"Are you fucking kidding me?" I cried out.

Two girls at the next table glared at me and I nodded in apology.

When J-Vil said I had a more severe punishment, I had no idea the difference was so big. I was basically charged for treason. This made absolutely no sense to me! All because I stood up against a bully (who happened to be from the royal family).

"There's no fucking way I'm consummating this freak of a punishment!" I made up my mind. I didn't care if the alternative was something horrible.

"Meredith, you must see this to the end," I heard the raspy voice of Lord Dragomitus. Startled, I looked around. I was the only one who heard it, just like the last time. So I replied to him in my head.

"No. No matter what you tell me, I won't, Lord Dragomitus. Seeing this to completion means kneeling in front of that warlock and swearing allegiance to the Council that was built from the ashes of my ancestors. Seeing this to completion means that they get to decide until when I live. Do you not get how serious this is?"

"Becoming the enemy of the champion of Hecate is hardly the way to protect your clan, my queen," he said, impatient.

"I will protect my people in my own way, one that doesn't include submitting to anyone. I am the queen of dragon-kind. You want me to bow down to a bunch of savages and let them control me? How can I ever work for the good of the people if I need to answer to monsters who would rather see us perish?"

"My foresight tells me that you will soon need the help of that boy, my child," he sighed and explained slowly. "Do not make an enemy of him. Listen to me, your personal beliefs don't matter when 'tis compared to the greater good."

"The greater good can go to hell. You may call me prideful if you want. I don't care, Lord Dragomitus. I will find you. I will remove the curse. I will bring prosperity to my people. And I will be the first royal dragon to live a long, fulfilled life. And all without bowing down to anyone."

"I am as old as the moon, my child. Shouldn't you heed my advice? And even if you don't, shouldn't you be more polite about the rejection?" Lord Dragomitus sighed, "Being spirited and wilful are fine as long as you don't end up shooting yourself in the foot, my queen."

"I ... I will keep that in mind, my Lord," I said, realising I had let my emotions get the better of me, yet again. "On that note, would you kindly tell me where you are?"

I heard a raspy chuckle that sounded more like a fit of cough, "I thought you were capable enough to find your own path. Find your own path, my queen."

"Crazy old bat!" I muttered.

"Crazy old dragon is more like it," I heard his fading voice whisper with a chuckle.

The world was too complicated for me. I had to find a god who wouldn't tell me where he was and I had to deal with a warlock who was stupid enough to confuse minor offences with capital ones.

"He hadn't though, had he?" I thought, "He hadn't confused the offences. He'd given me a severe punishment on purpose. That immature brat!"

"That immaturely attractive brat!" I muttered.

"What the hell am I saying? I've gone crazy!" I yelled at myself as I got up to put the book back in its place.

I was lost in thought as I exited the library. Both the options ahead of me were terrible. Both would end in my humiliation. If I became the rosa of the Moon festival, I would be humiliated as a woman. If I completed the mark collection, I would be humiliated as a queen. I believed the former to be a lesser evil. Anyway, being the rosa was considered sacred for female wolves.

"You're no wolf. You're a dragon," a voice told me.

I sighed as I watched the fountain outside the library. Water shot out of a stone head's mouth. The headpiece worn by it indicated that the sculpture was that of a tribal man. No doubt of a tribe that the Council had successfully assimilated into the Circle. If I completed the mark collection, the dragons would be just like that tribe. Even if I managed to get the curse lifted, my people would not be able to enjoy their freedom. Not if their queen was in the shackles of the Council.

"Ditty! J-Vil told me you'd be here," I heard Arlan's voice and looked up to find him walking towards me.

"Yeah, I had to check something out," I said.

"About mark collection? I heard from J-Vil. I'm sorry, I really don't understand why de would do that. He's actually really nice," he said.

I had no energy to argue with him so I kept quiet.

"De was probably upset that he had to punish Yuvien. Yuvien is a nice kid but sometimes he takes things too far. I am very sure he didn't intend to kill the odih, merely scare him. Besides the odih, Fifin... Well, some things happened last term because of him-"

"Arlan, I really don't want to talk about them right now," I said softly.

He seemed to understand that I was upset. He nodded, "I'm sorry. Yeah, I get it. But you don't have to worry anymore. I spoke to the other echelon heads. They're quite close to me. I convinced them to give you the marks without causing you any trouble."

I frowned unable to form the right words. He thought he did something wrong and added, "I'll come with you! I'll make this easy for you, I swear."

"Arlan, you don't have to," I told him as I looked him straight in the eye. "I am going to be the rosa of the Moon festival tomorrow."