Chapter 1

"You're Going to do what?" Hide asked, His eyes slightly widening.

"Didn't you hear me? Mother of moon, I said you're going to be married to the princess of the kingdom of the sea. However, there are three, so choose wisely " she said, while tapping on the floor with her tail.

A feathered dragon came in. She was a beautiful, faded night blue, with black spots all over her body. Her wings looked like they belonged to a bird, but she had the body of a fully grown dragon. She had been wearing only a cloth over her eyes and snout.

"Melony. My darling. Please take my meeting jewels out, and once their out, take the ones I'm wearing into the room. You know where." She barked at the dragon.

The faded blue dragon bowed her head, and walked away

"How could you be so cruel? For moons sake, her color is fading." Hide said, not hiding his obvious anger.

"So? That happens to all dragons that pass 300. She'll live." Queen Kastra said, waving a claw.

"Mother, that also happens to dragons who aren't fed enough. Malnourished dragons lose their pigment due to their lack of nutrients." He said, smoke seeping through his nostrils.

Hide had a flashback to the scrolls he was forced to read when he was three months old. It always had rips and tears in it, even though scrolls of magic often repaired themselves. Scrolls that had been enchanted, often repair themselves, and are most often immortal to time. Hide tried as hard as he could to remember the exact wording of foods or lack thereof that could drain a dragon's color. He had begun to tune his mother out until she said,

"Hide Yashira, you're going to save our empire. Don't tell me you're becoming even more selfish? I'm trying to do what's best for you, and you're taking it for granted as always." She said, as the faded blue dragon began coming back, with a pillow on her head. Jewels lie on top, with silver and bright blue all over the crimson and gold velvet pillow.

"Your majesty, shall I gather the jewels for your heir Aswell? If you wish, I could even get him new ones." She said, her voice slightly trembling.

"That won't be necessary. I presume I'm going to have to pick a bride for you while you're gone Hide." Queen Kastra said, pointing to the marbled floor.

"Melony, darling, would you set that down." She asked.

Melony slightly nodded, as to not drop the precious jewelry

"Hide, I'm taking Arison's advice. I may have been hesitant to the idea, but now I see how selfish you're becoming. You're going to the kingdom of ice to sort out your respect. Every dragon living in the tundra obeys and worships their empire since their rulers die before they hit one thousand years old. Sad, I know, but it's the way of life. Besides, you'll only be there until your five years old." She crudely said, a wicked smirk on her face.

"Mother, as of yesterday, I'm two years of age." Hide said, his eye twitching.

"But I'm not going somewhere I don't wish to go when I did nothing wrong. If only father was still here, y'know, the only dragon in all of Solia who has half of a brain." Hide spat, smoke rising from his nostrils once again.

Hide's mother gasped, a disgusted look on her face. She began to whisper to herself, a glowing aura surrounding her. Melony pathetically flapped her wings, hovering out. The aura around Queen Kastra, formed in a circle, shaped and colored like the moon. It was glowing so bright, it was almost blinding to Hide

"You have five goddamn seconds to take back your disgusting words." Kastra said, the glow dimming.

"Why would I apologize to a terrible mother?! You treat me like a second round! Someone who you can force things onto! You didn't even ask me if I already had a lover! You pushed it onto me as always, and now I have to suffer because you regretted ever crossbreeding with someone who you thought loved you. Clearly he made the proper choice instead of you." Hide yelled, his tail lashing back and forth.

As she loomed over him, Hide's mother gasped once again, the moon aura rising, making a spotlight over Hide. His ears began to sink into his head, His tail going stiff. As she flexed her wings, going in for an attack, he started running to his room, quickly grabbing his belongings. There, he gathered the food, water, and a blanket, quickly stashing it in his satchel. Hide then went to the night sky print on his wall to the right of his bed, where he camouflaged right into it. Once he heard his mother's hissing sound, he immediately closed his eyes, looking like the wall.

He watched the door fly open, and the moon blasted a strong and bright flash, and in the blink of an eye, his things were turned into ash, the walls of his room that got blasted, were black. As soon as she thought Hide wasn't there, she stormed out, scanning the palace eagerly, with the help of her guard, Arison.

Hide heard a loud roar and screeches from a few feet from his room.

"Not in his room!" Kastra yelled.

" And Arison! Get your guards and help me find him!" she roared.

Once Hide heard Queen Kastra's steps departing, he shot out of his room, making sure to stay by the ceiling as he made his escape.

Once Hide made his way to the door, which had been wide open from Arison's panic, He flew out into the darkening night, almost free.