Rustam read a book in the corner of Oren’s workroom while the court wizard examined some scales and blood taken from the gray dragon. Galenova sat next to him and was reading a book too, while Ignacia and Daelyniel were helping Oren. Since his arm was broken, Rustam wouldn’t be able to train with weapons for a while.

“Wow! There are six dragons?” Galenova muttered in fascination.

The little Dwarf smiled and looked over at her book. “There are six dragons known as the Metallic Dragons. They’re the oldest and most powerful dragons in the world. There is another type of dragon known as a wyvern. There's a group known as the Gem Wyverns, but no one has seen any kind of dragon for over a century. Not until a few days ago.”

“And the dragon you were on was The Bronze Horror, right? I think that’s what Ignacia called it?” Galenova asked. 

“Uh-huh. That’s the third oldest and strongest dragon, Yamanaereus. I’ve only seen paintings of him. His older siblings are even bigger than him!” Rustam explained. “And I’ve never heard of the gray dragon. It didn't sound or look familiar, but that's why Sir Oren has us looking through the books.”

Galenova shivered as she thought about the fight between the two dragons. She could only imagine how Rustam felt when he was holding onto the Bronze Horror for dear life. “You must’ve been very scared. It was so scary to watch from far away!”

“It was very scary,” Rustam admitted quietly. “I just wanted to keep Daelyniel and Ignacia safe. Igy was trying to get us down safely, but I rushed her when I saw the gray dragon charging its attack. She ended up dispelling both spells too fast and used up all her magic energy. That’s why I used myself as bait.”

The Nymph princess gently grabbed his wrapped hand. “They were very worried about you. Daelyniel felt horrible that you sacrificed yourself. When the guards held them back, Ignacia knocked out a guard with her book.”

Rustam flushed when he felt her hand on his. He laughed nervously and looked over to his friend, who was writing notes in said book. “I knew it would come in handy one day.”

“Okay, kids. I have to go back to the dragon and gather more samples. Ignacia, make sure to lock the door if you leave,” ordered Oren.

Ignacia nodded without looking up. “Yes, sir!”

“And don’t blow anything up!” Oren shouted as he walked out.

Ignacia slammed her book closed and grinned at her friends. “So, where should we go?”

“The grotto?” Daelyniel suggested.

“The grotto!” Rustam agreed.

Galenova looked between the three of them. “What’s that? And will the guards even let us leave the castle without a family member?”

Rustam smiled reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry, we’ll be okay.”

A knock on the door startled them. It opened, and Rexus and Rhodaph’s heads popped in. Rhodaph walked in first and looked around nervously while Rexus looked a little upset. “Umm, we don’t have any lessons today since Father, Sir Oren, and Uncle Drefan are going to look at the dead dragon. Mother is taking Prince Lennoxir around the city with Uncle Luvern and Aunt Melita,” Rhodaph revealed.

“Oh, I see,” Rustam said quietly.

Rhodaph fidgeted a little. “C-Can we join you today?”

Rustam looked at his friends before looking back at his brothers. “One moment.” They huddled together in the corner of the room. “What do you think?”

“Can they keep a secret?” Ignacia asked. “What if they tell on us?”

“We could get in a lot of trouble,” Daelyniel pointed out.

Rustam looked torn. He didn’t know his brothers as well as he would like, but he didn’t think they would reveal their secrets. They looked lost and unsure of what to do since their parents were busy. “I trust them. I think they're sad our parents are busy.”

Galenova nodded in encouragement. “We trust you, Rustam.”

The little Dwarf prince walked over to his brothers. “Do you two promise not to reveal anything?”

Rexus and Rhodaph looked confused but nodded. “We promise,” Rexus agreed.

“Good!” Ignacia exclaimed and ran over to the corner of the room. She moved the little corner table to the side and pushed the carpet away to reveal a trap door. “We’re going on an adventure!”

“So, this is the dragon that attacked Rustam and his little friends?” Drefan asked. He scrunched his nose at the sight of the dried black ooze coming out of its eyes. "A disgusting and foul creature."

Padraig nodded as he examined it while Oren gathered samples. “It appeared out of nowhere and attacked the kids.” Looking at it up close, he could only imagine how terrified his son must’ve been. After that event and seeing Rustam unconscious from his injuries, he promised to spend more time with him. Balancing his kingly duties and being a father to three boys wasn’t easy. Especially since he was tasked with teaching the two oldest ones what's to be expected of them as a king. If he were being honest with himself, Padraig was ashamed to admit that he didn’t know much about Rustam.

“What can you tell me about this dragon, Sir Oren? I’ve never heard of one that looks like this.”

The old Dwarf frowned as he looked at the green saliva he gathered in a jar. “I’m not sure, Your Majesty. This dragon appears almost…unnatural. It will take some time to learn more about it. The kids have been helping me research.”

“Rustam helps you in your studies?” Padraig asked.

“Oh yes! He and Ignacia often help me with my experiments and research. Their young minds are very quick at remembering things. Daelyniel also helps when he and his family visit. And now it appears Princess Galenova has joined them,” Oren informed him.

Hearing that warmed Padraig’s heart. He knew Rustam was very close to Daelyniel and Ignacia, and now Princess Galenova. A part of him hoped that Rexus and Rhodaph would spend their free day with him and the others. The two of them were close to each other, but they rarely spent time with other kids and their younger brother. “I knew he spent time in your study, but I didn’t know he helps with research.”

Oren picked some of the black webbed substance from the dragon’s body and put it in a jar. “The young prince is quite the scholar. He’s adept with magic. I think he’ll make a fine mage if he keeps practicing.”

Drefan snorted, shaking his head at that. “A Dwarven prince being a mage? That is no real prince. The boy should get better with his swordsmanship.” The wind was knocked out of him when he suddenly slammed to the ground. Padraig’s hand was around his throat and anger was clear in his hazel eyes.

“Insult my boy again and I will strip you of your title and take everything you own,” the king warned. “You’re my younger brother, and I love you. But you are testing mine and my wife’s patience with your remarks about Rustam and everyone who isn’t a Dwarf. This is your final warning, Drefan.” He released his brother and looked back at Oren. “Have you gotten the samples you need?”

The court wizard nodded and looked at the jars in his pack. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll start examining them right away when I get to my study. If my granddaughter hasn’t blown it up.”

“Wow, it’s so pretty!” Galenova exclaimed as she looked around the grotto.

Rustam smiled as he watched the Nymph girl fly around the cave. It wasn’t a huge grotto, but there was enough space for her to fly around. A few small waterfalls were spread throughout the cave that poured into the large pool. Crystals were scattered around in the grotto’s gray, stony walls and shone brightly from the sunlight coming through the open ceiling.

“When did you discover this? I don’t remember hearing about this grotto,” Rhodaph questioned in wonder.

Daelyniel grinned as his cousins looked around. “We discovered it while Igy practiced her alteration and levitation magic. We come here a lot during the spring and summer.”

"You trust her not to drop you?" Rexus questioned.

Ignacia puffed her cheeks in anger. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

Rexus smirked at her and poked her forehead. "What if you drop them?"

"We don't levitate, dummy! Do you know how hard it is to make a person float? I make my charm bigger and we fly on that!" she explained.

Rexus laughed as he looked around the grotto. “This is what you do when we’re in lessons or attending council meetings with Father…?”

Rustam nodded. “Not all the time. Sir Oren still teaches us different lessons and has us practicing our magic.” He smiled brightly at his brothers. “If you want, we’ll sneak out and bring you with us whenever you have free time!” The thought of his brothers joining them made his heart soar. He would love to be around them more since they were usually busy with their own duties. The only time they really got to spend together was during meal times.

Rhodaph grinned. “Yeah! I wanna come back and swim!”

“I wanna come back too,” Rexus whispered. He was still unsure about leaving the castle without guards, but none of them would ever bring them here.

“We will another day!” Rustam said excitedly.

“So, this is where all of you are…”

All of the kids looked over to the entrance of the cave and saw a mysterious figure standing there. From what Rustam could see, it looked like a male Dwarf, but he couldn’t make out the man’s features.

“Who’s that…?” Ignacia asked. Galenova came back down and stood next to them.

“Who are you?” Rexus demanded as he slowly moved to the front.

The figure chuckled as he unsheathed his sword. “Don’t worry about it. I’m afraid you won’t live long enough to find out.”

Need something to read while waiting for the next chapter? Check out these other Tapas AF Tourney novels! Links below! <3