Drakon

scholarly problems

{📜t e r r i s h u n t e r📜}

I hurried past at least a dozen bookshelves, fingers brushing off the dust on the spines. Where was that scroll my father had told me to find? I groaned to myself, leaning back on a bookshelf. It wobbled slightly under my weight, and I slid to the floor, still slouching. I knew I was cranky almost all the time, but this day was going absolutely disastrously.

Flashback

"TERRIS! GET UP!" I rolled over, covering my head with a pillow. According to my mental clock, it was slightly too early to wake up- I kept to a strict schedule that father should know by heart. "IT'S SIX O'CLOCK ALREADY!" What significance did six o'clock have to me? "IT'S TIME FOR YOUR GRADUATION!" Oh right. Every apprentice scholar had a mentor, and after a year they could graduate and become a full scholar, helping Knightsbridge Castle with research and decoding ancient documents. I tried to drag myself out of bed and failed, getting tangled in the blankets, eventually falling off my comfy bed. I lay on the cold marble floor for a good five minutes, pondering the problems with life. "TERRIS!"

I sighed, already pissed. "OKAY FATHER! I'M COMING!" I wriggled out of the duvet, changing as fast as I could. Scholar life sucks.

Flashback Ends

So here I was, looking for a scroll that was apparently impossible to find to those who couldn't think of the correct place. I scowled at a nearby book, but like always, books never responded. "Hello!" A bright voice chirped, interrupting my moping.

I glowered at the source. She had honey blonde curls, and she wore a shrimp pink dress. I was no expert at fashion, but she looked horrible in my opinion. Maybe it was just me being biased against dresses- I was more of a tunic and pants person.

Looking at her, I recognized her as Lady Celeste Greenswick, daughter of Duchess So-and-so Greenswick. "What do you want, your royal Highness?" I uttered sarcastically, "How may I serve you? What brings you to my humble abode?"

She giggled. "Calm down, Miss Hunter!" Oh, how I hated her. Not just her, but everyone else who giggled; her's was also girlishly high pitched. I was a girl, but I had a far lower voice.

I exploded in her face. "CALM DOWN? HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN? I'VE HAD THE WORST DAY SO FAR! I HAD TO SPEND A PERFECTLY GOOD DAY SEARCHING FOR SOME SCROLL THAT'S APPARENTLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND ACCORDING TO MY FATHER!!" I gave the shelf in front of me a good kick, and it creaked.

She took a step back, wincing at the sheer volume of my voice. "I thought this was a library, and libraries are supposed to be quiet, right? Anyway, the King has a better option for you than spending all day searching for useless pieces of paper that you can't apparently find."

I had to admit, my interest was piqued. "They aren't useless." I replied half-heartedly. "What do you want? You have five seconds to explain."

She took a deep breath. "King Felix wishes to speak with you."

"About?"

"I'm not sure, he said something about dragons and you being smart. I think he wants you to ride one because you're smart enough." I blinked. His Majesty King Felix Selwyn wanted me to ride a dragon because I was smart?

"You do realize," I drawled slowly, "that you don't have to be smart to ride a dragon, right?"

Her face fell dramatically. "Oh." Stupid. "Anyway, King Felix said something like that."

I pulled myself to my feet, grabbing one of the shelves. It creaked, and I let go immediately. "Okay, I'm coming. Go tell the king."

Celeste looked indignant. "I'm not your personal messenger!" I gestured at my clothing. She was wearing a dress nothing short of a ball gown, and I was wearing a dirty shirt. Duh. She rolled her eyes, finally agreeing. She glided off into the distance, dress swishing. Peace, at last. But not for long, unfortunately.

***

I knocked on the door of the king's study. "Your Majesty, you wish to speak to me?" I didn't give a damn about royals, their manners and what forks they used to eat what, but I had to be polite anyway.

The door opened, and I froze. The king looked haggard, dark eye circles under his dark brown eyes. They were bloodshot with a tired look to them. He probably hasn't slept for days, I realized. "Ah, Miss Hunter. You are so much like your father, in terms of looks and personality. Even in his youth he was always late, and grouchy every hour of the day."

I smiled tightly, forcing myself into a curtsy. It wasn't perfect, but it was passable. "My sincerest apologies, your Majesty."

King Felix barked a harsh laugh. "Your father is a great man, but his will is not strong enough for what I want you to do."

I furrowed my brows. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "Don't tell anyone, but I have a selection of Riders. They are in charge of protecting our kingdom from others with magic. I myself am a warlock, although most of my power has been transferred to my son when he was born." He swallowed. "My job for you is to join the riders, and take care of my son. And whatever you do, do not tell my son he is a warlock as well. Promise me, Terris. Promise me."

I gulped, taking a deep breath. This was a huge request. I spoke, my throat dry with fear and uncertainty. "I promise, your Majesty."

King Felix smiled sadly. "I would not wish to thrust such a giant responsibility on anybody, let alone a child." I had half a mind to retort that I was 17, almost an adult. "But my powers are weakening, and I feel my age with every passing day. I have taught my son all I can, but he must find his own magic when the time comes. Once again, he must not know of my magic, nor his own."

I nodded. "I understand, your Majesty." Not exactly, my subconscious whispered. "What do you wish me do now?"

He smiled thinly. "First, you should attempt and get yourself acquainted to him and his tempers. I admit, he gets that from me. Also, try to better your relationship with Celeste. I know she may be irritating at times, but please try to accept her." My eyes twitched, but I nodded anyway, curtsying again. I slipped out the door silently, leaving the king to himself.

Upon my exit, I managed to bump into the blonde and pink pest again. Even with the king's words in mind, I dodged out of the way, hoping to avoid another encounter. Just because the most powerful person in the kingdom urged me to try and befriend the most annoying girl in the world didn't mean I had to. Celeste spoke, her high pitched voice making my ears ring. "So, how was your conversation?"

I glared at her bitterly. "Just fine." I took a few steps before turning around. "It's none of your business anyway." Time to head back to searching for stupid manuscripts.

image: heather ann davis as terris hunter