Dragon Queen: Book One-Scarlet Reign

Chapter Twenty-Three -Magic Lesson

"Well this is certainly a strange sight." A tall Koanan woman with her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail peered into the cave, scratching her chin. She wore neat, sophisticated clothing, her silver knee-high dress fitting her form perfectly. A streak of copper laced through her bangs.

"High Chieftess Arwista, I f-found them like this!" The lady who had ran from the cave had come back, bringing the ponytailed woman with her. "The dragon that was captured is now a boy! And it seems Aelwen has something to do with it! Ms. Arwista, please, this is highly suspicious, I've always suspected Aelwen may not be what she seems-"

"Princess Aelwen, it is a pleasure to meet you." The woman gave a quick bow. "I give my deepest apologies for never introducing myself to you sooner. I am High Chieftess Arwista, as Reya here has already revealed. I have been excruciatingly busy as of late, but I am pleased to finally have made your acquaintance." She gave a beaming smile. "I try to make a point of getting to know my potential Royal allies."

"Oh, uh, thank you Miss. It is nice to meet you as well," Aelwen said anxiously.

The food delivering woman, Reya, looked from Arwista to Aelwen, her face a mix of confusion and fear. "Ah-ah, Ms. Arwista-"

"Thank you for telling me, Reya. Your presence is no longer needed." Arwista brushed dust off of her dress.

"Yes, malady," Reya said as she hurried off, her face red.

Arwista faced the two Shifters in the cave, peering in curiously. "So what in the world happened here? How is the little dragon now human?"

"He was never claimed by Cainen, as I suspect is true for most if not all of the dragons. I was able to convince him to transform." Aelwen looked down to see the prince fumbling as he tried to fish the cage keys out of her pocket. She slapped his hand away.

"L-let me oouut!" The prince ordered. "You prooamisssed!"

Aelwen glanced back at Arwista. "I also told him I would try to convince the encampment to let him free if he managed to do it." She smiled nervously.

The prince was struggling in Aelwen's arms, so she let him go, which led to him rolling back onto the ground. He writhed there for a bit, trying to figure out how to move properly. He glared at Aelwen all the while.

"His arm will need tending to once again, as the brace no longer fits," Aelwen added.

Arwista tapped her chin. "Hmm. I suppose in human form he is not nearly as dangerous. Having him be able to interact with us freely would be very beneficial. We'd need to make sure to always have an eye on him, and that he stays in human form."

"How do we do that?"

"Whaat are you taaaelking abouut? You can't mmaek me staaii hooman!"

Arwista snapped her fingers, and a metal box in the very back corner of the cave snapped open. Inside were thick circlets of metal. With a swift motion of her fingers, one of them flew toward the prince, opening and then shutting tightly around his neck.

Aelwen froze in shock as she watched the prince tug at it with his good arm as he roared angrily. He attempted to Shift back to dragon form, but the collar was so tight and strong it would not allow any change in neck thickness. The prince began to cry.

"Isn't this a little barbaric...?" Aelwen bit her lip.

"Quite so. But it is necessary," Arwista sighed. "Do not hold too much fear. These collars are specifically intended for this purpose, and will not chafe him, nor allow him to breath fire." She folded her fingers together. "Now, I will go fetch Beveri to patch up his arm. Please stay with him until then, I will be back shortly." She pulled out a small notebook and scribbled in it furiously.