I woke up to familiar voices on an unfamiliar bed. The quilt on me was as soft as the clouds. I kept my eyes closed, breathed heavily and pretended to be asleep. If what I saw in Lord Dragomitus' head was right, I was currently in madame principal's chamber. 

I knew what was coming. Confrontation was inevitable. My heart's pace began to increase and I tried my best to calm down. Keelin was here and she had supernatural senses.

"That must be why she denied the mark then. I mean, she's a dragon," Keelin said and laughed as if baffled.

Arlan joined her in the laughter, though his lacked any hint of amusement. He sighed. "I can't... I have known her all my life," he let out another laugh. "A dragon."

"Have they always existed then? We were told that they were wiped out by our ancestors," a soft voice spoke up. Was that Hystia? I saw her and Yuvien join the others before. I wondered what they were doing here.

"Seems like they have. All the legends of the last millennium have been a lie," Ryne spoke up finally. But I couldn't discern anything from his voice. Damn it! Why was he so hard to read?

"Is she the only dragon? Or are there more?" Yuvien mused.

"Most importantly, what's her purpose? Why did she come here? Is she a spy? Are they planning an attack?" Ryne continued.

I didn't like where this was going. Were they going to lock me up in prison?

"Yuvien, go with Arlan. He knows where she lived before. Find out how many more of them there are. Round up anyone you may think might be a dragon. Take Hystia with you if you want. I want all of them at one place before reporting to the Council," he said. After a moment, he sighed, "If they seem to pose a threat to the Circle, I give you permission to take the necessary action."

My heart raced as I heard the authority in his voice. He seemed like the ti-eglor for the very first time. No matter how powerful he was, however, I couldn't let them harm my people.

"Wait," I said and opened my eyes. The sudden onslaught of light blinded me. I blinked, trying to adjust my vision. When I saw everyone staring at me, I wished I could go back to pretending I was asleep. 

Ryne stood next to the bed and when I sat up, he ran his eyes down my body. I realized I was still wearing that excuse of a dress. I covered my body with the quilt and cleared my throat.

Madame principal sat on a chair nearby. The rest of them were scattered across the moderately large room. I searched for Arlan and found him seated on a stool straight ahead of me. 

His arms were locked together and he was staring at the floor. Gyrod stood next to him, leaning against the wall. When his eyes caught mine, he ran his fingers through Arlan's hair as if he were comforting him.

"Arlan," I said softly. He looked up at me after a moment. If I owed anyone an explanation here, it was him. "I didn't mean to... I," I let out a shaky breath and tears pooled in my eyes when he stared back at me with complete indifference. This was not going to be easy.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to deceive you. It has been a long-kept secret in my clan."

"Clan? There are more of you?" Yuvien asked with a sneer.

I took a deep breath and fiddled with my fingers. There was no going back now. I could only trust in my fate and be honest. I looked up at Ryne. Something shimmered in his eyes. I didn't know what it was but my gut told me that I could trust him. I would trust him. I had no other choice. "I'll tell you everything. But please don't hurt my people. They mean no harm."

I prayed to Lord Dragomitus for strength, courage and the right words. 'I promise I'll never make fun of you again,' I thought and was close to tearing up. I felt the burden of my clan press onto my shoulders again and it was the heaviest my heart had ever felt.

"Please. They are...They are barely surviving," I said and tears cascaded down my cheeks. There were a lot of firsts in my life. First queen to have revealed the secret. First queen to have begged the ti-eglor.

"That depends on whether I consider them a threat to the Circle. However, I promise to listen to you completely before taking this to the Council," he said earnestly. Then he sat down on a chair nearby, folded his arms and waited for me to proceed.

"Years ago, your goddess Hecate cursed us and we couldn't shift into our dragon forms anymore. Did you know that?" I asked.

He nodded, "That was what helped us win the war. We captured the capital of the Dragon empire and the power shifted to us."

"Your kind didn't stop there," I said as rage burned my face to a bright scarlet, "They hunted down every dragon in the world until only a few hundred remained. The dragons that survived went into hiding and used the help of a few kind witches to create a concealment spell around the Riu valley..." 

"That's where we've lived the last millennium. My great ancestor, Eremonia Dragomir, was the one who brought them to safety and formed the pact with the three witches. We received charms and spells to disguise ourselves as humans. She kept us from going extinct."

"Dragomir?" he asked, his brows knitting together.

"Her husband, Fendal Dragomir was the one who began the war," I said softly.

"Right!" Hystia said, jumping slightly, "The ruler of all dragons, Fendal Dragomir murdered Seon Uchigi, the champion of Hecate. It was the immediate cause of one of the bloodiest wars in history." She spoke as if she were reading from a textbook.

I nodded, "He was my ancestor. Since then, every dragon from my bloodline has been paying for his sins. You see, Dragomirs die very young, thanks to your goddess' curse. My mother died at twenty-five and she was the longest surviving royal." My heart clenched together when I spoke of her. If only she were alive... She would know what I had to do, how I had to proceed. She always knew everything.

"I'm sorry," Ryne said and he seemed to genuinely be so. "Does that mean you are..."

"I'm a Dragomir. And I'm the dragon queen."