Ayla, 7 years old For the last five days, the castle of Myrthana has been buzzing with activity. King Amul, the king of Myrthana, was expecting King Hagen, the king of Nordmar, and his son, Prince Rhobart. King Amul wanted the castle to be spotless for when the guests arrived. The slaves were cleaning room after room while the servants made sure that everything was put back in its place. And if something wasn’t properly cleaned, King Amul made sure to punish the slaves severely. It was morning when Queen Lavia and two servants entered Ayla’s room. After they bathed her, the slaves dressed her in a beautiful yet simple white cotton dress. Her black hair had been brushed and braided into a crown around her head. “Ayla,” her mother said, once Ayla was ready for the visit of King Hagen and Prince Rhobart, “stay in your room until the guests arrive. Don’t leave your room and more importantly, don’t get dirty. If you do, your father will be very displeased with you, and you know how ang

The race started well, and it appeared that prince Rhobart was winning, but in the middle of the race, his horse started acting strange. The horse stopped running and tried to throw the prince off the saddle. “Rhobart!” the King of Nordmar said in a loud tone. But the prince did not look at his father as he grabbed the reins hard and tried to calm the horse. Moments later, slaves came running and tried to grab the reins, but the horse became more agitated. Ayla watched, praying that nothing bad would happen to the prince of Nordmar. She breathed easily when the slave grabbed the reins and held the horse. Prince Rhobart got down from the horse, took out a dagger he had at his waist, and cut the saddle’s girths. He threw it on the ground, and he found two briers under it. The prince removed the briers, patted the horse on its neck, and talked to it. “Prince Galian is the winner,” her father said, but no one was looking at the King of Myrthana. They were looking at the King of Nor

She had never played with someone else before and she was starting to get excited for when she would move to Nordmar. “I would like to have a snowball fight with you, but what if my hands freeze?” “You will wear warm gloves and clothes, so you don’t have to worry about freezing. And we can build a fire and roast chestnuts.” Ayla narrowed her eyes. “You have oaks in Nordmar?” Rhobart nodded. “They are not like oaks from Myrthana; they are winter oaks. The chestnuts from the winter oaks are sweet and salty at the same time. I am sure you will like them.” Everything that Rhobart told her sounded wonderful. They spent the rest of the morning in her garden, and when it was time for lunch, Rhobart and Ayla joined the adults in the dining room. While the adults spoke something about the magic ore mine, Ayla and Rhobart were busy feeding Kerra. “I don’t know why you like to spend time with my sister,” Galian suddenly said. Rhobart looked at Galian. “Unlike others, she does not need

After dinner, a maid took Ayla to her room and helped her get ready for bed. Ayla was in bed, when she heard scratches on the door. She wondered if it was Kerra and she got up and opened the door. Kerra stood on the hallway in front on Ayla’s room. “You want to come in?” Ayla asked. Kerra was about to go inside when the voice of two men caught her attention and she started running. Not wanting anything to happen to Kerra, Ayla decided to follow her. She grabbed her cloak and put it around her shoulders and ran after the snowcat. Kerra stopped in front of two golden doors. One of them was ajar. Ayla picked up Kerra and was about to return to room when she heard her father and King Hagen speak. “It is obvious my daughter and your son like each other,” King Amul said. Ayla got closer to the doors. “They are just friends. You heard my son,” King Hagen retorted. “Of course, they are friends. They are still children. But when they are older, they could get married. Myrthana and No

When Hraa woke up, it was late afternoon. She was pressed against the dragon’s warm body, his wing wrapped around her. She tried to free herself but the dragon growled in annoyance. “You have to let me go!” Hraa said. “I have to return to my tribe.” “No,” Hraa heard a voice talking inside her head. “You are mine now. My t’aja. My mate.” Hraa stopped struggling. “You can talk? she asked the dragon. He snorted. “Of course, I can talk. I am Xa, king of the sky and the dragons. And you will be the queen of the dragons.” “I can’t be the queen of the dragons since I am not a dragon. Now, let me go! I want to return home.” Xa removed his wing and Hraa stood but before she could get away, Xa grabbed her with his strong claws and flew away with her. Hraa was furious with the dragon. She could not believe the dragon had kidnapped her. But, as Xa flew, taking Hraa farther and farther away from her family, she promised herself that she would find a way to escape the dragon. Xa took Hraa to