.Dragon's Legacy.

-2-

I almost frowned stepping into the great hall, seeing the usual  empty seat as just that, empty, but smirked as I saw who was standing with his back too me.

I sneaked over and blasted myself over him with air and yelled a simple 'boo' in his face before crash landing on my back in a half roll on my side to not hurt my spin.

"What are you doing you little rascal?" He set his fists on his hips and grinned down at me.

"Hi uncle Em!" I blasted myself up and landed on my feet, facing him. "How was your travels?"

"Great, I already gave your sisters their share of the 'bounty' so here's yours." He threw my a wrapped up bundle that I opened right away.

"Eh? A book? Nothing fancy? Uncle!" I pointed at Siera, sitting calmly at the table with a sword taller then her leaning against her seat. "She got a fucking sword."

"This will be much more fancy then her gift trust me, I know how you girls are." He ran his hand across his patchy stubble for a beard as if it was actually dense, his genes not too in his favor in terms of facial hair while uncle Eleric was as bearded as a halfman would be.

"Uncle Eleric!" I said all whiny. "I got a book!" I pointed at it while uncle Em sat down and I was the only one l standing, mother there too with Kia but they were just enjoying the show I put on. "I like the punchy punch things or the shiny cut cut stuff not boring inked paper!"

"Now now Lin, trust your uncles, they know what they are doing." Mother finally put her words in this whole mess. "If they say you will like it you will, I am sure, so come here and sit down."

I huffed and did as told, setting the leather bound book on table, taking piece of meat and setting it on my plate.

"Look what I got!" Kia shoved an gem ornate golden shield in my face.

"Not fair." I sighed but grinned down at her. "But put it down, gold it very fragile so it dents easily and not the best for shields."

"Fine." She set it down, her hair took after the head mage, a bright silver, still weird to think uncle Eleric is technically her father not her uncle but I am not about to bring it up, her hair was long, mid-back and I had braided it two days ago and was now a mess on two legs, her eyes copied the head mage too, blood red dragon eyes, a mini, much nicer, copy of her.

Siera got light brown hair with green strands here and there with brown eyes, after all she is too young to yet try to pass the dragon test where her eye color would change depending on her success, I would never have that test as I am not from this family.

Both girls wore clothes similar to those I saw in the paining with a younger mother and head mage, a green short sleeved top with a pale yellow long sleeved shirt underneath, a brown belt, the older one with black pants stuffed into brown boots and the younger white pants with black boots.

Uncle Em and the other older mages around hadn't changed their uniform and it was us newer ones that had gone with the deep red color change, uncle Eleric's outfit matching the guards' uniform while mother was in a simple green dress with long slender sleeves that cut off mid forearm.

I loved them all but deep inside I hated all this, a small nagging voice repeating that I was just taken off the streets and became blood family because of an accident, no matter how much I was told I was their child I couldn't forget that I wasn't.

"Where is Mysty?" I heard uncle Em asked and my hand stalled on my way to my mouth with a bitter taste filling it as I frowned softly, setting the piece of food back down.

"Meditating." Mother answered.

"That's all she has time for nowadays." I said with a bitter edge to my voice.

"Lin!"

"What? It's true! You can't deny it!"

"Don't talk to your mother like that." I bit back my words at her voice, the head mage, the woman that picked me off the streets herself, the oh so magnificent queen of dragon kind. "Good evening." She walked passed.

Her outfit was different from the painting, she didn't have gloves on anymore nor any type of feet-wear, pants reaching just below the knee only, something to have to do with what she couldn't.... Or wouldn't teach, hair as silver and short as it always has been in any depictions I've seen of her, with the telltale braid with those beads fitted on it still there but what was once her necklace now around my neck, the only thing I ever got from her.

The atmosphere turned colder as it wasn't a secret of my silent animosity towards her, a bitter and cold dislike that Kia was the only one young enough to not notice.

Like always, she didn't touch the meat as a white cat hopped on the table like he owned the place, I called him Soil and had been one of the litter Nix had.... I still miss her, Soil had brown specks all over him as if he had rolled around in dirt but it was his natural coat, he sat down at one of the corners of the table.

"How's training?" I wanted to remain silent a bit long so I bit a piece of bread off.
Neither of my sisters showed magic powers, the human one it is normal, mage isn't hereditary and her innate grasp on one magic like mother had on the void hadn't yet developed while the dragon one that was a bit weirder, wild magic did reside in her and sadly it affected her badly as she couldn't release it for some reason, starting to feel light headed and sick when it got too much for her body to handle, the head mage was trying to find something to help instead of the lengthy sessions of magic spells to forcefully pull it out.

That was the only thing I was jealous of towards Kia, she got all her attention while I? No matter how I tried she always gave me this look of 'you could do better'.

"It is going good."

"As it should." My eyebrow twitched, no one ever had any remark to say about the way she talked to me, like this was normal.

I said nothing else and just ate before smiling at Kia and rolling a small ball of ice at her and she rolled it back, quietly giggling.

"Stop distracting your sister Lin." I didn't roll the ball back as it hit my finger and flicked it at her, landing in the bowl of soup in front of her. "Lin stop being so childish."

"I can be how I want, damn." I breathed out.

"Language."

"I can speak how I want!" I bit back with a snap.

"You two stop, Mystery drop it and Lin dear please..." I breathed in deeply.

"Right mother." I said as I exhaled and gritted my teeth.

I picked at my food, having lost my appetite, can she ever stop picking away at everything I do? I try my hardest but it is never enough, Fin has aunt Amalia as a main teacher as their magic is similar and Fen had aunt Calypso while she, this head mage, is my main teacher, she wants me to be head mage too later on but can't she be pleased for once in her life?

"Stop playing with your food."

I stood up, slamming my palms down on the table and having knocked over my chair, head hanging and immobile as all were silent.

"I am done, thanks for the dinner it was..... Nice." I said in a cold neutral voice, turning to walk away.

"Li--" "Good night head mage Mystery to you too." I marched out with hands as fists, back pulled straight and standing tall and proud.

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When I arrived outside, I saw the night sky and only then did my shoulders relax and fall as I sighed but my teeth remained gritted.

"Why can't I ever make you proud?" I whispered into the night, glaring at the shape off the biggest and rarest elm in the land with hate, she even loved that tree more then she did me.

I took another deep breath, walking away from the castle doors.