Every dragonling has to follow the Laws. To break them is the utmost disgrace among our society, and is grounds for death and dishonor.  

This is Our Law

~ From the Dragonling Grimoire

"The three of you will share quarters in the guest area of the city." Gvrilla said as she led us through the multitude of vendor stalls and stores, the frosty ice cold against my claws. The 'city,' as she called it, was utterly overwhelming and exciting. It made my heart thrum, and I wasn't the only one. Mishal was perched on my tail, hopping excitedly as he observed the beautiful chaos. I craned my head to try and watch everything at once.

Dragonlings of all castes, in both human and beast form, mingled freely on the streets. The savory aroma of spices and roasting meat flooded my nose and made my stomach rumble. Vendors were barking out their wares to those passing, creating a steady stream of clamor that added to the chattering of dragonlings and the squeals of draggies... I awkwardly sidestepped to avoid said younglings. A gaggle draggies, too young to shift into a human form yet, were chasing after a leather ball through the crowded streets, getting under everyone's claws. Two wyks that I assumed were the mothers of the brood loped after them lazily. One of them, a Mora, waved her wing apologetically at me.

"Anita." Gvrilla said, swiping my nose with the flat of her tail blade. "Pay attention. I don't need you getting lost. I'd never hear the end of it."

I snapped to attention. "Sorry."

Alek snorted and stepped up beside me. "Always daydreaming."

"I was surveying." I corrected and straightened up, my pride twinging. "Ryns are supposed to do that you know."

"No," Dmitri said, affectionately bumping my wing with his, "Ryns are supposed to listen and follow commands." The traitor.

"He didn't have to know!" I complained, wiggling my way out from between them.

Alek scoffed. "Oh, so it is a Ryn thing after all! I seem to remember a certain wyk telling my students a certain loophole that they didn't need to know."

"Ha!" Dmitri said triumphantly. "Hypocrite!"

Hmph. Ganging up on me. How rude. Oh well... I definitely liked this better than when they bickered.

That didn't mean I needed to admit it. "Then I'll just hang out with Gvrilla." I hurried to her side, sticking my tongue out at my mates. They just rolled their eyes at me and walked side by side, suddenly being friendly enough to exchange stories about how reckless and mouthy I was. To add insult to injury, Mako jumped in to tell them our exploits before our Trial. Just as I was about to tell them off, Gvrilla caught my eye and shook her head sightly. Oh. Right. As long as they were getting along... I suppose I could ignore them for now.

"The city is so busy lately." Gvrilla commented, drawing my attention away from the fyns. "Traders, mostly. They set up these booths," she arched her wing out to point out the haphazard wood-and-cloth stands, each displaying spices, herbs and other wares, "and then clog up the streets with their customers. It's ridiculous, really, but King Aaron likes it so I can't complain."

"Do you know him personally?" I asked, lifting my tail higher so Mishal could get away from a lone draggy trying to paw his tail feathers. Gvrilla looked at me in mild surprise and I hurried on, realizing how absurd it sounded to ask such a random question. "I mean, you keep talking about how he feels and stuff so I mean... well I guess you could probably be a counsel member of his." Ah, damn. I sounded like an idiot. Why couldn't I learn to keep my mouth shut?

Gvrilla stared at me for a moment before snorting, a wisp of smoke escaping her nostrils. "Well, I should hope that I know how he feels. He's one of my mates."

"I- oh."

Well. That was surprising. Gvrilla didn't seem as high and mighty as I expected a king's mate would be.

Gvrilla just kept moving, squeezing past a cluster of dragonlings watching a mock-fight between two performing dragonlings. I paused to watch for a second, but the Liras obviously had no training and their "attacks" seemed more like a beautiful dance than a real fight. I suppose that was the point - some of the watchers would toss lodes towards them when they preformed a particularly complex move. Everyone's gotta make a living somehow.

"Anita, come along." Gvrilla called. I noticed she stopped and was waiting for me a few yards away. There was no sign of Mako or my mates.

I hurried to the older wyk's side. "They're really good at that." I mumbled in my defense. She said nothing, but I could see amusement in her eyes as she herded me along. Mishal flapped his wings a few times before leaping onto Gvrilla's head, apparently finding that a much better perch than my tail.

"Mishal." I scolded, lifting my forepaw to offer the phoenix a place to land. "Don't be so rude." He just twittered and turned his back to me.

"Oh, it's fine." Gvrilla laughed. "We're almost to the guest quarters anyways." I huffed at Mishal, but decided arguing with the stupid bird about it wasn't worth it. Is it arguing if only one of you speaks? Oh well. Before I could comment further, Gvrilla stopped at an indent in the ice wall. The picture of a gracefully leaping deer was carved into it. I vaguely remembered that the deer meant "guest," as most native dragonlings had never seen a deer.

"This is where you'll stay." Gvrilla announced, tapping the center of the indent three times. The ice slid away to reveal a doorway. She led the way inside, ducking so Mishal wouldn't smack his face.

The room was brightly lit by a blazing fireplace stationed in the center of the room, with various furniture situated around it. Everything was made of rugged stone and covered with thick furs. A desk was off in a corner, a lamp lit beside it so the flames of the fireplace wouldn't have to get too close to the scrolls on it. A pile of pillows and furs meant to be a bed was pushed the closest to the fireplace, and various chairs were scattered through the rest of the room. It was such a stark contrast to the plush silks of the Kestreldive colony and the white marble of my rooms at home. I liked it - it was far more cozy and personal.

"Do you like it?" Gvrilla asked, nudging my wing with hers. There was a knowing look in her eyes and I smiled sheepishly.

"Uh, yeah. I do."

"Good." Gvrilla shook her head to dislodge Mishal, who flew to the fire and nested inside of the flames. "I'll be back tomorrow, and I'll make sure I find those fyns of yours. I noticed they slipped off."

"Thank you."I murmured, still lost in thought as I surveyed the room. Hm. Maybe I could convince Alek and Dmitri to do something similar like this back home... Gvrilla patted my shoulder with her wing before slipping out of the room. The ice door slid back into place, sealing me away.

I shifted for the first time since we had left the Kestreldive colony, letting the feel of fire wash over my skin. I briefly thought about undressing and curling up in the soft furs, but dismissed the idea. While I'm sure Alek and Dmitri would enjoy the sight, if Mako or Gvrilla came in I would be mortified. Instead I decided to inspect the desk. Blank paper was stacked neatly in the corner, a pot of ink and quill on the opposite side. I was disappointed to find no books.

Wait, disappointed?! The revelation struck me as stupid. I was a Ryn! Not a Lira! Why would I be upset that I didn't have anything to read? I tried to force that thought to the forefront of my mind, but it just wouldn't stick. Why shouldn't a Ryn be able to think for herself...? Fighting wasn't about brute strength. It was about cunning, too. I had seen that when Dmitri gave us battle plans, and when the cloud-colored Ryns dropped from the sky the day I broke my leg.

I was staring at the empty paper when the door slammed open. My heart jumped to my throat and I whirled around, reaching for my sword. It was halfway drawn when I recognized Alek and Dmitri walking in, Mako leading them. They were talking excitedly to each other. I took a shaky breath and sheathed my sword, crossing my arms as they shifted. "Where have you guys been?"

Mako grinned like a child who knows a secret. "Well, I thought you might want to meet someone. And I know these two would have an absolute fit if I brought a random fyn to see you and-"

A Mora stepped out from behind Dmitri and Alek. He stared at me like he had seen a ghost. His eyes were blue, and his hair a dark blond... he reminded me of someone, but I couldn't put my finger on it, like a face in a dream.

Yet the fyn seemed to recognize me. "You look just like her." He whispered, his voice choked with emotion as he took a hesitant step forward.

I glanced at my mates, then Mako, in bewilderment. "I- um, who? Who are you?" The fyn blinked, then straightened up and cleared his throat as if regaining his composure.

"Ah, right. You were born after Alexandria was captured." The Mora dipped his head.

The name set me on edge. "How did you know my mother?" I asked, maybe a little too harshly.

The fyn sighed heavily. There was a deep sadness in his eyes, one that made my chest hurt. "My name is Cedric." He held out his hand to me. "Alexandria was my clutchmate. I'm your uncle, Anita."

The next hour or so was a blurry whirlwind of tears and laughter. Cedric told me everything he remembered about my mother, from her confidence and her pride to her recklessness and short temper.

"That sounds exactly like you." Alek said cheekily. I was nestled into his side, Dmitri's head on my lap. Cedric had, after a stern investigation of my mates, had taken a seat in one of the chairs beside us with Mako next to him.

Before I could argue, Cedric winked at me and began telling us a story about the two of them as draggies. My mother had convinced him to go flying outside, without any wing protection! They had frostbite for months afterwards, but, from the pensive look on my uncle's face, I could tell he had enjoyed every second of it.

More stories came after that. They were usually benign ones, like when my mother decided she could take a shard of ice out of the ice walls with her bare claws. It left one claw on her right paw shattered, but she wore it as a badge of honor.

Cedric's tone turned somber when he began on when my mother got captured.

Both Cedric and my mother were out hunting, but a blizzard had driven them too far southeast. They crashed down in Thornbush territory, where they had to flee from a patrol of Ryns, and ended up on the edge of Thunderstorm territory.

"They came out of nowhere." Cedric said, his voice no more than a whisper. "We thought they were Thornbush dragonlings at first. The blizzard hadn't subsided yet, so we couldn't fly away. Both of us were already exhausted. I wanted to try and make peace, but one of them jumped on me..." he flinched, as if he was reliving the fight, "and I struggled as hard as I could, but I... I couldn't... I couldn't fight her off. One moment she had her jaws around my neck, then... then Alexandria was there." Cedric's eyes glassed over. "She protected me, told me to run. I should have stayed. I-I thought they were just going to take her back to Lord Edgar, and she would be back home soon." A sob shook his body and Mako gently touched his shoulder. "I made it home, and I waited for days. I told King Aaron, and he sent out search parties, even investigated, but we couldn't find her."

With a shaky breath, Cedric sat up. The tears on his cheeks glinted in the firelight. "And then an envoy came. They were gloating, I just know it. But they made up some nonsense about her stumbling into a warzone, and they- well, you know."

"Why didn't King Aaron do anything?" I asked, voice trembling. Alek hugged me against his side comfortingly. "Surely he could have- should have... done something."

Cedric met my gaze, shame in his watery eyes. "He did. He really tried. But Queen Dominique threatened war against us, and said that she would give our land to the Coldstar colony if we lost. They've always hated us, and their tundra doesn't have enough food for all of them."

"You were scared." Dmitri said, an edge of accusation to his voice.

"We did what we had to." Cedric replied guiltily. "What's best for our colony. We thought one day we would be able to bring her home... but here you are now, Anita." He offered me a pained smile. "When you were little, I wasn't able to see you. I'm a trader, you see, and I was away when Alexandria came to visit. But she left letters..." he trailed off, eyes becoming distant.

My heart felt heavy, tears stinging my eyes. I had heard a much different story. A vicious dragonling landing near Lord Edgar's city and attacking everything in sight, as if the war - one that didn't seem to actually exist at all - had driven her crazy. As a draggy it was ingrained in me that she deserved being captured.

I felt cold, despite the blazing fire and warm bodies of my mates.

We waited in silence, the only sounds in the room being the crackle of the fire and Cedric's quiet crying. After a while, he stopped and stood. "Anita." He said, voice cracking. "I would like to see you again, maybe we can work together on... fixing this."

"I would like that." I tried to respond, but I found my voice was gone. Clearing my throat, I tried again. "Y-yeah. I would like that. Thank you."

Cedric nodded once before slipping out of the room and leaving the four of us alone.

Mako coughed and straightened up, turning towards me. "I asked him to help us with something... but I thought you might want to talk to him first."

"Thank you." I said quietly.

Alek shifted me over so he could stand up and walk back to the door. A rather large package was waiting there, wrapped in green silk. They fyns must have brought it in with them. Picking it up, my mate began to pull away the silk as he walked back over. "Here. Cedric has been a busy man." He offered me the now-uncovered package; it was a hefty stack of scrolls, bound together with wires. I looked up at Alek questioningly, but he just nodded encouragingly and pushed the scrolls into my hands.

Gingerly, I began to unwind the wire of the first scroll. The paper was old, but still legible. A list of dates, each with a name and-

Oh. Holy shit.

Beside each date and name was a section of the Law, and exactly how it was broken. Abandoning caution, I picked up the next scroll and yanked off the wire, nearly tearing the paper in the process. More names, dates and sections of the Law.

The names were all ones that I recognized. Edgar and Dominique. Patrick, Corra, Willow. Every member of our Court was on these lists!

"This- this means-"

"That your entire Court is corrupt?" Mako said, standing up. He looked as somber as I'd ever seen him. "Yeah. We know. Cedric figured it out first. Alexandria's capture wasn't the first one."

"I've never met any other captured Ryns."

"Most of them died, Ani." Dmitri spoke up. I glanced towards him. His face was dark. "When we got to the queen's city, I heard some talk about it. Captured Ryns that suddenly went missing, as if their Lord or Lady had something to hide."

"And you didn't think that was information I needed to now?"

Dmitri just looked away, but Alek spoke up. "Anita, we have other things to talk about." I turned to my other mate, pushing down my irritation. He took my hand before continuing. "If the entire Court is corrupt, we need a way to deal with them. If we out one of them, someone else in their circle will just take their place."

"We'd have to get rid of them all." I said, glancing between the three fyns. "Are you guys suggesting a coup?"

Mako nodded slowly. "There's enough evidence to get support from other kings and queens, and, once word of this gets out, your colony would want them gone too."

"It's not a good idea." Alek suddenly interrupted. "There will be too many complications. We don't have a Lira who can fight the Court. Queen Dominique pulled some of the combat classes for us." He smiled grimly. "It's like she was planning ahead."

"Can't we have a Ryn do it?" Dmitri asked. He was right. If May or Dmitri even himself could fight, they could easily bring down the Court members.

Mako was the one that answered. "No, the one who wishes to take the throne needs to fight the Court and choose their replacements themselves."

"Which means they need to be trained in diplomacy." Alek added. "And guess which castes aren't trained in that anymore?"

"A Mora or Ina could take the throne just as lawfully." I spoke up. "If a Ryn can, why not them? Queen Dominique wouldn't think to try and prevent that, would she?"

Dmitri sat up, watching the fire. I noticed Mishal was awake and was watching intently, like he understood what was going on. "Maybe. Maybe not."

Mako jumped to his feet. "It's getting late. Ani, can I say you're on board with everything?"

I nodded, the thoughts still swirling in my head. "I..." I met Mako's gaze then, steely determination in my blood. If my life had been built on lies, then I would do everything I could to bring those lies to light. "Yes. Count me in."