Dragon Blossom

End of Part 1. Birthday

Meraxes walked through the most beautiful streets of Artemia carrying some books, it was truly stimulating to be able to read again, although now her human body needed those uncomfortable crystals in front of her eyes to do it well. She was heading to the palace to fulfill her part of the bargain; she would teach Princess Erifreya everything a dragon should know. That of course included the long history of her race, it had taken her weeks to find the volumes she herself had written over three hundred years ago. These ignorant humans considered them fairy tales. What a lack of respect.

Her blue dress was already too old to continue wearing it, but now that she was a countess she could send other humans to make her new outfits like that long dress she was wearing, she had been told it was too conservative, old-fashioned, as if she cared about their opinion. She had a maid again to comb her long black hair into a bun the way she liked it, not that she liked being human, but it had its advantages. Of course, she also had annoyances like not being able to say her own name, they didn't even call her Meraxes like the humans of thousands of years ago, she was called Countess Meracina of Cormin. And although she lived in a very beautiful house and near the palace, having to walk was a nuisance.

Except maybe... for the flowers. For a dragon as big as she was, flowers hardly existed, she could only enjoy them in remote valleys where they grew by the thousands, in Artemia, almost every house had flower pots full of flowers, they were so colorful and fragrant that they made it all worthwhile.

She walked with her head held high, looking at the path above all, she had lost the habit of walking with those shoes, human customs were strange, often useless, but she was grateful to have a way to look a little taller, feeling so small was one of the worst parts of the deal. Along with the fear she had of the sky, she knew she was in the safest fortress of humans, but if the prince, or worse, the king, came looking for her...

People looked at her as she passed, she liked that, she had chosen that body centuries ago and knew it was beautiful, she would keep it young as long as she used it, she could do it for many years, and thanks to the princess perhaps indefinitely. For Meraxes had taught her mistress to stop her voracity, and even better, to give her a spark of her own fire, completely renewing her flame. When she grew up, that girl would be the perfect dragon queen, her faithful would be the strongest and most loyal thanks to that power, but for now that privilege belonged only to her. And what she would do with that infinite fire would be to have a young and beautiful human body.

The heels of her shoes were already echoing on the marble of the palace entrance when the princess approached her running in the company of that peasant brat, and apparently this time they had brought more, unacceptable.

"Miss Erifreya please, you can't expect to share your lessons with commoners every time" she lowered her head and adjusted her glasses "it's not worthy of a princess."

"But Mikorin and Koro can't read either, and we really like your stories, Lady Mera," she always said her name with that smile, she had some unknown power, she was sure; anyway, she couldn't refuse a request from her mistress, her nature wouldn't allow it, well, at least they were interested in the glorious history of dragons.

"Mph, whatever. But remember, miss, that they must behave and pay attention just like you. If they are going to participate, they will do the homework too."

Her responsibilities had grown with the needs of Mistress Erifreya, she had to teach her not only about her dragon nature, but also human customs, she was teaching her to read, then she was thinking about mathematics, history, and the nature of the world itself, subjects she knew not only from her years among humans, but also from her very long life, for her, King Alistor was a child, not very different from the mistress or her friends. The young lady, as it had seemed appropriate to call her, learned quickly and enthusiastically, she was not so sure about the other children, that is, they came with a genuine desire to learn, but especially the boy, what could a simple stable boy achieve no matter how much he read?