Aurekdel

“I found ‘em fighting in the hallway,” Ezeru said, dropping two squalling children in dragon forms onto the floor.

Ora, in pure rock dragon fashion, could fight before she could talk. But she was also an eighteen month old child who immediately turned into a girl and slumped onto the floor sobbing.

“What happened, bug?” Ezeru asked her.

I heard her voice come out smothered and incoherent as she clung to his shirt.

“Where did your clothes go?” he pressed.

I abandoned my desk and crouched in front of Vorja. “What happened?”

“Pushed me,” he said reluctantly.

“Who?”

“Aran.”

“Why?”

“Do we need to ask why?” Ezeru said. “The mist dragons still aren’t…the most popular. Vorja is the only one in the palace since Ijaru and Peri left.”

Peri had offered Ijaru a job as her interpreter so she could travel the sky world without any trouble. Ijaru took her father with her. All of them seemed like they could use some time away from this place, and dragons were quite fashionable company in the sky world these days. Many of the mist dragons who rebelled against Izeria had decided to take jobs in the sky world instead of staying here.

“Aran is Horu and Merika’s son,” Ezeru said.

“We’d better talk to them, I suppose.”

“I don’t want to do that,” Ezeru said. “I’m not sure I could conduct myself in a…dignified way. Ora has bite marks on her arms.”

“Dwagon?” Ora said.

“Aran dragoned first,” Vorja said. He was almost four, by our best guess, and so a slightly better bet for getting a real answer.

“Were there any adults around?” I asked.

“No.”

“Why were you alone?”

“Ora was there.”

“Ora is certainly not an adult. And what was Ora doing running around by herself?”

“Well…,” Ezeru said, sounding a little embarrassed. “She is a rock dragon. She has to learn her instincts on her own. And she was with Vorja.”

“Does Himika know you let Ora run around by herself? I’m pretty sure she thinks you’re watching her.”

“I knew where she was,” Ezeru said. “But Himika is not always understanding of Ora’s hunting instincts. She caught a fish down by the waterfall last week.” He sounded very proud.

“Himika or Ora?” I asked, just to be trouble. “Vorja, where is Maja?”

“I wanna play with Ora. I don’t wanna be in the nursery. The—the—” He hunched down and sounded like he was trying not to cry. I could only guess. The nursery was a busy place because orphaned children grew up there and most parents put their children in the nursery during the day; it was both school and playground.

We used to worry little Oranu would have trouble with the other children, but I worried about Vorja. I couldn’t help it. I never had to spend time in the nursery and hadn’t really been allowed to play in the same way as other children, but I knew how it felt to be blind and alone, without parents to protect you. All the advisors and nurses in the world had left me spoiled, but also isolated. Sometimes they fought with each other to shape my views as the boy king and win my favor.

Oranu didn’t seem to care much what the other high dragon children were doing. She and Sorek had their own nurse, a clever young woman named Rima, and they played all the time, and she was happy with the other rock dragons. At this stage of life, she seemed ahead of her brother. Her rock dragon instincts meant she had learned to walk, play, and hunt for food and treasures before other kids.

“Oranu often takes Vorja’s hand and brings him with her,” Ezeru said.

“Seron used to take my hand…when I was your age.” I took a handkerchief and wiped Vorja’s tears. “Vorja, I’m taking you out of the nursery. You can still see everyone there if you want, but Rima will be your nurse now.”

“With Ora?”

“Yes, but you’re also going to spend an hour with me after lunch. I’m going to teach you to fight back. And I’ll also teach you to read plates like I do. I’m not sure if there’s any way for a blind mist dragon to write, but you can certainly read.”

I felt his small hand grab my sleeve, a rather lonely hand, I thought. I could just feel it.

I had never needed a child of my own blood. I loved Ora and Sorek as much as I would love my own.

Was I waiting for you, Vorja? We were not tied by blood, but by loss and rejection. Ora seemed to have the protective instincts Seron once had for me. But I also knew Vorja would need to be strong on his own. It was harder to be strong without someone to love you.

“No more nursery?” he asked, like he didn’t really believe it.

“No.” I put an arm around his small shoulders until I felt them relax. “I’m going to make you a cup of the queen’s special tea. But first, where did you kids put your clothes? I can only imagine what Himika thinks of this place when she sees our princess running around naked…”

Ora giggled and said, “Naaaaked!”

“Maybe we do need a few more rules on manners before the election,” I said.