Dragon Tamer

Chapter 3

After taking a day to ponder all the things my brothers had taught me, I spent the rest of my time preparing for my trip. It mainly consisted of me sitting with Aunt Patricia at her house, on the other side of town, and going over my manners and how to behave like a lady so the king and queen didn't think they were leaving their son in the hands of a savage. And while I didn't consider myself that wild-looking, my hair could use a trim, my eyebrows a good plucking, and I could work on making my smile less snide. My appearance was going to throw them off enough as it was since they were expecting Tallinn, the least I could do was look like a respectable member of the Dricino family. I even graciously allowed my aunt to tailor a casual but pretty dress for dinner, under one condition: she didn't tell my brothers about it.

Today was the day I set off for Histero. Unfortunately, since I was coming back with Prince Camden, I couldn't take Elesor; we would have to make too many pit stops on the way back so she could rest. Marco would be my companion, one of the larger male dragons we had; he had done the journey twice already with Kaden and Giles, so he knew his way if I got us lost. . . which could happen. I was never one for maps and usually followed my instincts or markers. So don't ask me for directions.

Even though she wasn't coming, Elesor was beside Marco, brushing up against him like a cat, fluttering her wings flirtatiously. She wasn't old enough to mate yet, but he was, and he was definitely one of the finer studs we had; I wasn't surprised she'd taken a liking to him. In two years when she was old enough, I'd convince the breeders to put them together, I decided.

Dad slapped a hand on my shoulder, startling me. "You ready, kiddo?"

No.

"Obviously." My brothers were here, I couldn't show them how scared I was.

Sensing my nerves, Marco and Elesor lowered their muzzles to me and let me rub their faces. They hummed in harmony and closed their eyes. The song they sang eased me more than anything my family could have done.

Swallowing a lump of courage, I faced my brothers and grinned wildly at them. "Don't burn the place down while I'm gone. It's your fault if it does, Cas."

Rolling his eyes, he pulled me into a brotherly hug so big it lifted me off the ground. "Take care of yourself, Kal," he whispered in my ear before dropping me. "Paint the castle halls red for me, will you?" he added louder, less big brother and more trouble-maker.

Kaden came up for his hug, shoving Casper out of the way. "Remember what we talked about. . . it's not often you get to run off unsupervised." He winked at my flush and stepped away for Harry, who flicked lint off my shoulder.

He took in my attire. Thick leather jacket with a hood, and pants that had a skirt hanging off each hip to give me the appearance of wearing a skirt but the functionality of pants. He smiled. "I like this look on you. It has just enough femininity to flatter you, but also shows you're not afraid to jump into a fight."

"Hopefully she won't have to do any fighting," Dad remarked, also eyeing the skirt/pants Aunt Patricia had made for me. He no doubt will have a talk with her about making me look too much like a woman. I don't think he even wanted to acknowledge that I had breasts--and big ones too.

Shaking his head, Giles came over and gently tapped the bag he gave me last week. "Remember, don't sit on it and don't drop it."

"You don't have to tell me twice, you idiot." I was not getting blown up on my first time leaving the valley.

I looked around for my last brother, but Tallinn was nowhere to be seen. He was an asshole, but his absence left a notable hollow feeling in my chest.

Dad noticed my frown and chucked my chin. "He'll get over it, Kal, just worry about yourself, hmm? Give this to King Krona for me." He handed me a letter sealed with our family crest in blue wax. "It'll explain to him why you're there and not Tallinn and a few business things that'll bore you."