Eventually I decided that I should have regained enough mana for my spell. According to the grimoire this one was supposed to be not nearly as mana consuming as the Gigantium Spell, because it was removing size and stats, rather than using my own mana to add to my targets. I should be able to Use Miniminazi without too much effort. My hope was that one, my own blood magic would be enough to override the two thousand year old spell on the chains, and two, once the spell broke through the old blood magic, I could just shrink the dragon right out of those chains.

  Potential problems would be that the spell just did not work at all, the dragon stayed the size he was, and the chains would still bind him. Or, the spell worked, but the old blood binding doesn't get overridden and the chains simply shrink with Rougier. But I wouldn't know anything for sure till I tried.

  "Ready?" I asked Rougier, standing before him, set to cast the spell. The dragon, looking nervous- or as nervous as a dragon could look, I guess- nodded and stood still. I pictured the spell I needed, having looked it over before casting it just to be safe, and said: "Miniminazi."

  As a spell circle appeared below the dragon, I felt a dip in my mana. It was small compared to some of the spells I had been casting lately, but I was sure an average person would not have been able to do it. Not on a monster like Rougier at least. And I really was using too much mana. Even I could tell I was starving, and normally- due to pretty much living half starved most my life- I didn't really notice.

  I looked down at my stomach and winced. I was thin. Too thin. Vale would be mad. And with that thought I was depressed again. How dare that Abs- For- Brains make me miss him, even as slightly as I did right now? I'd have to punch him next time I saw him.

  I watched, breath held, as Rougier shone with a blue-ish light in the spell circle. It seemed to flicker and I almost lost hope, but suddenly the giant dragon began to shrink and I leapt up with joy and whooped. I don't think I had ever done that before. The thought made me smile as I hurried forward, the light fading from the dragon.

  "Did it work?" he asked, his voice was still deep and bouldery, but not nearly as loud and lost its echo like feel.

  I laughed and knelt by the pint-sized dragon. He was now the size of a dragon newt! But where Drogin was smooth scaled, sleek, thin and stream lined, Rougier still looked like the rough and spiky beast he was. Drogin was a race car and Rougier was a tank. "It worked. See I am bigger than you are now."

  Slowly, Rougier looked up and blinked at me. I don't think that he would have appreciated me calling him cute right then, but he couldn't do anything about me thinking it. His red eyes went wide, and he jumped to his feet. "I do not like this!" He snapped but I just laughed.

  "You might like this though." I said and scooped up the struggling dragon in my arms, taking him over to one of the chains. He froze when he saw the manacle, sitting empty on the ground. As we watched the silver like material began to corrode and rust. In a matter of seconds, they crumbled to a brownish dust that got carried away on the wind.

  Rougier looked at his paws, purple and free of chains, and then looked up at me with awe. He stayed that way for about three full seconds before his eyes narrowed and he snarled. "You said nothing of turning me into a hatching, Female!"

  I laughed again. "No need to worry. The moment I release the spell you go back to normal size. I have used the opposite spell to turn my Dragon Newt large. You are fine."

  "I am not fine! I feel weak and small!"

  "Oh, don't be a baby. Being this size is very convenient! I can take you anywhere. You can do and see things you have never done before."

  "Oh?" He huffed. "Like what?'

  "Ummm... Enter a house? Be carried so you do not have to walk yourself? I don't know, lots of stuff. Anyway, just be happy you are free. I could have just left you in the chains." He just grumbled to himself, and I chuckled. "Alright, lets get you back to size. I am afraid you are right, and I really do need to eat."

  I headed to the center of Rougier's mountain top base and set him on the ground where he sat and glared at me. Smiling, I stepped back to a safe distance. "Miniminazi Rei."

  Within seconds Rougier was back to his full size and rolling his shoulders and wing joints. He really was a work of natural art, every bit of him should have been impossible, yet on this black glass mountain, he looked in his element. It felt more like I was the unnatural one.

  If a dragon could smirk than that would be the name, I would have given the look on Rougier's face as he craned his neck up to his full height and let out a loud trumpet that had me covering my ears and the ground shaking. As I lowered my hands, the sound still echoing around. His jaws parted and there was the sound of a deep inhalation. I watched in awe as a pillar of high heat blue flames shot up into the air, it was double Rougier's height, and I could feel it even at a distance.

  For the first time, I watched as he spread his two wings, seeing them fully at last. The ridges and fingers were thickly scaled; the leathery membranes pulled taut. Even in the dim light of this purple cloud sky I could see the veins in the wings. They were as scared and tattered as I figured, even when I only saw them folded at his sides. There was nothing I would call tears or rents, but there were some fist sized holes and the bottom edge had definitely seen better days.

  Rougier crouched low, his purple chest scraping the ground, his wings slammed downward with a blast of air that nearly knocked me over, then he sprang into the air. It was amazing, seeing something so big and so heavy take to sky like he was meant for it. I watched as he made several passes, never flying out of my sight. Then he appeared to be showing off as he did several acrobatic stunts, like corkscrews and loops. I laughed, feeling joy in his apparent revelry in freedom.

  It wasn't too long when he made his landing. It was almost a drop, with minimal flapping, yet he touched down so softly that I didn't even hear it. Once all four feet were on the ground, he shook himself out and made a happy sort of rumbling noise that was somewhere between a growl and a purr. I laughed and made my way over to him.

  "Looked like you were having fun." I said, putting a pale hand on his side with a smile.

  "Indeed. Like getting to stretch after being in a cramped box for an age." He said in what I assumed was an amused tone.

  I raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And you know what it feels like to be in a box?"

  "Do not play smart with me girl."

  "Sin." I said, realizing that I hadn't told him my name. he hadn't asked either but as a monster, no doubt he was used to most of the things he once spoke with not having names. "My name is Sin."

  "Very well Sin, let us be off. The faster I am away from this mountain the better. I am tired of purple earth and black stones."

  I rolled my eyes. "Then maybe you shouldn't have done it."

  "Back talking." He rumbled. "I feel that I am going to be subjected to too much of that."

  "Most likely." I confirmed. "I don't suppose you have any tips for riding a dragon. I can't say I have ever had the occasion to do so before now."

  "Hmm. I have never had anyone on my back before either. I am sure it is a great honor."

  This time I snorted. Luckily no smoke came out of my nose. "I am sure we will both be embarrassed if I fall off, oh great dragon."

  There was an irritated rumble in Rougier's chest. "Hold on tight? But I suggest not holding to tight with your legs. You appear to have a thin hide; my scales may cause damage."

  I looked down at my naked lower half. Yeah, this was going to be an uncomfortable trip. That first time I went horse back riding the other day was painful and I had on leather pants and a saddle to work with. Oh well, all I could do was hope we found people soon.

  Rougier got as low to the ground as he could and set his foreleg in a way that I could climb up. "Careful of my spines and ridges. We don't need you cutting an artery."

  "Yeah, yeah. I got it." He was sharp all over. But luckily, I was small and managed to find a spot between some spines around where his wings met his shoulders and got as comfy as I could. He was definitely wider than a horse. If I didn't think I would fall of I could have sat cross legged there easily. I smiled, a little giddy. I was absolutely on the back of a dragon right now. I wonder if he would consent to a saddle being made for him for when we needed to make long trips. I didn't want him to think I thought of him as a mode of transport. Plus, I would be pretty offended if some one asked to put a saddle on me...

  "Grab what ever you can and hold on. Don't get stabbed either."

  "Yes, I get it already." I huffed. "You are big and stab-y. Now can we just go?"

  "Again, with the attitude. I have eaten people for less you know?"

  "Well, no more eating people unless I say so. I don't need the angry comments from people when you can get a viable snack some place else."

  The dragon laughed and I felt my belly do a little wobble as he crouched down, then jumped into the air with a woosh. I admit I let out an unflattering scream and plastered my small body to his back, nearly goring out an eye on a spike. The air pressure kept me plastered to his back as he flapped three more times, tilted forward, and then the air was pushing against my face.

  "don't go too fast." I squealed, not sure if he could even hear me over the wind. "At least not till I get used to it."

  "Yeah, yeah. I got it." He said sarcastically, his bendy neck turning so he could shoot a snarky look at me. I growled and punched his back. My fist hurt, and judging from the roaring laughter on the wind, he hadn't felt a thing. I should have known better.

  It took a while before I got the courage to look over the side of the dragon. Not that I could see much without contorting myself in a way that I was sure would have me sliding off his side. But I could see the peeks of the mountains, their speed making me a little nauseous. I almost laughed when I though about what Rougier's reaction would be if I puked on him. Probably best to keep what little nutrition I had left in my body, right where it was.

  "We are nearing the end of the poison." Rougier said after about fifteen minutes. "Hold on tight and I will fly lower so you can see better."

  I gripped the spines I had been using as hand holds and I felt as we began to descend. I shivered in fear but trusted that the dragon had at least an inkling of what he was doing. I saw the we were now between two mountains rather than over them, the dark rock and dirt zooming past on either side. I then looked to the front and gasped.

  With his head angled down I now had an unobstructed view ahead and it was breath takingly sunning and alien. The mountains made for a V-shaped frame of the land beyond them. The clouds faded from purple to a pale pink color before disappearing altogether, leaving not a light blue sky but a sea green one, a pink clouds drifting by here and there. To my left was a yellow sunbathing the land in a gentle light. Beyond the peeks was a vast field of yellow grass dotted with blue and white flowers and beyond that a great, red lake.

  "Its beautiful..." I gasped, eyes wide and even a little wet. I really was stunned.

  Soon Rougier leveled off and I could only see a little of the yellow grass, but after a couple minutes, as the lake drew closer, I could see the opposite bank. There seemed to be trees there. They were not easy to make out just yet, but I saw they appeared to have yellow leaves while others looked a lot like the green conifers from earth.

  "The air feels much better here." Rumbled the dragon. "And it feels good to see trees and grass again." I opened my mouth to be snarky again but snapped it shut when he turned to narrow his red eye on me.

  "Where I come from the grass is green, the water is blue, and the clouds are white." I told him. His narrowed eyes blinked curiously. "And the leaves on the trees are normally only yellow in the fall."

  "Hearth sounds like a strange place." He spoke. "Still, I think I would like to see that."

  I opened my mouth, about to tell him that I hadn't been speaking of hearth, though the sky and such seemed to be the same either way. But before I could tell him I came from earth not hearth, he dipped his wing and made a left turn, away from the lake.

  I yelped and pressed myself closer to his scales. "Sorry." He said, "I see demon dwellings this way, just on the other side of these trees."

  I glanced over his dipped wing and did indeed see buildings. I don't really know what I was expecting Demon dwellings to look like, but for some reason simple stone houses was not what I had thought to see. Mind you the stones were a purple color rather than the grey I was used to. The roofs seemed to be shingled in black wood.

  "Should you really be flying so low over peoples houses?" I asked, suddenly panicked as I heard what sounded like shouts as we flew by. They had magic, right? What if they tried to shoot us out of the sky?

  "It is fine. They may run like little mice, but they can not harm me even if they tried."

  "Yes, sure, but why the heck are you scaring their pants off for no reason?" I yelped as he made a flap with his wings and adjusted his angle once again.

  Rougier snorted and laughed, sounding like an imminent attack to the people below no doubt. "I do not think I have ever frightened some so bad their pants came off."

  "Ugh! It's a figure of speech!"

  "We are fine." He said. "I am heading for the castle. No doubt we will be met by warriors, but they would not dare attack on sight. Not unless I was aggressive. And I am being perfectly well behaved."

  "Tch!" I snapped as he turned a little again, getting lower. "Behaved my sore butt!"

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  I gasped as a castle did, indeed, come into view. It was made of the same purple- grey stones as the houses and sat on top of a hill of yellow grass. There was a stone paved road leading up to a wall that had a large dark wooded gate. We were low enough now that I could only see the top three floors of the castle, but I would guess, without towers, it was about five stories tall.

  There was a jerking sensation as Rougier back flapped and began to set his hindlegs on the grass a little way outside the walls. It was as he began to fold his wings that I saw the people streaming out of the castle walls to great us with weapons drawn.

  They were smaller than I expected. That was my first thought at least. Though in less than a second, I realized that it was a foolish one. I was a small demon after all. And these men were bigger than me by twenty or thirty pounds on average. They still looked a little different of course, but there were things about them that were consistent throughout. No doubt the family traits that Rougier had mentioned.

  Each of these men had red eyes like me. But that was about the only distinctive thing that was the same. They had black horns above their ears that swooped back behind their heads. And unlike my whip like tail, theirs was more like Drogin's thin dragon like one, but black with small dark spines. They were not as long as my tail either, theirs just reaching the ground. The biggest difference was the wings though. I had none while they all had long, thin, black, bat like wings each with a sharp silver claw at the knuckle.

  Most of the men- about twenty- were on the ground, some with spears and others with bows, but there were about five to seven in the air, about nine feet up. All of them looked afraid but determined.

  "Why are you here, Dragon!" A man shouted. My eyes darted around till I spotted a man about six feet tall holding a spear and wearing chain mail. "This is the territory of Demon Queen Felicity, you would do well to find a new place to find prey or trouble."

  "Man, do all dragons have a bad reputation, or is this all for you?" I mumbled.

  Rougier seemed to think for a moment. "I doubt they know who I am specifically. They may know me by name, but it has been two thousand years since any have seen me."

  "So, its just all dragons then?"

  "Probably."

  Well, wasn't that lovely. I sighed and raised a hand, trying to get their attention. "I am sorry. We didn't mean to startle you... I don't think there is a non-scary way to land a dragon."

  Rougier rumbled in amusement, and I bumped him with a foot, a warning to be nice and not scare the jumpy demons with spears.

  "Who- who are you?" The man asked. "Has this dragon kidnapped you miss?" he called up.

  "Um, no... Do you mind if I come down. Its sort of hard to hold conversation when I am nearly a story and a half above you..."

  He hesitated, craning his neck to try and catch a glimpse of me around Rougier's neck. "Yes, of course." He turned back and addressed another man that I couldn't make out to well. "Go get Garris and be sure the Queen knows what is happening." I watched the back of a man fly off toward the castle, seeing more men up on the wall with bows drawn.

  A little nervous, I slid down Rougier's back carful of spines and the sharp points of scales. I hit the ground lightly enough but stumbled, my legs feeling a little like jelly. I laid a hand on the dragon for support, before taking some unsteady steps so that I was standing at Rougier's large, relatively smooth, chest plate.

  The man who had spoken started. I wasn't sure if it was the 'cloths' I was wearing or my current state of emaciation, but he looked shocked. "Please wait while Sir Garris comes. He is the head butler and will better be able to address your issues miss."

  The way he said miss made me think that demons had respect for women. It was hard to explain, but it was kind of like how people said 'sir' on earth. It was usually said with a kind of respect. Mean while when people said 'miss' on earth, half the time it sounded condescending, or down right patronizing at times. I nodded at his statement despite being confused. A butler had more authority than a soldier with at least enough command to tell other soldiers what to do?

  "Rahime, Fasder. Go to the town and tell the people to stay away for now" He said. He was still looking at me but clearly speaking to others. I heard flapping but did not see the two men take off.

  "Do- does the dragon not have speech?" He asked me, eyeing Rougier warily. "Or does he use you as a proxy?"

  "The Dragon- "Rumbled Rougier making the man jump. "Can speak just fine thank you." It was condescending, but he did use nice words which I took as an improvement.

  More flapping had my eyes looking up. There was a murmur amongst the demons as all the ones on the ground dropped to a knee. Seemed like a dumb thing to do in a potentially dangerous situation.

  There was a man and a girl flying down to us. The man was around six-six I would guess, with shoulder length black hair with a slight curl to it, and the typical red eyes. He looked to be of the same clan as the other males here. The girl did not look like them, however. For one thing, she was a child. If she was a teenager, I would be surprised to be honest, probably a preteen. She had long wavy silver hair, red eyes of course, and pale skin. But she had double pronged horns that were above her ears but instead of swooped they were pointed. Her wings were black, but they seemed wider than the others and did not have the silver claw, and her tail was thicker than the others with two white spines on the end. Was she from a different clan?

  One thing was for sure, despite her age she was a queen. There was no other reason for the men to be stupidly bowing. The man who I assumed was Garris, landed a few feet from me, just out of reach of Rougier's teeth, and the girl settled in next to him.

  "Oh my gosh, she looks so sick!" Gasped the girl. I would have felt embarrassed if it wasn't true and if she wasn't a child. Plus, I didn't get embarrassed easily anyway. I could have landed here in the buff and probably not have minded too much.

  "My Queen..." Sighed the butler, sounding a little exasperated but looking perfectly calm with a stiff spine. Dude could win a posture contest.

  "Oh, gosh I am sorry. That was rude." Said the girl. She sounds sweet and cute and was dressed in total Lolita style to boot. How anime...

  "Its fine. I am sure I do look rough." I had no clue what I was supposed to be doing or saying at this point. Was I supposed to bow? According to Rougier and my title, I was also a demon queen. Did demon queens bow to other demon queens?

  The butler sighed, took a single step forward and froze like some one cast a freezing spell on him. He slowly looked at me, eyes wide. "I- I apologize." He said, sounding a little off guard. "I did not realize that you were a Queen. Might I ask where your attendants are?" That last sentence sounded angry, and I was worried for a second before I saw that he was looking at my ribs, and the rage was that he thought I wasn't being taken care of.

  "Oh, um, well..." I sighed. "I am sorry, but I do not have any. Not unless you count my dragon friend here, whom I only just met. It's a rather long story..."

  The butler nodded, eyes hard and turned to the man who had been issuing orders earlier. "Go tell the others to prepare this queen with our best rooms, tell the cooks to get a meal started but have something brought to Lady Felicity's greeting room right away." The soldier stood at attention, placing his right hand over his heart in a claw like gesture, like he was holding his chest. He nodded then wasted no time doing as he was told.

  "You must be very tired and hungry." Said the little Queen. "It is not safe. Will you please enter my home and find respite?"

  "Um yes, thank you. That would be appreciated." Gods this was awkward. I turned to Rougier. "Unless you want to sit out here on the grass you should probably get small again."

  Rougier did not look happy about it but sighed and agreed all the same. The queen, felicity, looked curious about what I was doing, while the butler looked cautious.

  I put my hand on the dragon's chest, concentrated and said: "Miniminazi." Hands tightened on spears and there were a few nervous rumbling when the dragon began to glow. Oops, probably should have warned them. Soon there was just a tiny lizard on the ground. It mopped and complained but I smiled and picked him up. "You are fine, quit moaning."

  "That was amazing!" Exclaimed the queen. "What kind of magic was that?" She asked. Here red eyes were dancing, and I was sure she wanted to pet the dragon. I didn't think Rougier's ego would stand up well to that though.

  "Taming magic." I said with a smile. "I am a tamer."

  "Wow... Garris, what is a tamer?" She asked, excited.

  "A magic user who tames monsters. Though," he said eyeing my dragon. "They are quite rare, especially amongst demons, and I have never met a tamer who has tamed a dragon."

  "Queens truly are amazing creatures..." I heard a man whisper close by to another man.

  "Please, come this way, Milady. Queen Felicity, if you would?" The young queen smiled at me once more before walking ahead, escorted by two men from the crowd. I followed with the butler behind me. It was like walking into a wolf den with the biggest wolf at my tail. I felt on edge with him there. I understood though, I was a stranger, and a stranger queen at that. I guess to them it was akin to letting a wild and unknow dragon into their home without much to protect against it. Though, given that I had Rougier with me, I guessed that was exactly what they were doing.

  The men that we passed bowed and made way for us as we came up to the castle wall. It was well built I guess, mind you the only reference I had was for the wall Around Bellana which wasn't that amazing. I was told the Wall around the palace in the capital of Larasta, was far more impressive. I resisted the urge to touch the stones as we entered the tunnel, it was about three meters long and had another open door at the end.

  The courtyard was beautiful. There were winding stone paths in the yellow grass and at the center was a large fountain of marble with flowing red water. There were a couple, dark trunked trees with yellow leaves, and I saw woman walk by in a long silver dress holding a clear vase of long stemmed, red flowers before she disappeared through a door. To the left, along the wall appeared to be a stable perhaps, and along the right were a couple buildings. Looming ahead was a grand staircase and the castle itself. It was a simple castle, but it looked elegant against the sea green sky.

  "This was my mother's castle." Said the girl, looking back at me with a smile. "She had It built many centuries ago, so it may not look as grand as other castles. I like it though, it has a hot spring in the basement!"

  I smiled back. "Um, it would be safe for you to assume I know exactly nothing about being a demon or about demon culture..." I said as politely as I could. How were you supposed to talk to royalty anyway? "So, I wouldn't know a good castle from a bad one. But I do think this one looks very pretty. I'd also like to apologize up front... I may accidentally do or say something offensive, so please bare with my ignorance."

  "You know nothing about demons?" She asked, looking baffled.

  "Your Majesty, perhaps we should let the Queen get comfortable and have something to eat before you question her?" Said the butler behind me.

  "Oh, yes, you are quite right Garris. So sorry Lady- umm." She blushed and fumbled for what to say.

  "My name is Sin."

  "Sin? What an odd name. Very well Lady Sin. I am sure Garris will have a butler take you to a place where you can freshen up from your travels and then I will meet you in the greeting hall, where we may take a meal together and you can tell me your whole story. With any luck I may be able to help you out."

  "Thank you very much Queen Felicity. It is very much appreciated." Ugh, formal speak. I felt like my skin was crawling. I did not do well around rich people and their far too many rules and etiquette. One of the many reasons I tended to avoid the nobles district in Bellana.

  We walked up the stairs, there were only about ten, but it made for a very elegant entrance all the same, and two more men held open the double doors to the castle. Inside was a large hall with a wide-open center, an even grander stairway in the back, and large pillars holding up balconies along the walls. It was like a great ball room from some Disney movie. Here is where we stopped. Three women and one man approached us and bowed, each of them belonging to the same clan as Garris the butler.

  "Silva, Cassip, please take the queen to her chamber to ready for the evening meal." Said Garris and two of the women stepped forward. One had black hair and the other was a dirty blonde. They both bowed then escorted the queen to the back of the hall and out a door. "Lady Sin, this is Trina. She is a maid here and will attend you your rooms and any other needs you may have." A red-haired demon girl curtsied, her dress the same pale blue as the other two had worn. A uniform perhaps.

  "It is an honor to serve you Lady Sin. Please let me know your clothing preferences, and I will do my utmost to have them prepared for you."

  "And this is my son, Kieran." He said the name like Key-rin. He was only a few inches taller than me with the same family demon traits as his father. He was handsome and even though he looked slight, he held himself like a person accustomed to a fight. His hair was a little longer than his fathers but also black, tied at the base of his neck in a loose tail. He wore a similar suit to his father as well, the tails of his coat brushing the floor as he bowed low. "I am assigning him to you during your stay with us Lady Sin. Please let me know if either is unsatisfactory in their skills."

  "Oh, um, thank you." I said to them both, not sure how I was supposed to respond.

  "Both of you take excellent care of Queen Sin. I will go attend to Queen Felicity." After addressing the maid and butler he turned back to me and bowed. "We will see you again shortly my Lady." With that he hurried off after Felicity at an even and controlled pace.

  "Please, come this way lady Sin." Said Kieran, gesturing to the other side of the stair that Garris had just disappeared behind.

  As I followed, the maid, Trina, began to speak. "What clothing do you prefer to where Lady Sin? I can probably fetch you anything."

  "Um, well if it isn't offensive, then I would prefer pants or a shorter skit over a gown please. Something that doesn't impede my movement or that of my tail." I spoke. I was pretty sure it was rude on earth for a royal to where tight pants and short skirts. Not that I was an expert.

  "I can do that right away!" She said happily, and hurried away as Kieran and I entered a long hall with many doors and elegant paintings. I was fascinated by them since most seemed to depict landscapes of the demon world.

  "This will be your room, Lady Sin." Said Kieran, his voice soft and even a little melodic. Maybe he was a good singer. "I will be right outside should you have need of anything. Trina will arrive shortly with some clothing. There should already be a bath ready should you wish to take one."

  "Oh, thank you very much Kieran." I said. At least he knew how to be tactful when telling a girl, she looked and smelled like a trash can.

  He smiled broadly and it made his face light up. He opened the door for me, and I entered the room. "There is no rush, so take what ever time you need. But if you take much longer than a half hour the food will begin to get cold." And with that and a bow, he shut me in the room.

  It was a massive space with a huge four poster bed that I was pretty sure five people could sleep in without touching. There were bookshelves filled with leather bound books, a couple sitting tables and several furred rugs. On either side of the bed were two large windows that looked out onto the central courtyard. I could see people out there bustling about, looking a bit frantic and excited. I guess it wasn't every day a bedraggled queen fell from the sky on the back of a dragon.

  Speaking of dragons. "You have been pretty quiet." I laughed down at the purple Rougier in my arms.

  "Humph. I figured you had it covered. Besides, my voice sound ridiculous in this form." He said looking grouchy.

  "Don't be like that." Laughed and headed for an open door to the left of the room where I could smell floral scents and saw steam wafting out. Sure-enough it was a bathroom with a large claw footed tub filled with pinkish water and smelling of flowers. "Let's have a bath. You haven't had one in two thousand years!"

  It took only a second to drop the rag I had been using as cloths to the floor. There was a step up to the bath and I used it to get myself and Rougier into the rather hot water. Still, I had pretty good heat resistance, so it felt wonderful. Rougier squirmed so I let him go and he began paddling back and forth. I laughed.

  "You know, in a normal lake or ocean, dragons are actually very graceful swimmers." He rumbled.

  "I have no doubt." I sighed and let the dirt soak off me. It felt so nice to be getting clean. "So, what do you think?"

  "What do I know about demons?" He said. "Probably not much more than you. I ate them. Do you talk to your food?"

  I laughed, despite the morbid-ness of the statement. "No. But you will not be eating these demons, so please try and be civil. They are being very kind to us. So, if you can not say anything nice then just continue to be mute." I sighed and began rubbing my skin. "I will have to tell them everything if I hope to really get any help. It'll be the first time... but if I tell them only parts then it will get confusing."

  "What are you blathering about?" He asked. I watched him swim, using his tail as a rudder.

  "I will tell you too when I tell them. Its too long of a story to repeat."

  "What ever you say. I hope they feed me too."

  I laughed. "If they don't then you are fee to eat some of my food."

  The dragon snorted, then fell into a coughing fit when he sucked up water. "You need all the food you can get. Even I wouldn't bother eating you in the state you are in now."

  I frowned, looking down at my body in the water. Yeah, I was a mess. Even I thought I looked emaciated. Borderline skeleton at this point, really. Yeah, this was bad. Vale would yell at me, and Honey would be force feeding me pastries. It was hard to believe that it had been well over a week since I had seen any of them. Most of my trek in that poisoned valley was a blur after all.

  When I heard the door open and someone enter my room, I decided that I had bathed long enough. By the time I exited the bathroom, wrapped in a towel made of something similar to wool, Trina had left again. At the bottom of the bed were several piles of cloths. She had brought me options.

  I slipped into a long, dark shirt that had a low V-neck and a pair of pants that pulled up just below the base of my tail. I was not provided with under garments nor any kind of shoes. I doubted it was an oversite, yet I was sure that the men and the maids had been wearing shoes. Oh well, if they had a problem with that then I suppose they would provide me with them. Maybe they just didn't know my shoe size immediately, despite apparently being able to figure out what sized cloths I wore.

  Once I was presentable and I had dried my hair as best I could, I exited the room. Both Trina and Kieran were in the hallway, waiting for me. "You look lovely your Majesty!" Chirped Trina, a wide smile and bright eyes telling me she wasn't just placating me. "Queen Felicity is waiting for you in the greeting hall, and the meal is ready. If your dragon companion wished to have something, not cooked, then I can ask the chefs to provide him with a suitable meal near the kitchens."

  "I will stay with Sin." Said the dragon. Out of habit I lifted him up and he clambered onto my shoulder. He was a little bulkier than Drogin and a few pounds heavier, but I had the strength of a demon, so it didn't really affect me much. Though it did cause a pang of longing in my chest.

  "Very well Master Dragon." She said with a slight bow. "This way please."