The Bane of Everin

Chapter One

"I'm not wearing that" I growled, throwing a well stitched and designed but oversized dress at my mother. Must have cost a small fortune, a wasted fortune.

"Oh why not, you will look gorgeous" my mother pleaded, picking up the rose gown from her bed and laying it out trying to avoid wrinkling its silk and lace fabric. I could feel the dress tormenting me from my mother's doorway.

"I just came from training and my sweat would rune that beautiful luscious gown" I lied trying not to sound sarcastic even though it seemed like a good setting to do so. My mom, knowing me like the back of her hand gave me the 'really' stare lifting her eyebrow as the left corner of her mouth frowned.

"Ok i'm sorry but dresses are an eyesore. Plus i'm a Draken, I wear armor" I argued, providing a valid point but I knew it was hopeless when my mother's eyes darkened and her head fell shadowing her face.

"That's my girl" My father smiled leaning out the doorway of their bathing room giving me a thumbs up simultaneously adding a frown to my mother's face. Men got to wear armor, why couldn't I. Looking over at the tall dark haired man with a prickly chin, I nodded with a shining grin when I noticed he wasn't wearing any normal armor. He had on our family armor, a set not even I had laid eyes on before.

"Dad...why the fancy armor" I asked, taking a good look at the jagged crimson armor with the feared black dragon head carved the middle of the chest. I remember grandpa telling me the armor's designed groves were supposed to resemble a dragon's hide, good at blocking arrows. He told me that the myth of dragon scales were true but they also had rough and sawtooth armor over the thick lamina scales, that's why the shoulders had three little spikes, the middle being the biggest and the back somewhat looked like uneven layers of thick bone like structure instead of a scale pattern. I always wondered how he knew what the hide of a dragon would look like, dragons were mere myths to scare farmers from reading too far from a king's hold.

"We are going to the palace, the king requested the high table and their families" my father answered as my mouth fell. I was totaly into doing stupid actions that resault in having fun but a stupid action that would resault in death no matter what did not sound enjoyable.

"Wait, we are going to be in a room with the king. That's suicide. He's a monster" I whisper screamed as my father retreated back through the wooden doorway closing the curtains to the bathing room.

"Now you be quiet. Put on that dress and get yourself cleaned up" my mother hissed glancing out her small bedroom window making sure nobody heard me. I sighed grabbing at the dress with jerky movements. This is stupid. The kings a kid, only like three years older than me! What is he like 22, and still everyone ducks their heads and walks with their tail in between their legs because this ill mannered fool that wears a crown will kill them otherwise. Is freedom not better than living in captivity? I would give my life for freedom, I also think I would look good in a crown if I don't say so myself. I entered my room and slammed the wooden door which didn't make as much sound as I would have wished. I took my everyday iron armor off putting it on a stand and washed off before putting the waste of fabric on. I pulled the silk dress over my head with a large amount of unnecessary struggle then tightened the golden underbust corset which had an attached lace piece that went up my back and around my neck to look like a collar type necklace.

"How do women wear this?" I asked myself pulling at the dress in different places. The chest showed off more than I wanted and the large skirt was just a trip waiting to happen. Do women really feel pretty in this? Do men think this is pretty? It's petty. I groaned as I sneaked out of my room careful not to be seen by my brother and dashed to moms.

"You look wonderful" my mom smiled looking me up and down as she walked to me and began to mess with my hair. Great, just what I needed, my hair to be entangled with valley flowers my mother tried to hide from me. She pinned the sides back and put some over my shoulders with a warm smile.