Dragon Blood (Completed)

Royal Plans

"They are just trying to find a way to keep you two safe."

"You said we were going to talk about making us dragons."

"We are. Would you like to start with that instead?"

"Zane, we need to stay focused. We can't flip subjects at a whim. The Bluescales' safety is of the utmost importance," Titus remarked.

"Dean, everyone here is a royal, and they know how important it is to keep you two safe. You can trust that they are only trying to do what's best for you." Zane tried to be diplomatic.

"Pretty clothes don't make people trustworthy." Dean slipped out of his chair and headed for the door.

"Dean," Zane called after him.

"I'm going to tell Paige you want to send us back," Dean fumed, as if it was a severe threat. Dean's guard followed silently, and Zane stayed behind, almost happy to have him out of the room so he could speak more freely without upsetting him.

"Now, we should be able to continue without interruptions," Titus said, making Zane wonder what his father had against the two Bluescales.

"She can't go back," Zane challenged, feeling like they needed a voice. The thought of what they would be returning to turned his stomach. "She wasn't simply mistreated over there, she was abused."

"Are you certain she was abused? In what manner?" Maximus sounded uncertain.

"Dean told me she was." Zane didn't want to tell the others that Dean had alluded to a life that was shrouded in unpleasant darkness. "The queen already requested that her mother's family be located so Dean can know them. She also wants his guard improved. The queen herself made these requests this morning." Zane gave his father a hard look.

"We don't even know if Maze can send them back so easily," Lilly said.

"Right now, our focus should be on healing the queen so she can make these decisions for herself. Any other royal would not be treated as if their opinion didn't matter."

"Zane's right, they are one of us. They carry the key to saving our realm," Maximus declared.

"I agree," Sandra said.

Zane nodded and waited for his father to relent, but he remained stoic toward the subject of the Bluescales.

"Maze is making preparations to burn off their mortal forms and awaken their dragons," Zane informed.

Now that plans were set for the Bluescales, the other royals started discussing their own plans. Sandra Greenwing wanted to return to her castle, where she had her own companion's Kolyva to complete, but she also wanted to take advantage of the new opportunity the existence of the Bluescales brought to fruition.

"I want my young Celia to come meet Dean, but I must return to Greenwing," Sandra said. There was a glint in her eye that Zane took offence too. He wasn't sure if the protective instinct he felt for the young Bluescales would work out in his favor. Zane closed his eyes, trying to stop the thought. Dean and Paige didn't need the other royals plotting alliances. They certainly didn't need him trying to figure out how to use his connection with them to gain favor, or gain a more advantageous position in the realm.

"Sandra, you vixen," Titus said admirably.

"He is the wealthiest prince in the realm." She looked over to eye the enormous mound of gold.