"Gandor wake your butt up! If you don't get up now, you'll be late for school. It's not like you can fly to school like a dragon. Come on, let's get out of here."
As Gandor covers his head with a light blanket, "I'm sick." "Oh, my belly hurts."
We're not raising a liar, Gandor. It's rare for our species to get sick. Definitely not with a stomachache. That is, unless we were poisoned."
"I got poisoned then, Ashina. It was Rector's turn to cook last night. Oh, my stomach!"
It wasn't bad, though Rector could use a cooking teacher. However, it won't poison you! It's okay, I came prepared. Get ready to take a bath in bed."
As a self-defense mechanism, Gandor grabbed his pillow and jumped out of bed. I'm laughing wickedly at him. Don't think you can escape me, Gandor."
Gandor keeps swinging his pillow, but I have the hose attached to the sink. Laughing uncontrollably, I pressed on the release handle, soaking Gandor and his pillow.
It became clear that Gandor wanted to appear angry, so he huffed and rushed into his bathroom, locking the door behind him as he did. In spite of the fact that I am leaving his suite, I can't help but giggle.
As of now, Gandor is eleven years old, but we do not know the exact date of his birth. He came home after my parents were abroad for a year visiting each village in the Western Territories. Usually, they would stay in each pack for a month or two in order to make sure everything was running smoothly. There have been some packs which have been overrun by rogues and in order to understand the complexity of the situation for the packs, they had to visit each of them.
It was very early in the night when my parents came home, and because the castle had been attacked, they gave the baby to my aunt and then had them take us all out of the castle, and that is when we were able to escape. As a matter of fact, we weren't even told what my brother's name was,
As we were settling into the packhouse located in the Winter Dragon kingdom, one night we discussed the issue of no longer calling my brother "the baby" and literally put on a piece of paper what each of us wanted the baby's name to be. As soon as we finished folding up our papers, we placed them in a jar. Then we shook the jar, and the name that Rector pulled out was the one that would be used as "the baby's" name. As a result, from that day forward, he was known as Gandor.
Due to the fact that he did not possess an Alpha werewolf gene, we had a hunch that Gandor had been adopted or rescued. Despite the fact that Gandor doesn't smell like a human, he doesn't even smell like a wolf either. In spite of this, none of us have talked about what we hypothesized. There is no way that I would ever harm my brother in such a way. I don't want to say anything like that, because it will make him feel worthless and like he is not part of my family at all. In fact, there is nothing farther from the truth than that statement. Throughout my life, I have loved him as my brother ever since the day my parents brought him home to me. Furthermore, there is also the fact that his eyes are golden, as well as the fact that his skin is golden. In a sense, Gandor can be compared to a miniature representation of the Golden Roman Gods.
Getting ready for work was also on my agenda. My hair is straight, and I wish it had more waves. With my curling iron, I try to get some curls in and when they fall out, hopefully my hair will look wavy instead of bone straight. When I was 15, I took a test out of high school. I've taken courses online for the University since then. I've got a kingdom to run. I'd like a modern-day kingdom though, with electronics and security cameras. It's my job to work at the library. Although it's a little geeky, there are computers and books for me to learn how to become a just queen. Even though I'm studying dragon queens, the precipice is still the same for any ruler.
In order to look good in the library, I put on an outfit that would be appropriate. It consists of a gray pencil skirt, a white V-neck sweater, and white and gray heels that are approximately two inches high. Once I have dressed, I grab my Range Rover keys off the dresser and check on my brother Gandor.
With a slight knock, I opened Gandor's door as a warning that I would be entering. The fact that his room was empty was a pleasant surprise. I should be able to find him downstairs waiting for me. I decided against wearing heels down the four flights of stairs. To get to the main floor, I turn right and take the old elevator. I walk down a long hallway and to my right I can hear Gandor complaining as usual about having to go to school because his tyrannical sister is forcing him to.
I have been asked by the King to meet with him before I leave for work. He stated he had already informed the library that I would be late for work.
I see that Rector has prepared egg sandwiches for Gandor to take to school. Because I am aware that Gandor dislikes his food, I giggle.
Come on, Gandor, let's drop you off at school. There is a good twenty-minute drive involved. Take those sandwiches with you and let's go. It is imperative that I arrive on time for my appointment with the King."
From the corner of my eye, I can see Gandor staring at me. There is no doubt that my brother is mad and irritated, but I love him, nonetheless. As a matter of fact, I consider it cute, which only aggravates him further.
Gandor grabs the sandwiches only to toss them out the window once we are on the road. I huff, "So what are you going to eat until lunch is served?" I asked Gandor.
"I would rather starve, why can't nana (Our nickname for our nanny) make breakfast anymore? I miss her heavenly food. Now we are being starved to death due to gross food being served."
I look at Gandor, "Be grateful you have food. Nana got a job and seriously we don't need a nanny any longer and it is not like she is being paid to be one."
Despite the small back roads, the drive went quickly. As I look ahead, I see an extravagant school with dragons. School buildings resemble castles with balconies on all sides. The balconies are used as launch platforms for dragons that are capable of flying. The sight is truly breathtaking.
After reluctantly exiting the vehicle, Gandor jumps out. The sound of his friends running up to him can be heard in the distance. Their actions consist of slapping him on the back of the head. Apparently, they were all unable to get out of school today. I am sure they were looking forward to playing online games together. Deserve them right. Laughing to myself, I smile.
Having reached the school halfway up the mountain, I am now returning to the small village. There is no pack structure among dragons, as there is among wolves. A dragon's home is built exclusively into the mountains surrounding this area. The mountainside blends perfectly with the homes, so if you were not accustomed to seeing them, you would never be able to recognize them.
The Dragon King has a castle in the middle of town. The only reason is that it makes him more accessible to his dragon clan. Upon parking, I see Queen Elmphima at the door waiting for me. When I walk into the foyer, she hugs me.
"Come on Ashina, let's take that sweater off. Our next stop is Alpheus' office."
I started to worry there might be something wrong. All this felt so formal. "Your highness, do you have any pressing concerns?"
"Oh, no, no, we just want to talk about your brother. That's all."
I rolled my eyes and replied, "What has my impish brother done now?" I asked fearfully, knowing how my little brother could be.
Queen Elmphima laughed, "No it is nothing like that. Although I am sure he is a handful. No once we are in the office it will all be cleared up."
Once we were in the Kings office, I took a seat in front of the Kings desk and his queen sat to his right.
"Good morning, your highness. How can I help today?"
He chuckles, "Don't be so serious Ashina, you can call me by my first name. In addition, neither you nor your brother are in trouble. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Basically, I would like to have your brother's blood work completed."
With a deep sigh, I exhale. The idea of my brother being a test subject did not appeal to me. Furthermore, there is a part of me that fears that we will find his biological parents and that he will leave me. Losing him will irreparably damage my heart since he is the only sibling I have.
"Ashina, you and I both know that Gandor is not a wolf and not a human. I know you don't want to lose him; however, it is not fair to the parents that may have been missing him many years ago during the wars. My suspicion is he is a Gold Dragon. We just need to perform some testing on him."
As I nodded my head, I could not speak as I knew that I would begin to cry. There is no doubt in my mind that my eyes are glassy.
A forced smile appears on my face as I say, "I'd better get to work now." Your highness, you are correct. If you find out the results, let me know." I choke back tears, since I don't want to show weakness, I'll be queen soon. It's important that my enemies I don't know about don't see me as weak. The King and his Queen stood up to say goodbye to me.