Faecleir

"I didn't mean hurt me deliberately husband..I mean what if its kicks are too powerful or if it grows too fast for my body?" She askred and gestured to her growing belly "see my bellys already getting bigger..what if something goes wrong...will you still love me?" She asked clutching his hand "I don't want to lose you"

Sereya nodded and wiped her eyes "I'm deeply sorry my king for letting you see this side of me." She muttered then moved to the window to the pixie. "Send this message to, Jaacob, Samuel, Liam,Stephen, Brian, and my fatherChristopher, tell them that I am pregnant with an heir/heiress and to b ready to celebrate tonight we are having someone pick them up to bring them to the castle."

Aquila

The kingdom broke into chaos as news of the Queen’s pregnancy spread. Everywhere people were preparing for the festivities that night. Some grumbled about how the human population of the kingdom was literally growing but it was fair to say that most were happy. Aquila was out in the gardens meticulously grooming her feathers when a tired looking pixie found her.

“I have a message from Queen Rapunzel.” It said as it landed on a branch in front of her.

“And what business does she have with me?” she said perplexed.

“Not with you, but the king. He sent me to find out the security measures her kingdom was taking against the empire, but was busy with the Queen on my return.”

“I see,” so the king was planning to do something about that then, “were any other pixies sent?”

“Yes, one was sent to find an heir of Spindewas and another to find a dragon rider of Matakin I do not know what their responses were.”

“Hmm, I suppose we’ll have to have a meeting to sort all this out. It will have to wait until these festivities are finished though. Go ahead and give me your message and then get some rest.”

Hearing Rapunzel’s message only confirmed the need for a proper meeting, Aquila certainly couldn’t think of anything to add but perhaps the king or another advisor would. After the pixie departed she went into the palace to find a scribe to record the message, her memory wasn’t always so good….and it was hard to write with talons.

Ainra and Nanji both dropped what they were doing when they heard their mother's cries. Though they were both in separate parts of the palace. Nanji was in the kitchen picking with the kindly chef. She was a sweet round lady that spoiled him with treats before dinner when he was a child and even so now. Airna was in the study reading up on the history of the Ever After Kingdoms. She dropped her book and with great speed that she gained during her training she rushed to her mother's side. Nanji dropped the pan of food that he'd beem carriing for the Chef and darted out of the kitchen. They both arrived at the balcony at the same time. They're identical faces wore the same expression. "Ta Baby?" Nanji asked and they entered the room. Airna noticed instantly that her mother was fine and upright which meant the baby hadn't arrived. Nanji ran to his mother examining her face. While Ainra followed her gaze. She gasped and Nanji looked over the balcony. "Hey! Don' do it, Man!" Nanji called to the suicidal man. Ainra wordlessly undid her braid of locks and threw them over the egde. Nanji then grabbed a hold of them and climbed over and down them. Once Nanji was safely on the ground. Airna gracefully flipped over the egde and hung jumped to the ground. Her hair dragged across the sand as she ran toward the man and dropped to her knees. He wrecked of sea water which implied that he was a sea creature. A Mer. The twins both could read the grief on his,face from the balconey. "Come now, Give me ta blade. Whatever it is. You don' have to hurt yourself." Airna said softly. Her green eyes scanning his face. Her hair had falling all around her and around her face, giving her face a dark shadow while only her eyes caught the light. She reached for his knife hand. "Give me ta blade,yah?" She said and Nanji just watched. His sister could be very persuasive.

The wind whipped at their faces and Qing Jin pitched upward, breaking the cloudcover that rested over the seas between Matakin and Effldus. The sun hit Oriana's face and she smiled. She tilted her face up and let the light warm her small frame. She tapped Qing Jin's shoulder blades and they began to free fall. She loved the feeling ovf her stomach rising into her throat. The three had begun to death spiral down towards the treetops of Effldus and she knew it was time to fly serious again. She took the reins again and pulled lightly. They pulled out of the nose dive with ease and skimmed the tree leaves.

They landed in an, luckily, empty clearing near the castle. She undid the straps and slid down Qing Jin's back. She looked up at Qing Jin. "Well, shall we start heading to that castle..?"

Sereya looked up at her husband and nodded "alright my king I will meet you there, for now if I'm needed I will be in my chambers changing, this dress is too tight around my baby bump" she admitted, before she curtsied and exited the room. She wanted to do something to help but kjnew better, she'd just be in his way..everyones way.

Traditionally, glamour was an illusion magic that was exclusive to fae, though it was not completely unheard of for certain skilled sorcerers to learn how do use it under a fae’s tutelage. Bettina herself was not fae, nor did she claim to be particularly good at magic, much less skilled, but she had always had a talent for glamour. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she’d been touched by a fae, or infected by one’s magic, the feel of fae magic on her had always been potent. She could only assume of course that it had been Rumplestiltskin’s doing, after all it had been he who taught her how to use glamour in the first place, but there was no real way in her power of knowing for sure. Glamour had always been useful to Bettina, even as a little girl. In the orphanage, she’d make images of woodland creatures dance on the wall for their amusement, or whenever they were cold she’d conjure an image of a fire place to give them comfort, even if it didn’t actually make the room any warmer. As an adult however, Bettina had found a far more practical use for her talents; disguise.

With a travelers cloak, and naturally small stature already lending credence to her role, it was a small thing to place a glamour upon herself to make her look like a fae. Bettina gave herself a nice olive green tone to her skin, round chocolate colored eyes, pointed ears, and wavy black hair, all pretty, all obviously a glamour. It was actually rather common for older fae to place glamour upon themselves to make themselves appear younger or more beautiful. Bettina couldn’t hide from a fae she was under glamour, the trick was to make them think she was a crone. And as glamour was a magic almost exclusively fae, well who would logically think she was human? Luckily as ‘Enry was a talking cat, and such animals were welcomed in Effledus, he both lent credence to her disguise and required none himself. It really did work quite nicely.

The market place in the capital of Effledus was really not that expensive. Pixie dust and Rowan fruit (both common and necessary ingredients in many potions brewed by witches or wizards alike) were almost comically cheap here, and there was a supplier at almost every corner. Outside of Effledus however, those products were both hard to come by, and outrageously overpriced. Most people were forced to put up with it however, as the only legitimate merchants in the game were fae, and they knew quite well they controlled the supply. That’s what made Bettina’s smuggling business so successful; she could sell her stock at half price and still make a tidy profit. She and ‘Enry had already purchased a few pouches of Pixie Dust, from different venders of course as they were being discrete, when there came a great commotion from above.

“It’s a dragon!” Someone screamed, and suddenly people were scrambling about, as the beast descended and landed its monstrous backend next to the castle. It did not take long for the beast king of Effledus to come barreling out after that, and Bettina was forced to pick up ‘Enry so he wouldn’t be trampled as the mob swept them up in an attempt to get closer and see their king speak to the dragon. From her forced position in the front, it became clear to Bettina that the dragon and the two riders were not looking for a fight, in fact were royalty.

“Oooh oui oui! Zat iz ze Prince, of Spindlewas I remember!” ‘Enry exclaimed excitedly as Bettina brooded. The prince of Spindlewas could go choke on his silver spoon for all she cared. Bad timing was all he brought to her. She’d never found it wise to linger overly long in populated areas of Effledus when she was here, but with the market place as riled up as it was by the appearance of a dragon, she was stuck here for a while until things calmed down.

Qing Jin looked at the crowd, which had honestly frightened Oriana to hide herself in his large wing. The poor girl hated crowds of any kind and this was not helping her. He nosed her again and almost froze. They had forgotten the Dragon magic that hid her Fae. He snorted twice, making her look up at him. "Do no panic, Golden Child. but your magic is leaking ever so slightly. I wouldn't be surprised if the King picked up on it..." Oriana stiffened and turned to see the King smelling the air. She relaxed some when he didn't comment on it.

Both nodded at the king's first words, though they were both puzzled and curious. What could be so important that war was second? The dragon could smell the excitement coming off some of the crowd. It was light but pungent. He wondered what had them so eager. He decided to wait until the clue was opened up to him then comment.

"When you're the spokesperson of a king your words and actions are of this, if you don't wish to bring him shame or something worse choose wisely your behavior,"

"Of course, King Lufgaw." She said, confident in her words. She didn't want to let down her kingdom after all. She bowed as the king left and looked up at Qing Jin. The dragon began to follow the beast king and Oriana, though nervous, trotted along side him. She didn't want to be left alone with all those... Citizens.

Airna smiled at the Mer Man. "We make sure that we can converse with all of the world." She said. She found the Mer Man handsome and rather easy to talk to. She frowned when he mentioned the pain in his heart. "Well, I'm sure whatever wound you hold in your heart can be healed. A knife to the heart will not but whenever you are ready." She said with a nod. She smiled when he reached for her hand but frowned when her mother scared him out of grabbing it. She gingerly slid her hand into his.

Nanji nodded to his mother and watched his sister. She seemed strange. Her knowledge of the worlds languages wasn't new. He knew a few. His accent never left though. Airna however, could blend in perfectly with any culture. Her accent disappeared unless she was anger then she spew vemon in Dafarzian. That is a scary sight that he'd been privy to on more then one occasion. But now, her voice was soft and sweet as she spoke to the Mer Man. He didn't understand a word save for his own name and Dafarzi.
Airna nodded. "Yes however we are our own Kingdom, We govern our own land. Have you enemies? We can protect you should problems arise." She said with a frown.

Crap crap crappity crap crap CRAP! Bettina cursed in a silent monologue as Lufgaw singled them out after his little chat and silent show of power towards the three guests who had so suddenly arrived. He knew, she could see it in his eyes, and the way he addressed ‘Enry and not her, much how he’d similarly ignored his new human guests in favor of the dragon rather sealed it for her. This was a trap, it had to be. Their only chance was to book it once the King and dragon entered the castle and captured everyone’s attention. She cast a look at ‘Enry, and the little cat nodded solemnly in understanding; they were going to have to make a run for it. Bettina had just spotted an opening in the crowd, and was about to bolt with ‘Enry, when suddenly there was a shadow completely covering her. She looked up and saw that it was none other than the prince of Spindlewas who now blocked her root of escape. The man positively dwarfed her, and she could hate him just for that.

Bettina had trouble hiding the irritation from her eyes, especially as she caught his gaze lingering on her breasts. She never really bothered to shift her body type with her glamours, just coloring and the addition of certain fae features, but now she resolved to start disguising as a man. Less hassle that way.

“It’s hardly my place to stop you if you wish to speak to my business associate.” Bettina replied as neutrally as possible, with a subtle warning not to call ‘Enry her cat again. He was her friend, not her pet, and she certainly did not want the idea floating about that she owned a talking animal in a country where they were first class citizens.

“I ah…zank you 'ighness." ‘Enry replied feeling a bit flustered by all the attention from royalty he was receiving today, and pushed the spectacled up his nose shyly.

“Well this has just been peachy but I’m afraid we’re on a deadline sooo…” Bettina attempted to brush past and around the gigantic prince, only to see a group of guards had taken the place of the king and his guests, and was now looking at them expectantly. The invitation was apparently a thinly valued command. Damnation.

With the large dragon at her side, Oriana knew she could fear little, but her fear of the Fae was a given. Her mother had played a hand in the murder of one of them. If her knowledge of Fae was what her Dwarven mother taught her, they looked up to the little man. But that wasn't a problem for her, really.

She knew that her powers stemmed from him. She embraced that fact even. After all, she knew that her life would've been better with Rumpelstiltskin. Even as a young child, she knew that fact. At least her powers, if she still had them, would've been awed and admired, not hated and scorned. Not only that, but she looked up to the man, who stood up against her mother. Honestly, it was her moronic blood grandfather's fault for even thinking that a human could do such a thing! She let out a quiet scoff at the thought before she quickly made her face impassive again.

It would do her no good if the people thought she was laughing at them. She looked up at Qing Jin, who was staring at the king's back. She knew, from all her years of dragon handling, that direct staring meant pensiveness or hostilaty. The tail would differentiate between the two. She made a quick glance back and huffed. His tail was as impassive as his eyes were. She would question him later.

As the king stopped at his throne, she let her breath hitch. The broken sword and the throne. Both were powerful symbols that her magic picked up on, wanting to prod at both to see what it could find. She quickly reigned it in, making shivers go down her spine. The others left the room, leaving her, Qing Jin and the king. There may have been others but she paid no mind. Then he asked her a question, catching her off guard a bit. He had directly spoken to her, not without referring to Qing Jin as well. It had startled her quite a bit.

"My scent..? Oh, my magic. A gift from him, is how I like to see it." She said, no hesitance. If the king knew, then she could not hide it. "Though, it's somewhat of a curse as well. I know many a human who would love my powers. Luckily, I found a home in the mountains..." She muttered the next bit, looking at the blue-gold on Qing Jin. She shook her head and turned back to the king bowing. "But yes, Rumpelstiltskin's magic flows through my body, somewhat diluted from my past... Treatment but still powerful as before."

“Invitation, binding command, all the same with these types.” Bettina intoned dryly, though her tone had softened a bit towards the prince, this Day character, after his correction. She didn’t need to make more enemies at the moment than necessary, as she was already in enough trouble as it was. She and ‘Enry were marched in behind Day without too much incident, though she did give the fae a rather nasty stink eye after he attempted to push ‘Enry to go faster than his little legs could go. Once they were alone in the hall, the King began asking questions again, and the name Rumplestiltskin sent a jolt down her spin and Bettina glanced over at the girl with a new wariness. So that was the baby that got away huh? She didn’t know the half of it Bettina scoffed internally at the girl’s response. She lived with Dwarves and Dragons, what did she have to complain about?

“Oh well um, I am ‘Enry of Mewhaven ‘ighness, ‘ere for trade. Zis is Feliz, my bizness-“ ‘Enry began nervously reciting the story they’d concocted for the markets, before Bettina took a protective step forward and slightly in front of him.

“Save your breath ‘Enry. Cat’s outta the bag if you’ll forgive the pun.” Bettina said with a cocky smirk that masked her rising panic. How did he know? Did he just smell the magic, or did he know exactly who she was? Did he need money? Was it going to be the tower or the dungeon this time?

“Well there’s just no fooling your sniffer huh?” She continued as she pulled off her cloak and slowly allowed her glamour to dissolve. He knew what she was, no point in hiding it at this point.

“Yeah, I got some super extra special one on one kid time with the geezer, even made me call him daddy a few times for kicks. What of it?” Bettina’s tone was both mocking and hard, a combination reserved for only two subjects, Rumplestiltskin and her time in the tower. The topic made her uncomfortable, so she always made damn sure everyone else around her was too if they pressed the subject. People brought it up less often that way.

I would post more, but i do not know what to post no one is talking to me)

Sereya goes to her chambers and changes into a maternity dress that she had one of her ladies in waiting run and retrieve her from town it was an emerald green and looked beautiful with her gorgeous hair and after that she made her way to the throne room to see her husband. She stopped and looked at her husband in beast form and froze she knew she could calm him but she did not want to risk thier baby by getting in the way.

When King Lufgaw began his transformation, Bettina’s skin began to prickle with energy, as if it was welling up in her pores in some kind of defense, but she beat it back savagely with a control she’d learned long ago. No more gifts from Rumplestiltskin, she thought bitterly. They’re always poisoned. Instead of letting the magic flow, she side stepped to place herself in front of ‘Enry, who was shaking with wide eyes at the sight before him, and her hand flew to her side, ready to draw the concealed blade there if necessary. Bettina stared the beast king down as his great paw came nerve rackingly close to her face, though she did her best not to flinch. Bullies always liked to see the fear, and she was not inclined to entertain them, not anymore.

“Forgive me highness. I’m told I have problems resecting authority, nothing personal.” Bettina replied with a tight lipped smile that was a bit more respectful. Unfortunately for him, it was the best he was likely to get from her, she didn’t grovel to royalty. “Was there something you wished my assistance with then highness?” Bettina asked in a manner that attempted politeness, but there was an edge to her voice that betrayed a note of anxiety and bitterness to the question.

Sereya could tell that her husbands beast form was making some of the guests uneasy so she stepped forward and cleared her throat. "My King" she said in a calm collected voice "i believe it would be best for you to calm yourself down a bit and switch back" she said frowning, something she rarely did but her husband was acting in appropriatly at the moment.

Oriana blinked owlishly at the girl's blatant disrespect for the king. She was in his land, he could kill her and easily get away with it, for the gods sake! She shook her head and almost wished for death to the girl. She could not handle two things, glamours and most humans. Both meant lies and deceit.

When someone stopped the king, she turned and found a horrid feeling in her chest. The queen Sereya was standing there, looking as pretty as the rumors said. No, pretty was too bland a word, her mind supplied and the feeling burned more. She was stunning, amazing. Prefect. Her magic kicked up as Day began to drool over a married woman.

Qing Jin shook his head and pushed his magic over hers, masking it for the smell of Dragon. It contained her magic so it swirled violently and colorlessly around her, whipping her hair ever so slightly when it came near her. "Golden Child, you must calm yourself." He ordered in Dwarish and she started, blinking.

"S-sorry, friend..." She murmured back, her magic becoming dormant in its bubble. She turned back to the queen and gripped her dress, right over her heart. Her black, dirty, tattered dress. She desperately wished for an invisibility glamour. Or one to make her looks Fae. "What is this feeling, Qing Jin? I don't like it."

"Jealousy and ency, Golden Child. Something every being feels... Even I." He replied and she nodded slowly. "It's natural, dear Golden One. You are fine."

Never the less, she bowed to the queen. She refused to speak unless spoken to by her, regardless of her status as queen. The nasty feeling didn't diminish either. Qing Jin only lowered his head, watching the queen. She was with child, as his nose and magic told him. But once again, he wouldn't comment on it unless it was brought up.

Airna blushed a bit. She wasn’t use to such an statement. She searched for his eyes but he hid them so she raised his chin with a finger and smiled. “Don’t be like that. I gave you my hand. So you are worthy.” She said and Nanji looked away. He saw his sister was taking a liking to the Mer. He decided he’d greet his mother at the gate. “Mama. Me t’inks Airna be likin’ ta Mer fellow yah.” He whispered excitedly. He been wanting Airna to lighten up and be more social so he was glad to see her act more like a girl instead of the warrior princess she’d been for years. “She be givin him ta lovey eyes.” He said.
Airna patted Lir’s hand and nodded. “We are an independent country, set in the Kalgrist Empire. We have no allegiance to them.” She said in Mer.

Sereya looked towards everyone a smile forming on her lips, it seemed to light up the room. "Welcome to our home everyone I am so honored for you all to be here, I also apologize for my husbands temper he has some anger issues needless to say. She giggled kissing her husbands cheek, her laugh sounding like bells she curtsied to everyone "As you can see I am with child and I would be most honored if you would stay and celebrate with us tonight on this wonderous occasion" she practically beemed and looked at them.

She gave Day a smile as she looked at the silly look on his face she had never understood the fuss over her, she'd never seen her beauty as such.

This guy had to be bipolar, Bettina thought sharply as her shoulders stiffened in preparation to throw herself to the side. Good god, the one legitimately non mocking question she posed to the beast man, and that was what he chose to rage about?! Good to know just how racist he was she supposed. It didn’t help her case much, but she’d heard the human wife he’d taken had softened the king’s views on such matters a touch. Always a bad idea to put too much stock in gossip it seemed. The king however, was halted in his assault by none other than the queen herself, and Bettina was left to wonder no longer why the king had made such a large exception in his blatant anti-human policy. She was both stunning and kind, and her very presence seemed to lend a calming warmth to the room.

What did surprise her however, was the concern the prince, Day she believed, seemed to show regarding her wellbeing. He seemed genuinely distraught over the idea of the beast king harming her, had almost been crushed by a giant bear guard trying to help her, and Bettina had no idea why he’d done it. She meant nothing to him, why would he risk himself like that? The only reason that came to mind was that he wished to use her for her…specialized talents, but there was no way he could know. She hadn’t even revealed her name, and even on the off chance he’d heard tale of the little orphan girl who could spin gold, that didn’t mean he’d connect the dots. She still did not trust him, or anyone else in this room outside ‘Enry for that matter, but her outlook regarding the prince perhaps softened a bit.

“He’s honored your grace.” Bettina supplied with a surprising lack of condescension as the poor moon struck prince began to flounder. At least teenage boys were predictable she thought half amused with a sigh before giving the prince an encouraging pat on the back.

“Your highness did not ask.” Bettina replied equally as dry, and made no move to correct the matter. If he wished to know the name of a lowly human like herself, he could very well lower himself and ask.

“Charmed to meet you your ‘ighness. Ze tales we ‘ave ‘eard of your loveliness and good nature do you no justice.” ‘Enry replied, a little moon struck himself. Bettina remained silent after that, and let ‘Enry do the talking. Ironically she always knew the right things to say when she was in disguise, or playing a part, but when she was nothing but herself she tended to do more harm than good when she spoke.

Srry guys was on a dodgy touchscreen phone and accidentally pressed submit. Touchscreens are the bane of my life :)

The group made their way into the throne room. Upon their arrival, Lufgaw formally introduced himself and invited them to the celebrations that night. Aquila stood next to his throne and bowed when he pointed her out to the guests. He then took a seat and gestured for the servants to clear out; the room was now empty save for the king, Aquila, their guests and a handful of guards. Able to speak more privately now, Lufgaw revealed his suspicions that the two women in the room had ties to Rumplestiltskin, which they confirmed- in the case of the fae by changing into a blonde human. “So it’s all coming together now.”

The woman’s transformation didn’t surprise Aquila but her impudence did. Having a problem with authority was one thing, but to actually insult the beast king to his face- to Aquila’s knowledge such a thing was unprecedented and even if it wasn’t there probably wasn’t anyone who could share the story anymore. Aquila did nothing to intervene as Lufgaw transformed and threatened the girl with his claws- as far as she was concerned the girl deserved whatever the King did to her.

Faced with such a threat the girl did apologize but her haughty tone was still there and she didn’t sound particularly penitent. This time it seemed Lufgaw was really going to kill her and he probably would have had the Queen not arrived just at that moment. It was only after everything settled down that Aquila considered it wouldn’t be very wise to kill the girl in front of their other guests- the man among them seemed particularly upset about the possibility as he had to be restrained by one of the guards. However, the Queen’s presence calmed not only her husband but the room as a whole. The young man especially was practically tripping over himself to make his introduction to her. “How foolish,” Aquila thought to herself.

Now that peace had been restored they could continue their discussion, or at least they could have had not a very large guest chosen that moment to arrive. The dragon, Mortimus was no stranger to Lufgaw’s halls, in fact there was even a large chair in the throne room that had been custom built for him. After making cheerful introductions to everyone in a thunderous voice that echoed throughout the room he made his way to the chair and took a seat.

“Boisterous as ever I see, Mortimus.” Aquila said with a slight smirk. “Majesty, these are the people you sent the other pixies to, yes? If that is the case should we now discuss how we will address the empire?” She held out the scroll that the scribe had transcribed the other message on to, “I have here the reply from Queen Rapunzel.” In the back of her mind she thought that perhaps the King and their guests would prefer to wait until after the festivities, but the way she saw it doing it now while everyone was here and sober was simply the more efficient thing to do.

Airna laughed some at Lir asking about learning to speak Dafarzian. "It isn't tiring. Dwarfish. That is tiring." She said. "I will teach you, Dafarzian is a very tonal language. You can hear clearly in my brother's words." She with a smile.


Nanji laughed heartily. "Aye, Mama. Don' t'ink she knows it but I can see it. She be my twin. I know." He said, knowing his sister well enough to know she'd also throttle him for saying anything like that.

Airna casually let go on Lir's hand as they approached her mother and brother. Nanji gave her a wink. She flared her nostrils. Nanji rolled his eyes. It was a silent argument about how Airna had a crush.Nanji was teasing her and Airna threatened to kill him and Nanji basically said what's new.
Airna nodded to her mother and looked to Nanji. "Yes, Nanji get him some clothes and have someone draw him a bath." She said in Dafarzi. She turned to Lir. "What do you like to eat? You could use a meal." She said in Mer.

Sereya looked at them nodding and smiling as introductions were made. She then took her husbands hand to move to the throne when someone burst through the door she looked around and saw her father and her brothers run towards her. SHe gasped as she was taken into a large group hug of men, she let out a giggle "Guys why are you here so quickly I thought the carriage would surely take hours" she said as her father smirked "Yeah but you underestimate our horses hun" He said in a southern drawl.

"Yeeeah they are really fast!" her newly three year old brother Samuel said and she giggled and stroked his hair as he nuzzled her belly "Im gonna be an uncle" he grinned and Jacob her eldest brother shook his head "No Sam we are going to be Uncles" he said and kissed his sisters cheek.

Sereya looked toward her king and waited for him to come down and greet her family of 5 brothers and her father "Everyone Im sorry I've been rude these are my brothers, Jacob, Tucker, Austin,Stephen, and Samuel and this is my father Jonathan" she said proudly.

Ainra blinked and almost laughed. She shook her head. "No, Birds are not edible. We can whip you up some shellfish?" She said and that was when her mother appeared on a flying carpet.

The same expression of fear and shock played across both Airna's and Nanji's face.
"Mama! Ye be wit child! Get down from t'ere!" They both screamed at the same time and they ran toward her.
Nanji scanned the carpet frowning but it wasn't an angry frown. It was a curious one. "Where did you get t'is, Mama?"
"Nanji, No."
"What?"
"No, I see t'at mind of yours goin. No."
"You never let me have any fun"
"You never give me a moment of peace."
"I t'ought I was older?"
"You don't act it."
Nanji and Airna both sighed and then a thought struck them at the same time. "Effledus? Why are ye goin ta Effledus?" They asked together.

If the Beast King were not already on Bettina’s list before, he surely bought himself a spot close to the top with the name he chose to call her now. That overbearing giant’s bum was trying to goad her she realized somewhat testily. She was however far too stubborn to supply him with a name now, so she merely sent him back a condescending smile. Coincidence? Oh yes, a royal command and being forcibly lead into a castle was a very coincidental meeting, Bettina though sarcastically. Her thoughts were interrupted however, when there came a clamoring in the halls and the form of a very large and overly chatty dragon suddenly made his way into the hall.

“Mortimus? Oh my zis is such a suprize!” ‘Enry exclaimed in real joy to see his friend. He had not seen Mortimus in some months, so he was quite happy to see him and was eager to ask him about his travels. ‘Enry did get to go out and see different parts of the kingdoms with Bettina, but after hearing about some of her other adventures, it just seemed like she coddled him sometimes. Not that he was attracted to danger or anything, quite the opposite, but he did wish to have some authentic experiences, not preplanned jaunts on routes Bettina has taken a hundred times.

“Well hello to you too. What witch did I annoy that’s brought your ancient scaly backend this way?” Bettina replied with a quirked brow. Her relationship with the dragon was rather complicated, which was a position that warranted her constant teasing. Bettina actually quite admired Mortimus, his unwillingness to be ruled and escape from servitude to the dwarves was inspirational to her younger self. As far as Bettina could tell though, the dragon had always disapproved of her, in some cases being downright hostile, and she was not in the habit of imposing herself on anyone. The best thing to do she’d learned, was to put in her jab and ignore him.

In fact, Bettina found it increasingly easier to disengage with the conversation as the Queen’s family, large as it was, came suddenly bustling in. It was almost comical just how crowded and ridiculous looking the hall now looked, what with it being filled with dragons, talking animals, exiled royalty and a group of happily reunited humans who seemed rather unfazed by it all. It was rather unprecedented, and Bettina began wondering if this wasn’t all just a very strange dream.