Recess came after what had seemed like an endless lesson.

Two guards escorted Carmine wherever she went. The SkyWing princess had not agreed to it, but her mother had not asked her opinion on the matter anyway, which made expressing it quite futile.

She stood in the courtyard, bored. Waiting for something to happen.

Which did, after a few moments of looking around.

Carmine recognized two dragons in the courtyard. She walked to them, smiling, her wings slightly open.

"Jay! Copper! I'm so happy to see you here!" She said, her voice warmer than usual.

Jay and Copper were the son of an important noble and of a General respectively. Carmine would have recognized them anywhere: Jay's red scales were very pale, contrasting his bright scarlet eyes and tourmaline tailband, while Copper was a deep russet, nearly bronze, with striking orange eyes and wings.

Carmine had met them during a royal banquet, and they had quickly bonded over several things.

She was so very glad to see some familiar faces here too.

But Copper seemed to shift uncomfortably when she saw her, while Jay whispered something quickly to her.

"Greetings, Carmine," Jay said, in a weird mix of posh and friendly.

"I didn't know you would be joining Pyre High," Copper added, elbowing Jay.

"Ah, they're embarrassed. They don't know how to act around me because here I'm a princess, not their friend," Carmine thought, a little disappointed. Nevertheless, she kept her smile.

"I didn't either. Mother let Gust retire, as he was getting frailer and weaker with age, that poor soul. So now I'm here. I would have told you if I had had a chance to," She explained, sitting down next to them "Sorry."

Jay and Copper looked even more worried now.

"Wait. I apologized. Argh, moons! Of course, now they're uncomfortable,"

"What were you talking about? Before I came, I mean," The princess asked, in an awkward attempt to break the silence.

Jay smirked, which signaled to her that her attempt had been successful. "We were discussing Copper's crush for DUSK!" He half-shouted, obviously trying to attract someone's attention.

Copper was too late to shush him, as a deep crimson-scaled and golden-striped SkyWing, who was standing in another group a few meters away, turned around as he heard his name being called.

Copper ducked behind Jay's wing and raised her head only when she was sure that he wasn't looking anymore.

She then proceeded to efficiently knock Jay off his feet with a powerful blow, surprising Carmine as well.

"Copper's always been stronger than most. I couldn't really expect anything different from the daughter of General Peak," the princess recalled.

General Peak was known for his brute nature and extreme seriousness, as well as uncontrolled snaps of anger or violence. It was funny to notice all the ways in which Copper had always been so similar to her father.

"What the heck, Jay!" Copper said with anger.

"It was a joke, relax," he replied, as she helped him get up, with an unreadable mix of embarrassment and fury on her face.

"Plus, it will be a year before any of us leave the academy," he complained, with his own kind of anger, "you shouldn't even be embarrassed by talking about these things anymore," he added with a shrug.

Carmine realized that was true. They were all fifteen now. This would be their last year of academy. After that, they'd be considered adults, and they would be able to finally live their own life.

"Ok fine," Copper said, composing herself as she admitted what she thought, "he is amazing. Plus, did you see the way he flies? I've rarely seen such mastery in acrobatics," she continued, while Jay had a look on his face of disagreement.

"He seems cool," Carmine added with a smile, trying to help her friend.

"You should totally go to meet him. Dragons may be awkward around you at first, but that's just because, you know... you're a princess. But, Dusk is the son of an advisor, which is great-," Copper continued before Carmine waved her wings, asking to speak. Her friend immediately stopped talking.

"That trick always works. Thank you, Gust," she mentally thanked her old mentor.

"What about the dragon that corrected me in class? Who is he?" Carmine asked, her curiosity winning over her.

"Oh, that's Wisp. He honestly shouldn't even be here," Copper said with a scoff and an expression of disgust.

"He's the son of a noble that used to be respectable before he became a traitor when he decided to sell information to the RainWings about our weaponry. Her majesty did, of course, the right thing when she executed him. Now Wisp basically has no dignity, which means he's not even a SkyWing anymore," Jay added, wearing the same expression as Copper.

"Oh... I guess that changes a few things then," Carmine thought, though she didn't really like what she heard. Life was so simple: get through dragonethood, find a job, build a life from it and don't mess anything up. Simple as that. How could dragons, especially SkyWings, the best tribe, get it wrong all the time?

"Anyways, I'll win over Dusk with my charm when academy ends, you can bet on that," Copper informed them, changing the topic. Jay rolled his eyes, and they continued to discuss as Carmine got lost in her thoughts.

"One year of academy left. And then they'll be free to go, fall in love and do what they always dreamed to do. Luckily for me, I won't get any of those choices," Carmine thought with joy. "Life is so much clearer when you don't have to make any choices yourself. I can see my whole future ahead of me, planned and set. And guess what, I don't need any future-seeing powers. That's just... life as a royal."