The first Monday in May was a very special day in Baroque. It was one of the most celebrated feasts of the country, so celebrated that even Ralem had heard of it when he was in Redfield. The feast had sprung out sometime about a century ago and happened every first Monday in May since. Nobody except maybe Lauri and Vali knew where this celebration had come from or even why they celebrated it. Nobody cared about this lack of cause though and children across the country enjoyed the day off from school. But mostly the citizens were excited about the parade and then the grand finale featuring the prized pineapple cobbler and following procession of pineapple treats. People traveled from all over the country to witness this spectacle, to be able to eat the finest pineapples in the land or if they are lucky, to actually touch a dragon.

            But some people weren’t as hyped. One of which was Ralem, one of the Riders to perform at the Parade. “Do I seriously have to wear this… thing… on my head?” he said hefting the pineapple hat. “And what, exactly, do I have to perform?”

            Jaydon laughed, “I’m glad I don’t have to wear that.”

            “Don’t look so smug. You’re not getting out of this. You’re going to wear a lieu with pineapple slices. And as for your performance- just make something up. And be prepared for the crowd. Smile, wave, let them pet you. And when the parade is over you are to dismount and hold Jaydon’s reigns while the children are given a chance to touch a dragon. Well I need to get my own dragon ready. You two good?” Lauri, turning two hesitant thumbs up.

            “Yeah, I guess,” Ralem said, sitting down heavily as Lauri left them to their own devices. He looked sourly at the pineapple hat. “I look so stupid in this don’t I? I think this was invented just to hurt my manly pride.”

            “Well if you look at the bright side, you could probably eat it after you’re done!” Jaydon said.

            Ralem lashed out a kick in his direction but the dragon sidestepped easily, “Hey, hey, if you don’t want it I could eat if for you.”

            Ralem muttered darkly as he got his ridiculous yellow pineapple suit on, “I swear,” he said, “If Lauri wasn’t the commander-in-chief….”

            As he zippered up the suit Jaydon looked at him and started laughing at him so hard that smoke started trailing from his nostrils and tears built up in his eyes. Ralem smacked his flank, blushing furiously, “Get out of here you overgrown lizard. Go on, go!”

            Still chuckling, the green dragon disappeared through the huge door into the warm summer air. “Why don’t you close the door?” Ralem yelled after him, hopping over to the door trying to get his socks on. He swore as he put all his strength into moving the thick wood.

            “Hey, hey!” came a high falsetto voice, “Don’t kill me! I’m too young to die!”

            “What-” Ralem said before realizing he had almost shut the door on the Princess Arianna’s face.

            She swept in, her hand against her forehead in a dramatic pose, “Ralem, you almost killed me! Imagine- death by door? Completely terrifying!” she collapsed theatrically on his huge bed, her hair flung over the covers like a halo, the dark brown contrasting with the faded white.

            Ralem was surprised at her sudden dramatic fervor and decided to play along. He knelt by the bed and kissed her on her pale hand, “I beg your forgiveness, m’lady,” he said, his voice dramatically deep.

            She half opened one her eyes and glanced at him before jumping to her feet. “What are you wearing, Ralem? You look like a banana!” She started laughing hysterically as his cheeks burned up again.

            “I have to wear this. Commander-in-Chiefs orders,” he said, pulling out the pineapple, “And this is to be my hat.”

            Arianna actually frowned, “But… this is a crime to fashion! You can’t wear yellow! No offense, but it isn’t your color at all.”

            “Thanks,” he muttered.

          She circled him, groaning at what she saw, “This has got to be the worst costume I’ve ever seen. Ever. It’s tight and yellow and too small and did I say it was yellow?”

          “Yes,” he groaned, “But what can I do?”

          She pulled her eyebrows together in deep-thinking mode. Finally she perked up, “Well, Lauri never said that you couldn’t wear something over the suit! Besides, once you’re on Jaydon it’s kind of hard to see you. No offense, but Jaydon kind of attracts more attention than you.”

               “No offense taken,” Ralem said, shoving on some pants over the suit. Arianna brought one of the shirts she had bought him for his birthday and forced him to wear it. It was a long-sleeve black doublet, shiny and very flashy. Below that, black slightly puffy royal’s pants that only went a little below his knees. White socks covered the yellow underneath that. “It looks great on you. Brings out the green in your eyes and the black in your hair,” she complemented him, “A lot better than that stupid banana suit. Just make sure Lauri doesn’t see you.”

                A horn from outside.

                “The parade is starting! Get out there! And- don’t forget your pineapple hat!” she grabbed it as they made a dash for the door.

                 “Ralem!” Jaydon bellowed, swinging his great head. When he saw them running out, he sighed and bent down to let them on. He was decked out. His beautiful saddle complemented his emerald scales, and a pineapple lieu rested on his thick neck. Pineapples were even stuck on his horns and tail! A huge leather halter and lead rope hung from his head. As Ralem sat down on the comfortable saddle, he saw Arianna wave from below and he waved back, nudging his dragon to go or they’d be late. Instead, Jaydon picked up Arianna like a cat does to her kittens and slung her onto his back before sauntering over to the main road, where the parade would start.

                  “I’m not supposed to be in the parade!” Arianna cried as she was set down onto cool green scales.

                  “Of course you are, Arianna. Princesses are always the main attraction in a parade!” Ralem said, making room for her.

                   “And you couldn’t find a better mount in all the world!” Jaydon smirked, turning his head so they could see his toothy smile.

                 “True, but I’m not wearing good clothes-” She was silenced as Ralem pointed furiously downward. She leaned over the dragon’s side to find a very grumpy looking Daemon. He was wearing the full blown pineapple suit and he looked almost as bad as Ralem had. His dragon was frowning furiously, twitching his head in annoyance of the pineapple stuck on the edge of his nose. She couldn’t help it. She started laughing anew.

                  Daemon peered up with glaring blue eyes shaded by a hand, searching for the punk who had dared to laugh at him. But he couldn’t see anyone on Jaydon’s back. He kicked a stone and looked down, scowling.

                  Arianna and Ralem had been leaning over and now they both busted out in laughter. Even Jaydon started laughing and he accidentally coughed up a flame. Embarrassed, he stopped.

                  It wasn’t more than a minute before Ryan flew in, his flight goggles stuck to his face. They magnified his ever-widening hazel eyes as he set eyes on Ralem. Thistle veered sharply in their direction, looking ridiculous with his curled horns impaling two pineapples. “Where’s your”- before Thistle finished Ralem caught what he was saying. He pulled up his shiny black sleeve to reveal fluorescent yellow, a smirk on his face. Ryan made a face, “No fair!” Thistle only laughed and glided down next to Daemon.

                  And finally there was Lauri. Vali, who for once was out, her commanding presence immediately causing the other dragons to stop fidgeting. She was beautiful and massive, her curling horns devoid of pineapples. Every step she made made her tassels ripple like waves, giving an impression like she was floating. By her side, Lauri was completely serious, for once not wearing her deer leather jacket. She donned a pineapple hat but still managed to look commanding in them. Her eyes drifted over the other Riders and she gave an approving nod. Ralem dropped lower in the saddle, hoping she wouldn’t notice him. Realizing this, Jaydon folded his wings so that they obstructed Lauri’s view of them. Lauri just glanced at Jaydon real quick before giving a quick speech. “Remember everyone. Smile, wave, let them pet you, and please try your best not to squish anyone. This will be over soon, don’t worry,” she said before sliding onto Vali. “Onward!” She said, then they burst into the street.

                      Jaydon let the other dragon’s go first, and then walked out after them. The sounds of the crowd that had been buzzing annoyingly while they were behind a tall building, now reached a crescendo. People screamed and hooted and shouted at the sight of the awesome creatures. A couple people fainted. And then came Jaydon and everyone was totally dumbstruck at his sheer size and grandeur. Though Fraylon was by far the most elegant, Jaydon was the most awe-inspiring. Jaydon drank the human’s astonishment like aged wine, soaking in the admiration with a cat-like smile. Caught in the mood, he spread his great wings and nearly took out a couple rooftops. He curved his neck and raised his spikes, making him appear even larger. Those puny humans, what could they do but stare and wish they were great like him!

             Ralem only had enough time to cover Arianna’s ears before Jaydon let loose an earth-shaking roar that sent people to their knees. Along with the thunderous sound came a column of white-hot fire, shot straight into the cloudless sky like a firework.

             When the smoke cleared it found over a thousand people, bent on their knees, eyes wide as dinner plates and hands shut firmly over their ears. Jaydon was breathing heavily, a draconic smile on his face. Then he saw Vali’s stern face and immediately stopped smiling. Ralem and Arianna looked at each other. Arianna said something, but Ralem couldn’t hear it over the ringing in his ears.

              For a minute the crowd was silent, trying to recover from the blast. Then a little kid jumped up in the crowd, waving the green and blue flag of Baroke. “Yay!” he screamed, “Do it again!”

              Soon another kid jumped up and clapped, then another, and soon everyone was up cheering and laughing. Vali turned away. Jaydon felt like a suddenly redeemed mascot. His great chest heaved and gave another playful roar, baring his teeth at the world. His wings cast many of the crowd into shadow. Inflamed by his dragon’s passion, Ralem also felt the pull of great pride. He sat straighter in the saddle even though no one could see him.

                    Jaydon tried to flaunt his stuff, secretly trying to copy Fraylon’s easy gracefulness. He thought he was pretty great but due to his great size he was hardly as nimble as Fraylon. The other Rider’s smiled and waved- even Daemon. Truthfully, most of them were peeved at Jaydon for pigging up all the attention. But Lauri was not sharing those feelings. She felt a sense of pride herself as he shook the ground with every step. Yes, he was hers to command. He was the war machine of the millennia and he didn’t even know it.

                 Finally they made it to edge of the street and Lauri motioned them to dismount. Ralem just realized that this meant showing that he wasn’t wearing his pineapple costume. “Oh no,” Arianna hissed next to him. “Quick, unbutton your doublet so you can show you’re wearing it.” He nodded and slid down Jaydon’s side, landing softly on the ground. Arianna landed next to him, a little harder than she expected. She lurched forward before gathering herself and hopping to Ralem’s side. He felt the wet squelch as she smashed the pineapple onto his head. “There,” she said, “Now, go on. They’re waiting. Grab Jaydon’s halter.” Ralem quickly did so and Jaydon grunted. Why do we have to do these stupid halters? The dragon thought grumpily, I’m not a horse. I don’t need to be led around like a stupid donkey.

                      Ralem shrugged and led him onward, maybe to give the illusion that we have you under control.

                      “Prepare for the onslaught,” Lauri said in a whisper that only sharp Rider ears could hear.

                      And suddenly there were….

                      Children.

                     Not just one or two kids. But a whole screaming mob of little hands, little feet, and laughing faces. They were set loose by their parents and now swarmed to the dragons with looks of pure adoration. They flocked around the dragon’s feet, tapped their talons, sat on their tails, and asked the Riders interesting questions. Jaydon balked as the kids surrounded him, his legs locked and eyes wide. So… many… tiny people. He said, scared to death.

                        Ralem loved children but he was starting to get a little nervous too. Don’t move a muscle. He warned. Oh, he could just see it now, Jaydon taking a step and rendering a kid as flat as a pancake.

                         They’re climbing up! Jaydon yelped, Get them off me! Too many kids! All over the place!

                           Ralem saw a couple of the bravest boys climbing up him like he was a great green mountain. “Hey!” he yelled, “Don’t go up there! You have to ask for permission, kids!”

                           Downcast, the kids slid down his side.

                          Just up ahead, there was another dragon who didn’t like the crowds. Fraylon shivered under the contact of so many tiny hands and tried to jerk away but Daemon yanked on the reigns with a sharp word in Grundian. Fraylon stopped but looked like a worn cart horse refusing to go any farther, his legs pushed into the earth in front of him and his head high and away from the children’s reach. Daemon wore a smile that was several sizes too big. He never cared much for children.

                           But Thistle was having fun. Both he and Ryan talked to the kids, let them pet him and feel his parchment-like wings and he flared his frill for their enjoyment. Thistle was very careful with them and managed to keep it fun at the same time which was quite a job.

                             At the lead were Vali and Lauri. But even the rowdiest kids seemed very serious around her and reverently ran a hand through her tassels. A couple even had the guts to ask Lauri a question or two.

                            But probably the most interesting questions were directed at Ralem. Many of them he had never thought of before. Like, “Does he ever sneeze and blow down houses?” or “If we eat all our vegetables, will we be tall like you?” and one kid even said, “Does he eat bad guys?” Others he couldn’t answer. But most were like, “Is it true that dragons can talk in your head?” and “Can we talk to the dragon?” “What’s his name?”

                            A group of kids asked, “Can we have a ride?”

                            Before Ralem could answer Jaydon screamed, “NOOO.”

                             Kids screamed at the sudden bellow. Ralem bit his lip, hoping the dragon hadn’t scared them. But they just looked at each other and laughed.

                              Ralem tried to get Jaydon to talk more, but Jaydon was too freaked out to notice. The only things going through his mind was don’t. run. Over. Kids. Ralem jerked on the reigns, “Hey Jaydon, can you tell the kids something real quick?” No reply. Ralem turned back to the disappointed kids, “I’m sorry, he usually is ready to talk.”

                              “Why won’t he talk? He looks like he needs to poo,” a little girl with pigtails said.

                              “No, no,” Ralem persisted, “He’s just nervous with a lot of people around. Tell you what. How about you guys go and ask Daemon? I’m sure he’d love to get Fraylon to answer for you.” He smirked as the kids all rushed the frightened frost dragon. His smile only got bigger when a little girl asked if Fraylon was a moondeer that lost its fur.

                              Still, a couple kids stayed behind. A girl with dirty blonde hair and intense hazel eyes almost tackled his leg. “Ralem!” she hissed. He bent down so she could whisper in his ear, “Your dragon is my favorite! Don’t tell anyone, okay?” He nodded seriously, smiling as she meandered away, running a hand down Jaydon’s talons. He could have sworn he heard her say, “Nice big claws.”

                               Next was a boy, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His long eyelashes fluttered in astonishment at the big dragon and his mouth was open in a perfect “o”. Pushing him along was a tall boy, probably a relative of his. He prodded him to Ralem, and then whispered something into the boy’s ears. Still the boy said nothing. Blink. Blink. The boy sighed, “He wants to be a Rider. Do you have any advice for him?”

                          Ralem crouched so he could look the boy in the eye. “It’s a lot of discipline. But it’s a lot of fun. Finding an egg is half the battle. You’re a brave looking lad. Work hard in school, don’t be afraid to get lost in an adventure, listen to your parents, and don’t grow up,” he smiled and patted the boy’s back. The older boy smiled like thank you and they shuffled by, the boy still too in awe to say anything.

                    Several more questions later, the bugle sounded for the pineapple fest to begin. The Riders waited behind until all the children had rushed out and waited some more because a few of the adults drifted by to admire the dragons and put a shaking hand to a muscular flank. A couple serious questions and respectful bows and they were gone. Ralem liked the way they addressed him as a superior, one who was respected and admired. He felt very important as he stood there holding the reins to one of the largest creatures on earth.

                      But when the adults were gone and Ralem was able to see past the crowd, he noticed something. The whole time a painter had been there, painting a portrait of each of the dragons alongside their Riders. He could already see the finished work of Vali and Lauri, Trent and Thistle, and Daemon and Fraylon. The artist was amazing. It showed Vali and Lauri swimming underwater, flanked by a flashy array of fish. Thistle and Ryan’s were in the forest, a red cardinal perched on Ryan’s hand and Thistle’s frill extended. Fraylon and Daemon’s was in the snowy realm of Grunde. Fraylon was diving into a lake, his beautiful wings spread out around him and his head snaked around to look out at them. And as Ralem watched the painter set the last one down. This was the flashiest. It was no particular background, but a swirl of outrageous colors. In the center was Jaydon roaring, looking as scary as heck. His spikes were raised and flame was bursting forth from his maw, as hot as the fire from Tartarus. His eyes were narrowed, no pupils, just glaring green. His claws were outstretched in a battle frenzy and his wings spread out like a demon’s. He looked like a crazy wild beast. And on his back was Ralem, his black hair swept by a great wind and face mostly in shadow. But it was clear that he was yelling a war cry and his eyes were also a bright green. He was swinging a sword over his head, just daring anyone to come against them. His clothes were primitive, even worse than peasant clothes, just to show how poor he had been. Shirt ripped to tatters, pants cut over the knee, and blood staining the little clothes he had left. It was terrifying.

                              Arianna, who was trying to fix his pineapple-slathered hair on impulse, saw him staring at it and followed his gaze. She nearly jumped in surprise, “Woah, woah, woah, hold it! Is that you?”

                             “I guess so,” Ralem whistled, “Is this really what they think of me? The barbarian peasant that drinks the blood of his enemies?”

                             “I don’t know, I think I look pretty awesome,” Jaydon said approvingly, “Except for my scales. That could be a bit brighter.”

                                Ralem glared at him. Then he sighed, “Why couldn’t I have gotten a nice one like Lauri and Vali? I mean, it could’ve been the kind you’d want to put up in your room. Like Jaydon and I gliding over the forest, Jaydon smoking his happy smoke with a smile and me actually dressed like a proper human being. Or just his head and me scratching his chin. But that? If I hang that up in my room I’ll have nightmares!”

                               Arianna laughed, “You know, I kind of like it.” He shot her a glance. “I mean, just look at you, you look so manly on there, your sword raised and that ‘Aaargh!’ look on your face!” she squinted her eyes and pretended to wield a sword.

                                “So you like the pirate look? Well, I’m sure I have accomplished that a few times,” he laughed.

                                “You actually have,” Arianna agreed, “Like after you ran in with that scorpion thing, and you looked even worse when you came back from... Now that I think about it, I didn’t like that look at all. But you just looked the pirate part. You didn’t look angry, like that.”

                                When Ralem thought about it, he didn’t think Arianna had ever seen him really angry, with the exception of that time in Vulnaire when she had almost gotten kidnapped by her own kinsman and Ralem killed several men, but she hadn’t seen much of that and she was dazed. “You’ve never seen me when I’ve been in a rage,” he said softly.

                                “You? In a rage? That’s hard to believe. You’re as soft as a Divotten calf,” she teased.

                               Jaydon nodded, “When he gets in a rage it puts that picture to shame. It’s not scary to me, but it’s scary.”

                               “Pretty much,” he said, thinking of his fight with Kat and the way he had mowed through all those Grundian braves. “I hate it when that happens.”

                                “Well,” Jaydon said, “All those scary kids are gone and the pineapple upside down cake is about to be served. I better go!” Before Ralem could say a word, the halter was yanked out of his hands and the dragon turned swiftly into a human, mixing in with the crowd.

                            “But, you’re supposed to wear a halter the whole time!” he called weakly to his dragon’s retreating form. No reply. He shrugged at Arianna, “Let’s go. I better catch him before Lauri finds out, and we have some business to attend to.” Right as Arianna was about to ask him what kind of business he had to attend to, a brunette with a flashy yellow dress and matching fan walked up to him, giving Arianna the stink eye. “Speaking of the devil,” he said under his breath as he managed a tight smile. “Hello,” he said warmly, “Can I help you with something?”

                           The lady smiled and her fan flashed faster, “Oh, a dance partner would be nice. You did agree to take me, did you not?” Arianna looked at Ralem with narrowed eyes that clearly meant, you know this woman? Ralem raised an eyebrow like, jealous? She turned her head away with a frown. He turned to the heavily powdered woman, “I’m sorry but I did not. That was my dragon, Jaydon, who agreed to dance with you. If you want to, I could lead you to him. He’s not too far and I’m sure he’d love to dance.”

                            The lady’s jaw dropped, “You mean, I’ve been talking to a dragon this whole time!” Tears welled up in her buggy brown eyes and made Ralem cringe. “No wonder he didn’t listen to me! I thought he wasn’t listening! My friends all told me he was bad news, but did I listen? No!” Mumbling some indiscernible, she took off crying into the crowd.

                              Arianna watched her go, disgust crinkling her nose, “Jaydon asked that girl to go dancing with him? He must like the big, slobbery type.”

                             Ralem let out a deep breath, “No. He doesn’t care for human women much at all. I just realized last night that he said yes to get them off his tail. When he’s out shopping, he’s made quite a few friends. I don’t know how, I doubt he even talks to them. But they’ve been giving him necklaces and even worse, their embroidered handkerchiefs. I don’t know what they see in him.”

                              “They must be pretty desperate,” Arianna agreed, then turned to him with a slight smile, “But he is a pretty handsome when he’s a man.”

                              “Thanks,” Ralem said.

                               “I wasn’t talking about you,” Arianna teased, shoving him playfully.

                               Ralem and Arianna plowed through the crowds, avoiding any potential persistent woman’s gaze like the plague. He dashed to the tasting room, where he was met by a bustling room full of royals, who were able to taste first. It was hard to sift through the wide array of fat, pompous, skinny, flamboyant, and  long-nosed royals to pick out a single human-sized dragon. But luckily Jaydon was several inches taller than most people, and as he straightened to move to the next table, Ralem caught sight of his black hair. For a second it struck him as weird to be looking for his own face in a crowd, but he just mentally shrugged. There was a lot to get used to when you’re a Rider. Remembering Arianna, he bit his lip. He didn’t want to have her witness the embarrassing fight that was undoubtedly to start when Ralem forced his dragon to apologize. He turned to her, “Hey, I need to sort some things out with Jaydon. How about you try out the pineapple cake? I’ll be right with you.” She nodded and dropped back.

                               Ralem approached the dragon and tapped his back as he was trying out the cake. Jaydon spun around, a fork held as a weapon in his hand. For anyone around, it was shocking just how identical they were. It was like a man looking in the mirror. They both had the same clothes, same pineapple slathered impromptu Arianna hairstyle, and same height. The only difference was that Jaydon’s face was half covered in crumbs. Seeing it was only his Rider, Jaydon shoved the pineapple that was impaled on his fork into his mouth. Ralem looked unimpressed. Don’t think I have forgotten that you need to apologize, he thought sternly.

                                Jaydon scowled. I’m not going to apologize.

                                Yes you are.

                                Two identical faces glared at each other. Jaydon folded his arms tightly to his chest. Ralem lowered his eyebrows, working hard on his dragon’s mind and using just a tad bit of Rider hypnotism. Jaydon fought hard against it. You could see it in the way his muscles clenched, the indention on his cheeks as his jaw tightened, and the rock-hard gaze. Jaydon did not like to apologize. In fact, most dragons hate to apologize to anyone but the few chosen people they love.

                                  People gave them wide berth. They stood there for five whole minutes, not moving, neither backing down or saying a word. A couple rich kids thought they were ornamental statues and tried to poke the dragon. When he hissed, they jumped back with a scream.

                                   The thing that broke them from the stare-down happened to be a very indignant lady. Swinging her purse around angrily, she tapped Ralem’s back with long red nails. He turned to find a beautiful young lady, her hair long and beautifully blonde and curly. A fur coat adorned her sloped shoulders even though it was hot outside. Long gloves covered petite hands. “My dear beloved, I believe if we do not hurry, we will miss the first dance! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” she tittered in a nasally, royal voice.

                                  “Oh, I’m sorry. This must be a misunderstanding. He asked you out,” he said, grabbing Jaydon by the arm before he could make his escape. He yanked the dragon by his side. The lady looked unfazed. “Of course he did. I was just testing you, dragon.”

                                   “No. He’s the dragon. He has been this whole time.”

                                   A moment of silence as it sunk in. “You! You lied!” the lady screamed, and her purse whipped out like a viper to strike Jaydon in the face. Jaydon grabbed the bag mid-air, a snarl on his face. “Oh! Now you’re going to take my bag! Guards! Guards!” she screamed like a chicken with her head cut off. Jaydon chucked it back at her and it hit her in the chest. Then, urged by the hypnotism, he about burped up an apology. Disgusted, the woman ran out of the room.

            This was the first of many very dramatic, very tiring apologies. It was not pleasant for either dragon or Rider. Girls slapped the dragon, hit him with their fans or purses, and one even kicked him in the shin. It didn’t hurt him a bit, but was really quite annorung. And even worse, the crying. Realizing that your partner to dance was actually a dragon was horrifying to every single girl he had quote-on-quote ‘apologized to’. It was not so much that they wanted Jaydon, but wanted the honor and status of dancing with a Rider (and the fame that would surely come with it). But luckily for the dragon, most of the ladies did not want their jewelry back. He patted the necklace under his shirt happily.

 By the time there was one last girl, Ralem was exhausted. Jaydon found her on the sidelines, sipping from a cup. She had curly brown hair and deep hazel eyes. She wore something simple yet beautiful that brought out her tan, distinctly peasant skin. She looked up and smiled as they approached. “Hello Rider, dragon.”

             Ralem smiled weakly, “I’m sorry, but we need to talk to you about something.” She nodded. “You see, Jaydon is the one who agreed to dance with you. The problem is… he’s a dragon.” He said bluntly, ready for the girl to throw a punch or start crying. A muscle in Jaydon’s neck twitched as he slurred out a hesitant, “Sorry.”

             But instead she just nodded, “Of course. I knew that. Ready for the dance, Jaydon?”

            Ralem blinked, “You wanted to dance with him?”

           “Of course I did. That’s why I asked. It’s for the experience. What girl can honestly say they have danced with a dragon and lived to tell the tale?” she said cheekily, getting to her feet and extending a hand.

            Well said, Ralem thought. Jaydon gave a desperate glance like, do I HAVE to dance with this human girl?

          Ralem nodded. Jaydon huffed and grabbed her hand, leading her to the dance floor. You have to be careful with her. Don’t hurt her. Dance like Arianna taught me. Try your best. You know you deserve this.

           Jaydon’s only reply was a growl.

          Ralem rolled his eyes and started to make his way to the food table when a familiar voice said, “I’ve been waiting for you.” He turned to find Arianna, a glass in hand and a slight frown on her face.

           He ran his hand through his hair nervously, then quickly snapped it out when he felt how sticky it was. “Oh, I ditched you, didn’t I.”

            Yes. You did,” Arianna said. But she couldn’t manage to stay mad for long. “But now that it’s on the last few songs, we need to do your pre-test.”

           “Pre-test?” Ralem asked, relieved that she wasn’t ticked at him.

            “Yes. You need to practice your dancing. Come on; take my hand, my lord.”

            “Of course, m’lady,” he replied, trying out the nasally tone of a royal and dipping exaggeratingly to his knee to kiss her hand. “May I have the pleasure of a dance?”

              “I would be delighted,” Arianna replied, reverting to the annoying royal tone. He got to his feet and led her out to the dance floor. The Grand Ballroom was huge, with gorgeous paintings and wide arches complete with immense Greek columns. Over a hundred dancers bowed and twirled to the beautiful melodies streaming from the string quartet in the center. Boots and heels clicked against the white marble. The light hum of people talking flowed with the music.  Ralem got into position, feeling very accomplished as they started out in a light waltz. Right about now he was very thankful that, although he had not achieved the gracefulness of the other Riders, he was still much more lithe than most humans. He put all his energy into measuring his steps, remembering what the steps were to be, and how to twirl her just right. The next song was harder than he had done so far and Arianna had to help with a nudge or an almost indiscernible movement.

                              Soon they were attracting attention from the other dancers. The Princess could dance, but who was that man dancing with her? He was so smooth and intense on his movements and he was dressed like a true-blooded royal. Whispers from nearby city-folk told their distant neighbors that he was in fact, the new Rider.

                               But what really took the cake for the most entertaining dance would have to go to Jaydon and his dance partner. To give him credit, he tried for the sake of his Rider. But he was a little too…. Much for dancing. It was like trying to get a huge destrier to pull a small goat cart. Jaydon was too full of raw energy to handle fragile humans in such trivial things such as dancing. He could be gentle, but he was also angry at having to dance with a human when he could be eating pie. So, at the time when he was supposed to lightly throw her in the air, he accidentally threw her too hard. All around the room heads turned, including Ralem and Arianna, as a young woman flew over the crowd with a light scream. Her dress flew about her like a flower, and she seemed suspended there for a moment. Well, actually she was. Realizing his mistake, Jaydon was holding his hands over his head, eyes blaring in concentration. An instant air floor was created under her. She laughed as he slowly descended her and deftly caught her up in strong hands.

                              Ralem grinned down at Arianna, an idea popping up behind his fascinating eyes.

                             She laughed mischievously, “I’m not sure I like that look.”

                             “I’m going to try something new,” he said roguishly, “You ready?”

                             “Am I ready?” she scoffed, “Are you kidding? I was born ready.”

                            He looked at her strangely for a second. Finally he said, “You are a strange Princess, Arianna.”

                            She rolled her eyes, “Please. I’m enjoying not having to act royal. It’s a bore.”

                            “Don’t change.” Ralem said simply. Then he said, “Hold on.”

                            “What?” she asked, then she felt the floor come out under her. She looked down at her dress, fluttering just a few inches over the marble. Then she looked up, smiling. “You’re… doing this?” Ralem nodded, his tongue between his teeth. Then she felt the air floor wobble and she almost fell backwards. “Sorry,” he apologized as he reached out a hand and steadied her, “Give me a second. I’ve got this.” It was a lot of work to keep two people suspended in the air, and he was forced to tap into the dragon’s power. Jaydon didn’t even notice.

                           Up and up they went, until they were floating just a foot over people’s heads. Empowered by his dragon, Ralem was able to make a solid floor underneath him, but the cost of that was his blinding eyes that made Arianna shy away from eye contact. He smiled as he led her into the next dance. “I don’t like bumping into people.”

                             As she put her hand on his shoulder, she said, “Ralem! You’re making a scene!” He looked at her, trying to gauge her expression to see if he had made a mistake. She just smiled, “I like it.” Arianna herself wasn’t one to shy from attention. “Let’s dance.”

                              And they did. Soon the air floor became a subconscious action, he didn’t even have to focus on it. He felt it slowly draining his energy, but he leaned heavily on Jaydon.

                               Even though he wasn’t the best dancer, Arianna found this was the greatest dance she ever had in her life. She lost herself in the dance, cavorting around him like an exotic butterfly, her hands sometimes over her head, at others dipping to take his hand. They seemed to move as one, their dance elegant and purely imaginative. The music filled their ears and hearts and were mirrored by their body movements. The crowd edged to the side, tapping a merry tune to the music. And suddenly they were dancing a jolly peasant dance, one that Ralem knew and Arianna just played along with. They laughed and clapped along, their legs moving swiftly and theirs shoes clicking against a hard wall of air. Clap, clap, hook arms and capered around each other in a playful half circle. Then they’d stop again and he’d swing her around, laughing the whole way.

                           Suddenly they realized the song had ended to find Arianna close to his chest, drawing in for her to twirl him in the air. They stopped abruptly.

                          A slight pause.

                        Then cheering and clapping rang out from the impressed crowd. Ralem laughed a little and blushed, taking a step away. She laughed too, but looked up into his dimming eyes and for a split second Ralem could have sworn he saw something more in them. She turned away, frightened by the intensity of the look. “Oh, hear that?” she said, and Ralem’s heart fell at the sudden change of subject. “The famous peach cobbler is to be unveiled in a minute! We have to be there!”

                          “Oh. Yes. We should,” he said softly, smiling weakly. He was just starting to realize something that had been pushing on the back of his mind for the last two songs. It was a slight stomach ache, something like an ominous cloud that promised to get worse as the day progressed. I’ll just not get any cobbler, he thought to himself. Slowly he lowered himself and her to the ground, reaching the marble with only a light jolt. “So, how did I do? Was it worth the wait?”   

                                She looked up at him, her face shining with sincerity, “Brilliant. You’ve got a well-earned ninety five percent.”

                                 “Only ninety five?”

                                 “Well I took five points off because you missed a couple steps,” she said mock-sternly.

                                 “Oh, come on. I totally deserved a hundred percent. Now what other dance partner can get you dancing on the clouds?” he teased.

                                “Technically, we weren’t in the clouds,” she sniffed, although there was a twinkle in her eyes. “And-”

                                “ANNOUNCING THE PRIZED PINEAPPLE COBBLER!” An announcer screamed. They looked up to find a balding man with beady eyes and a big strawberry nose standing before a veiled table. In front of the veil rested a note that read, DO NOT EAT. Everyone fell silent as he gave the history of the pineapple. Ralem kind of tuned it out, and Arianna pretended to listen attentively. Finally the announcer finished with, “And now, to test Cook Rhonda’s delectable twenty-pound cobbler of authentic pineapple, grown here in Baroke.” And with a smattering of applause, he drew open the curtains to reveal…

                                The cobbler. Or what’s left of it. Most of it was gone, ripped apart like a dog had gotten to it. Only a little crust and a sad piece of pineapple was left. The crowd drew in a sharp breath as the announcer turned red. “WHO DID THIS!” he yelled in his famous bullhorn voice. People glanced at their neighbors, wondering who would have the audacity to eat a whole twenty pound cobbler.

                              A groan from under the table.

                              “Get him out!” the announcer yelled to the nearest guards, who grabbed the person under the table and shoved him out into the sharp glares of the hungry people. Ralem tried to see who it was but the person was on the ground and the people’s heads in front of him were blocking his view. He felt a sharp twang of anxiety. Who could possibly eat a twenty pound cobbler? He gulped. He knew who could.

                              “Explain yourself!” came the voice of the announcer, “How dare you eat the whole cobbler? How could you eat it? Did you have friends?”

                             “Leave me alone. I have a tummy ache,” came the reply. The second the words rang into the air Ralem knew who it was. He tried to blend into the crowd and Arianna gave him a knowing look, all the while trying to hide her giggles.

                             “No, I will not leave you alone!” the announcer cried, “You have destroyed the yearly ritual of the cobbler! Why on earth did you eat it?”

                             “The sign said taste testing,” Jaydon replied, “But that cobbler wasn’t good at all. It’s being mean to my poor belly.” There was sadness in his voice, like wondering why something so delicious could be so mean to him.

                            The announcer seemed to swell with fury, as did the crowd, “You will be punished, young man! There was no such sign anywhere around here!”

                            Jaydon pointed at the sign that read DO NOT EAT. “That sign says so. The one right by it.”

                           And suddenly there was Lauri, appearing out of the sea of faces to whisper to the announcer, who quickly nodded and looked a little frightened. He relayed the news to the crowd that another cobbler was to be made. When the crowd was appeased, Lauri crouched by the groaning dragon. “You really can’t read can you?” She stated, shaking her head sadly at the scene. Jaydon only clutched his stomach tighter. She made a tsk tsk sound. “I’ve put this off long enough. You two start reading lessons tomorrow. Remind your Rider. I’ll schedule a tutor to visit you after dinner. And… don’t go around eating people’s pies okay? Just some advice.”

                              Jaydon, who had only been half-listening, suddenly caught the scent of his retreating Rider. “Ralem!” he screamed frantically, “Ralem, help me! I’m dying!”

                               Ralem shut his eyes and his face tightened. He tried to sink into the crowd. Please stop, he prayed, please, please don’t embarrass me now.

                                Lauri brushed by him, “You better pick your dragon up before he sets fire to the Grand Hall. Didn’t I tell you to keep him on a halter, outside? Dragons are not allowed in this place, you should know that. Now, go gather him up, he’s going to start crying.”

                                Ralem bit his lip and nodded with a terse “yes, ma’am’. Taking a deep, steadying breath he walked back through the crowd to meet his dragon. Jaydon gave a grim smile when he saw him, but his face was noticeably green (and covered in pineapple). “Good you came. Where’s Arianna? I need to see her before I die.”

                                 Arianna slipped out from behind him, “I’m right here. And don’t worry, you’re not going to die. It’s just a tummy ache.”

                                 “Yes,” Ralem said grumpily, “Now get up before you embarrass me further.”

                                 Jaydon pushed himself a foot off the ground with one hand, but then dropped quickly back down like a beached whale. “I’m gonna frow up,” he moaned.

                                 Ralem and Arianna looked at each other, their eyes carrying one simple message. “Oh rrashkavisk,” he cursed as Jaydon’s cheeks inflated. A small wisp of smoke drifted from his nose. Arianna about screamed, “GO!” Ralem dropped to a knee, scooped the dragon up with a grunt, and after hefting his full body weight, he started fast walking to the door. Now that they were so close, Ralem could feel a sympathetic pain of the stomach ache. And boy, was it a bad one.

                               Arianna went in front, clearing out a path, screaming unashamedly for people to get out of the way. “MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY! SICK DRAGON COMING THROUGH!” This would’ve been kinda funny if Ralem wasn’t so embarrassed and scared. In his arms, Jaydon was looking even greener than before, and a flash of flame was just muffled by his fingers. Ralem felt the heat on his cheeks and looked away, eyes watering. “Hang in there, Jaydon. You’re going to be okay. Don’t throw up. We’re almost out.”

                               Jaydon nodded, this time the cough was more inescapable. A blast of fire exploded from his mouth and a small tongue just barely touched the huge Baroke dragon tapestry. That was just enough to set the thing on fire, and as the crowd watched with growing apprehension, the smoke puffed and thickened on the crest’s blue tail. “Oops,” Jaydon managed, along with another burst that almost singed his Rider’s eyebrows off.

                                  Ralem burst through the final door, mowing a lady over in the process, and about threw the dragon ten feet away onto the cobblestones. As the dragon hit the ground on all fours, they heard screams inside that the huge tapestry, was indeed burning. Jaydon, oblivious to all but the great pain in his stomach dragged himself to the fountain and leaned over the rim, letting loose a huge stream of white hot fire.

                                  Ralem grabbed a young man’s cloak with an apology, dipped it into the now-boiling fountain, and ran as fast as he could back inside. The smoke was so thick now that he could barely see, and he started thrashing the fire desperately with the wet cloak, but it hardly made a difference. Now the fire was edging dangerously close to the fluttering tapestry of the King and Queen… he could see it now. The castle up in flames, and teary-eyed nobles recounting how a dragon had overdosed on their prized pineapple cobbler and blew up the whole palace. Realizing that there was nothing he could do, he started to help the frightened royals out of the grand hall, coughing from the smoke. As he ushered a lady out the door he felt a warm hand tighten around his. “Ralem, get out. There’s nothing we can do.”

                                  “Arianna! You’re not supposed to be in here, get out,” he coughed.

                                 Suddenly she screamed by his side, “My dress- it’s on fire!”

                                A searing blast of cold.

                                Ralem was just able to see something outline the smoke, two blue orbs in the darkness. Then another pair joined him and suddenly the temperature was well below zero. As Ralem felt his body functions slow, the air in the room went stagnant and black spots paraded across his vision. He sank to his knees.

                               Within seconds, the stagnant air and the freezing temperatures were enough to kill the fire.

                                Outside, Jaydon was wiping his mouth free of the liquid fire and watched the fountain bubble with new heat. He gave a great sigh and relaxed against the fountain, “I feel better now.” Then he smelled the smoke in the air and the chill in his bones. “What?” he said lightheadedly. “Holy smokes,” he breathed as he realized he was the reason the palace was on fire. “I had an accident. That’s embarrassing. Well, there’s only one good way to get a fire out, it’s to blow it out.” He raised his palms towards the palace.

                                 Inside, a fierce wind blew the smoke out and into the acid sunshine. The smoke was not only drawn from the building, but Ralem and Arianna and a poor duchess’s lungs, and they replaced it with fresh, clean air. Daemon appeared, his dragon alongside, about frozen stiff. His mouth itself was glowing a slight blue, and as his lungs gave up their breath to this strange new wind, they could see his icy tinged breath. Arianna stood shocked, her dress whole yet not untarnished. Ralem’s shirt was half burned and he hadn’t even realized it. But worst of all was the tapestry, which had been all but razed. Luckily, Daemon had saved their butts before the King and Queen’s could be touched, and only the edges were a slight bit frayed. After a quick look-over it was verified that nothing except for a small pineapple upside down cake was harmed and the party was free to go on. Some of the ladies were shaken, but most took it in good sport, thinking of it as an interesting mix-up to the dance.

                                 Daemon stepped up to Arianna, taking her hand in his own. “Are you well, Princess?”

                                Arianna nodded violently, “Yes. Please, let go of me. Your hand is freezing.”

                            Daemon smiled tightly and his joints cracked as he flexed his frozen muscles, “Yes. Of course. Beg your pardon.”

                            As Ralem gave her a questioning smile Jaydon walked in. Most of the time Jaydon walked in with his chin up and back straight, enjoying looking down at people. But now was one of the rare circumstances that he was actually embarrassed and he slunk in, head down and shoulders hunched. He slid behind his Rider so he was hidden from view. Sorry.

                            Daemon laughed, “Just like I thought. He tried to set the palace on fire, didn’t he? It’s a good thing I was here or it would’ve been a lot worse. Thanks to you two, Lady Arianna could’ve gotten killed or seriously injured.”

                            Ralem pursed his lips. For once Jaydon didn’t even defend himself.

                           “Please. Not here,” Arianna hissed.

                           “Can’t you see it, Arianna? He is a danger to himself and the people around him!” Daemon gestured at Jaydon, but it looked like he was pointing to Ralem. “If you continue spending so much of your time with them you are just bound to get hurt or worse. Why take the risk?”

                          “Because it’s a risk worth taking,” Arianna said hotly, “You’re not my father, Daemon. Stop acting like it!”

                           “I am aware of that, but I am also aware that I am sworn to protect you!” Arianna turned her head away. Daemon thought the warmest thoughts he could think of and gently led her away, to the servant closet. “Where are you taking me?” she asked nervously. Ralem gave her questioning look. She shook her head as if to say I’m ok. Then their gaze was cut as Lauri stomped in front of him, hands on hips.

                          Daemon escorted her into the closet and closed the door after him, leaving only the light coming from his eyes and the smallest bit streaming from the sides of the door. Arianna almost tripped on a broom as she edged away from him and his burning cold. Apparently they were in a broom closet.  “Sorry,” he apologized, “It’s going to be a little cold in here to keep my little light on. But I have to get this across to you, Princess. No matter how much fun you’re having here, no matter how much you like this place, it’s not your home. And that wind dragon and his Rider, they are endangering your life. Arianna, your life is not just special because it’s yours. You have people, thousands of them, waiting for you in your real home. Waiting for the return of their Princess and future Queen. You can’t just give up your people’s wellbeing for the sake of living in this northern paradise with that peasant boy.”

                          “And why not?” Arianna tested.

                          “Arianna!” Daemon almost yelled, “I can’t believe you!” The room fell another ten degrees.

                         “And I can’t believe you either!” she snapped back, “Telling me what to do, how to live. It’s my life, Dae!”

                         “Don’t be so selfish!” Daemon said, “It’s not your life! Your life belongs to your people and your country! You need to go back and you know it!”

                          Arianna grappled for the door, “I’m getting out of here, Daemon. I’ve had enough.” An ice-cold hand grabbed her wrist. She jerked her hand free and fell backwards, hitting the wall with her back.

                          Daemon’s voice came again, smooth and enticing. “Arianna, just think of how Grunde will be without you. Think of your brother’s ruling. He would work the people to the ground with his harsh taxes and commands. Our country would be crippled and weak, open to attack. And he would probably be killed by someone of his own race, thus ending the Shiron line. Is that what you want? The mountains to be destroyed for want of gold, prey fleeing from the pursuit of hungry Grudians, going to bed every night with empty stomachs? Is that really what you want, Arianna?”

                    Arianna felt a lump grow in her throat. She knew her brother. She knew his rages and fits, his unruly behavior and ruthless attitude. Was it right of her to leave her country to that fate?

                    After a slight silence to make sure it had sunk in Daemon continued, “Arianna, I’ve sent a letter to Grunde, explaining that you’re here.”

                    “You wouldn’t!” Arianna cried.

                     “Yes I would. And I did,” Daemon said, “They are expecting you in a week’s time. We are to set out the day after tomorrow, early in the morning. We will take the fastest ship across the ocean. You have one day to decide. I have an entourage ready for you, a whole welcoming team to assist you home, where you belong. And I have just gotten permission from the Commander-In-Chief. I will be gone all tonight and tomorrow, but I will be going with you on your journey. What say you?”

                     Arianna tried to calm down her frantic breathing, “Let me out.”

                     “What?”

                     “I said, let me out!” Arianna about yelled, and as Daemon twisted the knob, she rocketed out of there, rubbing her arms fervently. She ran outside, into the warm summer air, trying to get the chill out of her bones and her heart. She nearly bumped into Ralem, who looked at her concernedly, “Are you okay?”

                    She looked at him, but as she tried to talk her lip began to quiver. Daemon had trapped her. She had to make up her mind. And now, seeing the best friend she had ever had, it just tore her apart. The question was, it was either him or her country and in her heart she knew who she was going to pick. She stumbled backwards into Jaydon. “Hey,” Jaydon said as he nudged her with a huge dragon head, “What’s wrong?”

                    “I don’t want to talk about it right now,” Arianna stuttered, suddenly feeling sick. Then she turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

                         Ralem turned to Jaydon, and then they both looked as Daemon waltzed out of the doors, whistling a merry tune, hands in pockets.

                          A fanned green tail shot in front of his face.

                          Ralem stomped up to the other Rider, suspicion etched on his face. “What did you tell Arianna that made her so upset?”

                           For once, Daemon only smiled in a way that annoyed both of them. Fraylon walked up close behind him, resting his head by his Rider’s shoulder. Daemon nodded at Ralem, “Hope you enjoyed a dance with her tonight. That’s probably the last one you’ll ever have. Goodbye, Ralem.” He said, and then he swiftly mounted Fraylon and exploded in the sky.

                            Jaydon felt like blasting them out of the air, but Ralem only felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, and it was not because they had been sentenced to a week of doing the dishes and slashed pay. “What was he talking about?” he said softly.

                             Jaydon growled deep in his throat. “He’s probably just being errrikim as usual.”

                              Ralem watched the light blue dragon swoop low over the roof top with dreadful certainty that something bad was about to happen.