"Your Majesty, it's time to wake up," calls a gentle voice. His hand gently strokes one of my wings and it flutters a bit absentmindedly. He quickly retracts his hand and I wish for a brief moment it had stayed. 'You can't think like that,' I tell myself. I open my eyes. Krolic sits on the edge of my bed, his fluffy bunny ears twitching. "You'll miss breakfast," he says sweetly, before he stands. His cute puff-ball tail twitches as he turns his back to me. I tell my brain to shut up.

"What's for breakfast?" I yawn, sitting up. My shoulders ache from yesterdays combat training. Carrying two heavy swords while flying is rough.

"Beet stew," he replies, grabbing my clothes from the wardrobe. I catch a firery twinkle in those red eyes of his.

"You should've let me sleep," I reply, running my hands through the black feathers that potrude from my forhead, down to the thick braids that run down my back. My head itches. I didn't bathe last night, I realize.

Krolic laughs and his pink nose crinkles. He pushes his short, stark-white hair back absentmindedly and turns his back once more. 

"I've drawn a bath for you, Your Majesty."

I scrunch my sharp nose at him. My lion ear twiches in irritation. "Please just call me Melo, like you used to." I stand up and stretch, yawning loudly this time. A mild roar comes out unintentionally, and Krolic flinches. I know it's not me he's afraid of, but it still hurts. 

As if he knows, he smiles sweetly at me. "We're not kids anymore, Melo."

I smile back and my lion's tail swishes behind me as I walk. I drop the trousers I'd been wearing and hop in the bath, cradling myself with my wings. Krolic sits behind my head and begins unbraiding my hair. He's so gentle I can barely tell he's there. Still, it's a warm feeling. 

We sit in silence and he unbraides them. He washes my hair and face so gently, like I'm made of glass. He might be the only person in the world who thinks that way. He twirls his hand, using air magic to dry my hair before he braids it, adorning each braid with gold rings and ribbons. After he finishes he pushes at the small of my back, right between my wings, signalling me to sit up. I lean forward and stretch out my wings. He washes those, stroking each long, black feather like it was his newborn baby instead of a giant Griffin-Man's wings. He finishes and and wipes down my back before handing me the cloth. "Finnish up, your father will be joining you for breakfast this morning." He gets up to leave and I grab his hand. He turns back to me, his red eyes full of sadness. His father, Belyy, has been my father's favored concubine since my mother passed two years ago. My father's desent into madness over the course of my life has made palace life impossible, but Belyy...

We don't say anything and Krolic heads back to my room to clean the charmber. He's been my chambermaid our whole lives, pracitically. His father was my mother's chamber maid, up until my father killed her. I don't know if he's taken to Belyy for some misguided revenge or out of association, but the poor man is awlays covered in blood and bruises. 

I finish bathing and get dressed in the clothes that Krolic set out for me. Despite the large slits in the back of the tunic, I struggle to get my wings through. Durining my fourth attempt I hear a giggle and see Krolic standing there, his hand over his mouth trying to surpress his laughter. "Do you.. need help?" he manages.

I sigh and hand him the shimmery gold tunic. "Please?" I beg. He walks over and slips it over my wings like it was the easiest thing in the world. He laces up the bottom of the slits, still giving me a bit of wiggle room so my wings don't chafe on the fabric. He buttons up the front and pats my chest, looking up at my face with a sweet smile. I'm a head taller than him now, I realize. When did he get so small?

"Let's get going," he says, and heads to the chamber door's, opening them for me. Even just two years ago there would have been armed gaurds stationed outside the doors, but my father dismissed them all, believing they were staging a coup. The palace now had about ten servants doing the work of hundreds. My father has closed off near everywhere but the living qaurters, servant quarters and kitchen. 

We walk down the long hallway, the collums to our left framing the clouds and the world below. The castle floats over the kingdom, slowly drifiting as if it were too a cloud. I look out and see a city, the pluming steam coming out of the large brass pipes. The stone buildings are connected by cobbled roads, filled with merchant stalls, steaming motor carriges and horses pulling loads of goods and people. Its so colorful compared to the stark white halls with the occassional gold embellishment. 

Krolic drops to walk behind me and I can barely tell he's there. It's so quiet it's almost as if he's not breathing- he might not be; my father called for his last night and probably hasn't returned. The anxiety must be draining him. 

He runs ahead of me to open the door to the dining hall. He struggles with this one; it's huge. I gently put my hand above his and pull. He blushes in emarassment.

Lidi, a red-haired Cat-woman, is finishing setting the table. She polishes each peice, humming to herself. We're halfway to the table when the door clangs shut behind us. She jumps, tossing the silverware in the air. Krolic raises his hands to shield himself and I statch the falling fork and knife, handing it back to her. She immeadeatly drops to her knees, her head to the floor. "Please forgive me your majesty! I have children to take care of, please have mercy!"

I squat down and speak softly, "It's fine, Lidi. I snuck up on you, it's not your fault." I stand back up and go to sit at the table. Krolic pullls out my chair for me, then stands behind me like a butler. Lidi stands up, bows to me, and then runs into the kitchen. The serveants don't know me, only my father. I sigh, and twirl the fork, my anxiety growing. Father usually does not want to eat breakfast. I don't think he's gotten up before midday for the last half of my life. Still, I wait, holding my breath. 

Just as I think Krolic and I might die from suffocation, the doors on the other side of the hall burst open. I stand to greet him and see that he's buck-naked, which is horryfying enough, when I realize he's corvered in blood dragging...

BELYY.

I hear Krolic gasp as my father tosses Belyy by his ears onto the table. "This damned rodent up up and died in the middle of f**cking!" he yells, pounding his giant fist onto the back of Belyy's broken corpse. "Good for nothing piece of meat! After how nice I've been, who the f**k does he think he is?" He pauses for a moment to chug a jug of ale. He slams it down, wiping part of the froth from his beard and smearing the blood further across his face. His eyes are like black holes, taking in everything, but seeing nothing. He continues on, "I haven't even f**king finished yet!" he yells, holding up his family jewles for all to see. I do not want to see, but I'm too scared to look away. There isn't enough battle training in the world to deal with a powerful lunatic. "Who the f**k is gonna take care of that, HUH?" he shouts, looking around. I think his eyes are begining to focus. That can't be good. "You!" he shouts, pointing a finger at me. At least I thought so at first, until I hear Krolic whimper behind me. Oh, no no no no no no...

"Your majesty," I say, bowing. I don't know what I'm doing and my mind is racing trying to finish this sentence. "Why don't you bathe first? The rabbit must bathe as well. Were you to get sick from the rodent blood-"

"Who the f**k are you?" he demands. I look just like him...

"Your son, Melokhule," I reply, without lifting my head. 

He scratches his head and flakes of dries blood and gods know what else drop to the floor. I resisst the urge to gag. "Fine! you have ten minutes rabbit!" he bellows, and marches out of the chamber, fliging open the doors like a stage preformer. It might've been funny if not for who he was and what he had just done. 

Krolic stands there, frozen, starting at his father's corpse. Then he vomits, his whole body shaking. He's mumbling things, but I can't make them out. I pick him up and carry him in my arms. I realize he's whimpering "prosti otets" over and over again. 'I'm sorry father'. What does he have to apologize for?

I take him back to my chamber and lock the doors behind me. I know that won't hold my father, but it feels right. I place Krolic gently on the bed. He's shaking so I wrap him up in the warm blankets. I knows he's not cold, but I don't know what to do.

Then I do.

I stroke his cheek gently and I'm amazed at how soft and pale his skin really is. It practically glows like it's made of moonlight. I will him to sleep dreamlessly and he begins to close his eyes. A few tears fall and me mumbles a final 'otets' before falling asleep. As his breathing evens I study his face. I breathe in his scent and go to stand before the mirror. I strip myself bare and will my body to change.

First are my wings, which I pull deep into my body. The pain is excruciating, but losing Krolic would be worse. Next I shrink my body down and turn my dark brown skin into his delicate white skin. My hair shrinks back into my head until its just long enough to cover my neck. Then the coarse black hair turns silky and white. My tail curls up and becomes a white poofball, my golden lion grow into long, white ones. Lastly my face; my sharp nose becomes soft, pink, and slighly upturned. My sharp canines retreat and my front two grow, just a bit. and my eyes turn firery red- I can't seem to copy thier kindness, but my father deserves none of that anyway. For a finishing touch I coat myself in his scent; like freshly cut grass and mother's milk.

I turn to look at my friend one last time. "I love you," I whisper. 

Then I head to the griffin's den.

I stumble, smearing my bloody handprint on the wall of the corridor. How Belyy survived even two years is beyond me. My legs shake and my head is screaming. If I simply let go and became myself again, my body would heal. My instincts try so hard to take over. I push them aside. I fall to one knee and curse myself. It's not much farther now. 

I stumble into my chamber, barely managing to get through the door. I think I'm going to faceplant on the floor when I'm caught by two delicate white hands. The door slams and my body relaxes. My wings and hair shoot out like diving hawks and my body grows. My rough hair scratches my back and I wince; it feels like him. I watch my skin go from silk to coal before my eyes and I sob. Krolic strokes my hair, shushing me like my mother did...

I wake up and I'm somehow on my bed. I have no idea how Krolic managed that, I'm twice his weight. My body is sore but mostly healed. A few of the deeper wounds have fresh scabs. I groan and sit up. "Krolic?" I ask groggily.

Silence.

My ears prick up on alert. I look to the window and the sun is begining to set. Krolic would be here... He must be... NO!

I jump up, using my wings for extra momentum. I run throgh the corrider, down the twisting halls and thrust open my father's chamber's doors.

Krolic is on his back, naked and wimpering. He's already bleeding from a deep bite in his shoulder. He looks at me, pure terror in his eyes. 

"HOW DARE YOU ENTER MY CHAMBERS!" my father roars. He stands to his full height, but he's barely taller than me. I grab a sword from his wall and rush at him. He tries to dodge but I change course at the last second, aiming for the part that has caused all this grief.

He screams, his precious slave-maker falling to the ground. Blood gushes and he looks at me with such hatred. But I've seen that look before and I don't care. I raise my sword to his throat. "You are going to die, tyrant."

But he only laughs. "Finally!" he yells. What? "Oh, little boy, you are in for a rude awakening! With my death I shall create the worst torutures for you! You wanna be king, little boy? Get ready to work for it!" He laughs hysterically, falling to his knees. "I will create an obstacle so big that no one will ever defeat it!" He chokes now, but he isn't done. "Good luck defeating the Trials of Hell!" he cackles now, then slumps to the ground. 

The whole castle starts shaking. I grab Krolic and run. I'm halfway down the corridor when I stop dead in my tracks. A tower has grown, taller than the clouds.

The castle plumits to the ground, and I grab Krolic in my arms. I use my magic to pull the servants to me as I fly them away from fallng castle and the growing tower.

The tower of the griffin king.

To be continued...