Indebted

8

Two days was all it had taken for many of the unoccupied rooms of the castle to suddenly become occupied after news of a previously unknown bastard prince walking the grounds and halls of court. Of age, and unmated or attached in any way. Raised among humans no less. A perfect target for less than scrupulous families to throw their unmated offspring at in the hopes of a favorable match. 

All knew Magnus loved his youngest bastard son, those without connections to the deeper currents of court gossip could easily assume the king loved all his bastards as much as he favored the fair Fitzprince Caspian.

Some of the better gossips knew Magnus had truly loved this first mistress. Isadora had been the kings first love and lover when he was barely old enough to be considered grown to a dragon. Then as all good kings should, he had devoted himself to his wife. A match made for political gain of course. Celeste had been a kind and good queen and by all accounts the political match had quickly turned to love for the king and his bride. Only by death did they part. Long after his lawful wife had passed, Magnus felt nothing for any; save his children. With obvious favorites of course.

Caspian's mother had come in a delivery of fresh farm raised resources. Considered too plain for the King's harem or brothel, she had been sent to the kitchens. Until the dragon bound to the king had found his mate hidden away baking bread for the castle. The dragon felt so strongly that Magnus was swept up in love with Andromeda as well. 

Death, once again was the reason Magnus lost Andromeda, except her death had not been from natural causes like Celeste. Andromeda had been murdered. Magnus had never been able to find the murderer of his last love. The only one chosen by his dragon. Three loves only had he known and he had lost them all; Magnus would often bemoan to himself. Focusing on only his own sufferings and ambitions.

Though a mistress from his harem who had comforted him after his first love, after his wife, and after Andromeda had died would be bereft to know that regardless of the two children she had borne for the King, she had never been more than a bedwarmer to Magnus. Three loves he had been given. Magnus had seeded his first bastard son when he himself was a mere thirty six years old. Scandalous for a dragon to have reproduced so young.

Though when the child his very first mistress had an egg, a true born dragon heir regardless of parentage. A possible spare in times of need, the tone regarding the bastard birth had changed. Somehow, each subsequent child and generation in this line remained true. At least as long as Magnus had paid attention to the long family line.

Outside the main line of succession, but valuable nonetheless. Each new descendant in this line was a link to his first love Isadora. With each subsequent generation the less his attachment was. In truth this was a several greats grandson come to court, and Magnus had more than enough closer family to contend with. His dragon did not know and could not sense their heir in the dragon, and so assumed it was a mere shifting dragon. The pureness of Isadora and this line of his descendants had finally run it's course.

Atticus, the very low rank bastard prince had only come to court because he had nowhere else to go. His mother had died, along with her the alimony paid to her accounts by the crown. Nothing had been set up for him, himself to live on. He had never kept his own human accounts, why bother he had always thought. 

Atticus had no means to pay his own bills, and had too many expenses that he considered vital to his life and comfort. He needed an immediate place to figure out what to do next. Or at least, so said the servant gossip streams Esti had managed to get ingrained with. Any upstart families who spent too keenly to try and catch this royal prize would be very disappointed with the quality of this particular royal dragon had been the general consensus of the servant class.