Realeza's Legacy

                In a small valley nestled deep within the mountains, a queen overlooked her perfumed garden where butterflies danced from blossom to blossom and birds sang the choir of songs. The warm summer sun warmed her bronzed skin and gleaned off her jeweled ornaments. With a heavy sigh she turned away from her garden and stepped through emerald gossamer curtains into her bed chambers. Her slippers tapped against the white tawny marble flooring as she moved towards her dressing table. On a crimson silk pillow rested a jeweled crown adorned with emeralds. Sitting down, she gazed at her reflection, staring at her emerald eyes and her fiery red hair. Two ivory horns protruded from her skull, decorated with gold and fine jewels. On her forehead rested a smooth amber gem connected to a gold chain that snaked through her hair.

                She was pampered all her life, told to make sure that she took extra care in her beauty. But her sole purpose as a queen of her kind was to produce heirs. Something she has yet to do in her three century reign. Her privy council had deemed that after three-hundred years of ruling, it was time for her to find a mate worthy to be her consort and produce heirs. The last queen, queen Tyraleza, was similar to her. Never choosing a consort for her entire reign, only laying with the visiting noble males. The Queen was a bastard child of the last queen, the only one deemed worthy of the throne after two-thousand years of a queen only interested in debauchery rather than choosing an heir out of all the children she had mothered.

                A soft knock brought the young queen back to the conscious world. She knew that it was time to make her journey to her throne room where a handful of males would be waiting for her. This made her nerves flare up. She was never told anything about the chosen males. They could be fresh into their adolescent years to being a few centuries her senior. Who knew what type of lives they lived behind the masks of courtiers. Her attire wasn’t what she agreed upon either. The head of the Privy Council had chosen it for her, claiming it was suitable for a young queen looking for a consort. She felt half naked due to the top being gossamer. Even with her hair draped over her shoulders, she felt uneasy. The knocked sounded again, and the young queen sighed. She rose to her feet and made her way towards the door.

******

                “Announcing her royal majesty, Realeza, queen of dragons,” announced a page as the great doors to the throne room opened, allowing the young queen to enter. Her hands folded over each other at her waist while handmaidens followed a few paces behind. Realeza kept her composure as she passed the courtiers staring at her. She was never told that the event was too witnessed by the entire court. This made her nerves flare up even more, making her feel more than half naked. The air was thick with the fragrance of Jasmine incense, causing the young queen to settle her nerves, for her garden was filled with Jasmine and was one of the few scents that relaxed her. The idea must have been her father’s, for only he knew what she liked. Realeza was the only one of her siblings who actually grew up with a father. Due to the previous queen’s lifestyle, she never laid with a noble more than once, mainly due to the fact that they were merely passing through, and she didn’t want the Privy Council to force her into a marriage just because she seemed to favor her current bed mate.

    Realeza was led to her throne, which was nothing more than a large gold and crimson brocade silk pillow stuffed with down feathers. The throne itself was large enough for Realeza to sleep comfortably in her dragon form if she truly wished to. Overhead hung a gossamer curtain of various tones, mimicking that of a summer sunset. Realeza took a deep breath as she sat down upon her throne, leaning back to rest on one arm as her legs curled off to one side, as was customary for queens to do when tending to the court.

                A young dragon dressed in a squire’s uniform bowed to his queen before rushing off towards a large velvet curtain, pulling on the rope that was half as thick as the poor lad. The curtain was pulled aside, and in single file, nearly a dozen of suitors poured into the grand chamber, the hushed conversations of the courtiers ceasing as they positioned themselves in front of the queen. Only a handful were pale skinned, the rest were either olive toned or bronzed. They seemed to be engaged into a game of sorts, for the farther you went down the line, the more extravagant their jewels and clothing became. Realeza felt lost as she gazed at the nobles, but the Privy Council had sensed it had a councilor had stepped forward, holding a piece of parchment in his hands,

                “Would Lord Velarius please approach her majesty!” the councilor called.

                Realeza watched the nobles until one of the paled skinned nobles stepped forward and gave a bow. He was decorated in medals and fine jewels. The faded gold brocade shimmered in the sunlight as he approached the throne. He gave a sweeping bow upon arrival and placed a hand over his heart. Realeza hardly ever encountered any other male in her life. Only the Privy Council and some major nobles who needed her wisdom. Lord Velarius was the first male she had encountered that wasn’t a “castle dweller” that she had learned to call them.

    His eyes were a beautiful honey-golden brown, seeming to capture the sun’s rays and causing them to glow. He had Silver hair with hints of gold mixed in, marking him as a member of the Northern Brood, except his eyes were that of the Southern Brood. She couldn’t tell much due to his clothing, but he looked rather well shaped. His horns sprouted from the side of his head like hers, but instead of having a slight curve, they had a little more of a twist to them. A single straight horn, the thickness of her two index fingers combined protruded from his forehead and held a silver ring encrusted with sapphires and amethysts.

    The loud, booming thump of the page’s staff startled her, making her realize that she never heard a single word he had said. Only a small gift box remained, in his stead.

                    “Would Lord Kethyr approach her majesty!” the councilor called. A Bronze skinned noble stepped forward. He wasn’t as decorated as Velarius, but he still looked wondrous. He wore his raven hair in a loose tail draped over his shoulder and his horns were rather long. They were about the length of her arm and were an ashen grey. Silver cuffs decorated with rubies gleamed in the sunlight. Judging by the way he carried himself, and his appearance, he was from the Western Brood, a semi-nocturnal brood that dwells along the coast. Once again Realeza was lost in his features that when it was time for the next noble to approach her, she was lost.

******

                Realeza sat in her chambers, resting on a pile of silken pillows as the high councilor, her father paced in front of her. Her legs were folded off to the side as she gazed out the window overlooking her gardens. Night had fallen, and only an amber glow from the torches was the source of light.

                “You need to make a choice Rea,” the High Councilor said as he ceased his pacing “The Privy Council doesn’t want another reign like your mother’s…” he added as he gazed at not only his queen, but his daughter.

                Realeza sighed and looked her father. She had long since changed out of her previous attire, wearing a gold silk chiton that fastened behind her neck by a gold jeweled collar. White cloth tucked into matching bracers connected to the back of her collar, making her appear far more regal than her previous attire.

                “And I won’t be forced into something I am not ready for!” she retaliated, her emerald eyes flaring from the raw energy of her emotions.

                “You had three-hundred years to prepare for this!” her father argued “how much longer must we, your people have to wait for an heir?” worry replaced his anger “If you die, then your brother, Melverin will have to take the throne and he won’t do your people well. He is more interested in whom he’s going to bed next rather than the vitality of the land…”

                Realeza sighed before standing. She brushed passed her father as she walked over to her balcony, her chiton dragging on the floor behind her,

                “I can’t just choose someone to be my lifetime mate on a whim,” Realeza replied “Who knows how these males are behind the masks they were at court?” Realeza peered over her shoulder “for all I know, they could be abusive or unable to give me an heir…” She sighed “I just need more time to get to know each and everyone, gifts and kind words aren’t enough…” she added.

                The High Councilor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose,

                “Very well, my queen, I’ll talk to the council and tell them your plan…” he said before looking at his daughter.

                “Just send for Lord Velarius and Lord Goran, I will meet with them privately…” Realeza said in a commanding tone.

                “That is what your mother said one time, and it is how we ended up with Melverin and Caelum…” He bowed his head before letting out another sigh “very well, I’ll send for them, but I am posting guards outside of your chambers,” he said before turning with a swish of his council robes.

                Realeza took in a deep breath as she absorbed the moonlight. She will not allow anyone to control her. She was queen after all, and queens take orders from no one! This was her legacy, she gets to decide how it is written.