassius' egg into the world (after the egg had been placed within Ahni's body for travel).

"Yes, Max?" asked Ahni. Little Dassius was curled around her arm like a black rope, his tiny head in his mother's hand, which she rubbed gently with her thumb.

"B-begging pardon, m'lady," he replied. "But His Majesty, King Edrian, wishes to see you if you are well enough to speak with him." He looked at her with mild interest; Ahni hadn't pulled her dress up to hide her breasts, so they lay exposed to his young eyes. "Are you?"

Ahni sighed in resignation. "I am. Please tell the King I shall be down in a moment." Max bowed quickly and left, closing the door behind him. Ahni turned to Tianna.

"I have a favor to ask of you, my friend," she stated.

Tianna bowed slightly, stroking Ahnaliese's face. "What would you ask of me?"

"I wish you to watch my children while I am away."

Tianna frowned. "But Ahni, I'm your bodyguard as well as Guard Captain. I must follow."

"Please," replied Ahni, tears shimmering in her eyes. "It would be better if you didn't come."

The icy hand of fear clutched Tianna's spine. The look in Ahni's eyes said there was more going on than she let on, yet Tianna couldn't refuse. "Alright," she said, holding out a free hand. Ahni grasped it and Dassius swirled down her arm and up Tianna's.

"Thank you, Tianna." Ahni went to the door. After adjusting her clothing and opening the door, she turned back. "If something should happen to me, flee with my babes to the forest. Nykos waits there in hiding. He'll protect you." She turned and left before Tianna could question her.

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The throne room of Valley Castle was very large, yet sparsely decorated. It was a room that was used only for private audiences with the king, and therefore did not require lavish decoration. Still, the twin thrones were of solid gold and were lined with silk pillows stuffed with a magic gel that soothed aches and pains. The high windows had banners hanging down from them, bearing the dragon-circling-a-mountain insignia of Valley Kingdom. And of course, there was a red carpet that led from the doorway to the thrones. Empty suits of armor were stationed along the walls, standing at attention with halberds at rest.

Ahni stood before her parents, King Edrian and Queen Ahnsha, trying to remain calm as the king gushed. He had been extremely worried about her during her captivity, and the state she had been returned in had worsened his terror. Yet there she stood, as perfect as the day she left. King Edrian waxed poetic with praises for the Royal Physician.

"Dearest Ahni!" cried the king. "I am pleased to see you well!"

"And I you, father," replied Ahni.

"Thank the gods that dratted dragon did not harm you. Truly he must have feared my wrath had something happened to you. Tell me, what is the meaning of the state you arrived in?"

Ahni took a calming breath. "I was returned to the castle in labor, father. I have this day birthed two children of my very own."

The king fairly crowed with delight. "Wonderous news, my daughter! Tell me, what are their names?"

Another calming breath. "Their names. They are Ahnaliese and Dassius kalRyal sen...Nykos." There, it was out.

Silence greeted her words. The tension in the room went from almost non-existent to near-breaking-point. The king gripped the arms of his throne tightly, knuckles turning white.

"The dragon?" asked the king tightly, teeth clenched. "The DRAGON! THAT BLASTED DRAGON IS THE FATHER?!" The king jumped to his feet. "Oh, woe! My poor daughter, despoiled by a beast!" He stepped up to Ahni and hugged her. "Never fear, my lovely. I shall make all three monsters disappear!"

Fear for her children swept through Ahni, and she did the only thing she could think of. She channeled all her strength into her knee and brought it swiftly upwards into the king's groin. As the king sank to the ground, Ahni stepped backwards from him.

As King Edrian lay upon the floor, clutching himself, he looked up at her. "Why?" he wheezed, curling into a ball.

Ahni frowned at him. "I'll not allow any harm to come to my children," she replied. "They are precious gifts from the gods and I will fight to protect them."

After another minute of holding himself, the king climbed painfully to his feet. He chuckled breathlessly. "If that's the way of it, I'll not stand in your way. I trust you have no issues with the dragon's demise?" Without waiting for her answer, he turned and began hobbling painfully back to his throne. Ahni spoke.

"Father, during my stay with the Great Dragon, he caught and killed a spy from a neighboring kingdom." The king stopped dead. Ahni continued. "His pack bore the insignia of Meridia, your home country, and contained a message from their king to you." She paused. "Tell me it isn't true, father. Tell me you weren't planning to allow Meridian forces to march on Landria through Valley Kingdom."

The will of the people of Valley Kingdom had been made clear many ages ago. War had no place in the kingdom, and war parties would never be granted passage. To go against the will of the people was to incite open rebellion.

The king sighed, then turned back to Ahni, a giant smile on his face. "Wherever did you hear that, daughter? I would NEVER let such a thing happen!"

Ahni frowned at him. "Lies do not become us, father. Speak truthfully. Were you planning to allow Meridian forces to pass through Valley Kingdom so they could attack Landria?"

The king growled, clenching his teeth. "You are my daughter. You have no right to question my decisions. I say to you, daughter, that you will be confined to your rooms for the next year and a day. Furthermore, that dragon's spawn that came from your womb shall be taken from you and sold in the slave auctions in Charania. Furthermore-"

"ENOUGH!" cried Ahni. The king jumped, hearing such force from his demure child. "You will not lay a hand on my children. I shall not be confined to my rooms. And you WILL step down from the throne."

The king laughed loudly. "Step down? Why would I do that? What makes you think you're qualified to rule?" He continued laughing.

"Because I have completed the Queen's Rite." The king's laughter ceased. "By ancient law and custom, I am now qualified to rule the kingdom, and I shall rule under my name. I am Ahnimarie kalRyal senNykos!"

"Nykos?!" cried the king, twirling to stare in horror at his wife. Queen Ahnsha had a victorious smile upon her face. The king turned slowly back to the princess. "If you wish to take the throne from me," he said menacingly, "you shall have to kill me first." He took hold of the sword buckled at his side and drew, pointing the tip of his short sword at Ahni.

"Father, if you would simply give in, we could avoid needless bloodshed."

The king simply charged and struck, swinging clumsily at the princess. Ahni raised her arm to ward off the blow. It did nothing of the sort. The king's blade, sharp as the day it was forged, passed cleanly through her elbow, severing it entirely. As her forearm fell away, she leapt backward away from the king, a liquid of amber color gushing from the wound.

The king laughed, a madness in his eyes, as he watched the girl who had once been his daughter bleed. "You see!" he cried. "An upstart dragonspawn could never rule! Come forth, fool girl, and I shall give you the death you seek!"

Yet the king saw that Ahni wasn't frightened. She wasn't crying from the pain of losing her arm. Indeed, she seemed little concerned with it. The amber liquid had slowed its leakage to a near stop, and simply dripped thickly upon the carpet. Even as the king watched, Ahni seemed to grow, to change. Power radiated from her in waves.

Suddenly, from behind Ahni's ear, a purple flower bulb grew forth. As it grew level with Ahni's eyes, the bulb opened, blossoming into a brilliant lily, edged with purple and filled with red. The little flower seemed to glow with some inner light. As the king and queen watched in stunned silence, Ahni's stump began to glow. Little vines, barely the width of a hair, shot out from the wound and swirled together, a whirlwind of action. When they finally settled, Ahni possessed two whole arms once again, though the newer one was a shade of green. But this was remedied moments later when the vine shifted colors to match Ahni's skin tone.

"Wh-What is that flower?!" cried the king, pointing at Ahni with his sword.

Ahni smiled gently. "A Yggdrasil lily," she replied, walking slowly toward him.

The king backed up a step. "T-Then you're-" He broke off.

"I'm a Nature Dragon," she finished, raising a hand. A glow surrounded her palm, which she pointed at the king. As the green glow intensified, Ahni said sadly, "Life Rain."

The glow burst, causing thousands of seeds to erupt from her palm, firing at the king in a storm of newborn plant-life. The seeds battered the king's front, beating against his face, wounding his hands, tearing through his fine clothes to strike the skin beneath. His sword fell to the stone floor with a clang.

Battered, bruised, and bloodied, the king was forced up the steps to his throne, falling back onto his throne, hands over his face to protect his eyes, as the princess stepped closer. Finally, the princess lowered her hand, the vicious assault ended. Tentatively, the king lowered his hands, gazing up at the girl with terror in his eyes.

Ahni looked down upon him with pity. "Do you yield, father?" she asked.

With a snarl, the king leapt from his throne, the mound of seeds upon his lap scattering as he made a grab for Ahni's throat. She caught his wrists and held him easily, then leaned in and laid a kiss upon his forehead. "I love you, father," she whispered, even as her form changed further.

As the king watched, the child he had raised began taking on the aspect of a dragon. Her face pushed out slightly, forming the beginnings of a draconic muzzle. Her fingers thickened slightly, nails growing a bit and obtaining a slight curve. Her eyes changed from the deepest of blues to the green of the forests.

Called Dragon Possession by humans and Ancestral Force by dragons, this ability is unique to dragon-kin of human ancestry. By drawing on their dragon heritage, they gain greater magical power in exchange for losing some of their human aspect. The process is reversible, but if one calls on too much of one's dragon side, they will assume complete dragon form, and will lose the ability to return to human form.

With a gentle push, Ahni sent her father backward, falling upon the pile of seeds.

"Restrain," she said. Instantly, hundreds of seeds sprouted, growing almost instantaneously into full-sized vines, thick as the king's thumb and strong as steel bars. They tightened around him, holding him tightly as he gazed up at the princess in fear.

"Slumber." Flowers blossomed about the king's head, unfurling blooms of indigo and violet. Moments after opening, each bloom unleashed a cloud of shimmering particles, which the king inhaled. In seconds, he was unconscious, snoring softly.

Ahni closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath, a single tear leaking from her eye. "Eternal Repose," she said softly. Immediately, the vines restraining the unconscious king sank downward, penetrating the throne room's floor, pulling the king and his throne down beneath the earth. The princess watched as he slid slowly out of sight, the vines taking him deep into the earth, to sleep for all eternity. The earth sealed itself as the vines passed, eliminating all traces of the king's removal, save for the floor stones that had been broken. These would need replacing.

Ahni sank to her knees, crying softly. She had expected the outcome, but had held onto the desperate hope that the king would see reason. But no more. She didn't look up as Queen Ahnsha rose from her throne and knelt beside her, drawing her into a hug. Soft words were spoken as Ahni continued to cry.

<====================(xxxxxx)====================>

The following week was a blur of activity. An announcement was sent out across the kingdom, informing everyone of the king's death at the hands of an assassin, who had killed him due to his connection with the kingdom of Meridia. The cry for war rose from many throats, but newly crowned Queen Ahni spoke against it, saying her father would not wish for many to die because of his death. Instead, she called for 'those who bear the mark' to gather at the castle, where she would choose diplomats to strengthen relations with the nations encircling Valley Kingdom.

Queen Ahnsha disappeared overnight, and was never seen again in Valley Kingdom. Some said Nykos the Shining, enraged at the loss of the princess, had abducted the old queen. Queen Ahni, however, assured them that Ahnsha had gone to the dragon willingly, to keep him docile. In honor of the former queen's sacrifice, Ahni announced a tax break, to last a year and a day. Everyone in the kingdom owed only half the usual tax, and all debts to the Royal Treasury were wiped clean. She also abolished the crop tax, which had taxed farmers for the crops they grew.

Though saddened by King Edrian's death, the people were not unduly upset, since Edrian had been the one to instate the crop tax, which had affected everyone. Ahni threw a feast to celebrate her ascension, and there made the most important announcement of all.

Standing before the amassed people, amid the sights, sounds, and smells of revelry, Ahni called for attention. Silence reigned mere moments afterward, broken only by a few who did not care what the Queen had to say.

"Good people of Valley Kingdom," she began. "I stand before you today as your rightful ruler. But a good queen rules under her own name. And so I shall give you mine, and place my trust in you. Your queen is truly named Ahnimarie kalRyal senNykos." There she paused, waiting for the news to sink in. There were whispers, some muttering, and a few shouts, but most of the people did not seem to care. "As my name implies, I am a child of the royal family, yet I was sired by the great dragon who guards our borders. From today forth, I shall be called Queen Ahni Half-Dragon, and it is a name I shall bear with pride. The great dragon is not our enemy, despite the old king's fear. Those who bear the blood of dragons may bear it with pride. Rejoice, my people, for today we enter the Golden Age of Valley Kingdom!"

With her last words, the people let loose a great cheer, and Ahni felt warm in the depths of her soul. Yet she made note of those who did not cheer, those who looked angry or away. Every ruler had her opposition, and Ahni would be no exception.

But that night, as Ahni lay in her bed, her children suckling gently, Ahni cast her eyes to the future. A future where her young would be strong, and be beloved by all the people of the kingdom.

But THAT is another story...