Dragon's Hope

"Wait so you're stuck like that", asked Kayla.

"Until I can learn how to revert back yes", Alex nodded.

Kayla looked over at Anna and Lily, "Does it feel just as good in that form?".

Anna grinned, "Even better but you may want until he gets a hang of his increased strength otherwise he may literally break you".

"Oh my" Kayla gulped.

Alex rolled his eyes, "You can discuss that later, we will have to delay the trip to the palace but I don't want to put it off for long so I want to get some clothes I can wear over my new appendages as I don't plan on going topless all the time.

Lily coughed, "Most of the clothes dragons wear that operate in demi dragon form are ones they put on in human form then go demi dragon and the wings and tail burst out of special slots, getting you something you can put on around the wings will near impossible the tail isn't so hard to work around, so you may have to go topless or wear some very awkward looking clothes".

"You're not just saying that cos you like watching me walk around topless?". Alex joked

Lily blushed a bit and shook her head.

Alex sighed, ok we will head over to Alos place and see if his wife can make the adjustments to the pants, I assume you all plan on coming to the palace with me?".

They all gave an affirmative response to that question.

"Actually thinking about something, Lily, Anna are your dragon forms m.a.t.u.r.e enough to carry someone?", Alex queried.

They both nodded, "Yes with ease", the chorused

"Thinking straight if you girls can carry Vale and Kayla we can fly directly to the palace and not spend 3 days causing a disturbance in every place we go through", pondered Alex.

"Sounds like a great idea to me any day I get a ride from a dragon is a great day for me" giggled Kayla

There came a knock at the door. "Come in", yelled out Alex. Quintus and Levindal both entered after seeing the demi dragon Alex, both of them froze in shock.

"Well they are taking it better than I thought" quipped Alex, "I thought for sure Quintus would faint and Levindal would attack me".

"There is still time for me to faint yet young Lord", said Quintus, "What happened to you?".

Alex gave them the abridged version that they had a bonding ceremony with Anna and Lily something went wrong and now Alex is in the process of learning to switch back to his human form.

Levindal looked somewhat amused, so your telling me you are stuck like this until you learn how to turn back and that you plan to go the palace like that?

"Well I was planning on getting my pants adjusted for my tail, but can you think of anything I can put on over the top of me that isn't going to enc.u.mber my wings or get shredded by my horns that won't look like I'm wearing a bib?".

"Good point".

"Right well let's get to it, I'm heading to Alos place to see if his wife can make the needed adjustments then me and the girls plan on directly flying to the palace, anything I should know before I go.

They both shook their heads, "In that case I'm entrusting this place to you both while I'm gone, stay safe".

Alex and the girls departed the mansion and walked into the village, to say they caused a stir would be an understatement, no one said anything just wherever they passed there would be complete silence until they were gone. Eventually they made it to Alos workshop and once he was snapped out of his daze he took Alex out back to see his wife, she said the adjustments should be easy to do would most like take about an hour, the group sat chatting with the couple until the adjustments were made, Alex went and got changed into them and was extremely thankful that he didn't have half his a.s.s hanging out anymore.

He thanked them both profusely and then headed outside, the girls transformed into their true dragon form and the all shot up into the sky the screams of the passengers was heard for a echoed out.

Flying above the treetops they made their way towards the palace, it was quite the soothing journey, Alex used wind step to keep him in the sky and his dragon wings to glide. It only took a little over a day to reach the palace. Landing in front of the palace gates, he spoke with the guard, "Could you advise the Queen her nephew Alex is here to visit".

Giving Alex all sorts of looks he simply waved someone over to take his place while he relayed the message.

He came running back shortly, and bowed "I'm ordered to bring you to see her at once".

Alex and the girls followed the guard to an audience chamber, where the Queen was sitting atop her throne with various ministers around as the group entered all eyes turned towards them trying to get a read of the group that had just entered, the Queen was already drooling at her nephew, as they approached Alex sighed at her behaviour.

"I wasn't expecting to return so soon your Majesty but I have something I would like you to look at".

The Queen just distractedly nodded while her eyes roved over his body

"Focus please" Alex sharply said, "The thing I want you to look at is this", pointing to the symbol on his forehead.

Finally noting the red dot surrounded by 6 dark purple rhombus the Queen became very serious. "Where did you get such a mark?"

"I received this from my families inheritance alter a couple of days ago".

"Rubbish", one of the ministers cried out.

"I assume you have some method of validating the marks, go right ahead", Alex calmly stated.

His simple reply fl.u.s.tered the minister who went silent.

"Everyone is to stay in this room until I return no one is to speak of this to anyone, Alex you and your fiancés follow me to the guardians".

Alex simple nodded and trailed after the Queen.

They reached the courtyard that Ramistol and Kelrina resided in most of the time.

The old couple were sitting as he had last seen them drink tea and chatting.

"Oh my you chose the double whammy, you somehow managed to become a demi dragon as well as become the protector of the great forest, indicating the mark on his forehead".

"Yeah about both those things I have a couple of questions regarding both".

"Im sure you do dearie but manners first introduce us to who I'm assuming are the rest of your fiancés", said Kelrina.

Alex stepped aside and Kayla stepped forward and bowed, "Hello I am Kayla daughter of Lady Melliandra, it's nice to meet you both", Kayla smiled.

"Hello dear p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you as well good to see you didn't go your mothers blank faced route, did you know she just started it as a prank then it just stuck so she felt compelled to keep it up, she always was stubborn that one", Kelrina reminisced.

The sisters stepped forward, "Hello Aunty and Uncle, I'm Anna, and I'm Lily, it's a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you". They bowed politely.

"What good little girls looks like little Zak didn't spoil them as much as we thought he would" chuckled Ramistol.

"Now the introductions are out of the way ask away dear boy", Ramistol waved Alex forward.

"Well the first thing what is this mark on my forehead and what is it for?".

"The mark is intended for a single person to wear that person is named the Grand Highlord, he stands only below the King or Queen and is supposed to be their right hand, but he is also their executioner should the monarch become corrupted or incompetent.

"Oh that's going to go down well with the highlords, I doubt they would listen to me any way they barely listen to the Queen", Alex grumped.

"Hey" said the Queen in protest.

"Sorry Auntie but it's the truth you let them run roughshod over you for to long you should have shortened their leashes and stomped their necks, you needed to prove you were the Leader, instead you played their game when you didn't have to".

"What do you mean by that?", she demanded.

"I've had a lot of time to chat to people Levindal in particular about what has been going in, and in short you let them run roughshod over you, you sank to their level and played with them at their own game so you lost again and again, instead of doing what you should a have done in the first place which was realize you are the Queen what you say goes and just flip the board on them.

Alex sighed

"But it's too late for that now, you have let your power and authority be frittered away to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if a coup was in the making".

The Queen was looking distressed Alex reached over and patted her head, "I know it's not all your fault, you were never really suited for the role, to be a ruler you have to have a certain streak of ruthlessness in you that allows you to do the things you must do in order to keep the peace, even if that thing is distasteful"

"The only thing you can blame yourself for is your failure to realize you weren't suitable and recuse yourself from ever being selected, baring that you should have gotten a better group of ministers that that bunch of vipers you call a cabinet".

The two guardian dragons sat there nodding to everything Alex said and quickly chimed in, this is where the protector comes in, it is the protectors job to help or kill the monarch depending on how he feels about how good or bad they are for the roll.

The Queen looked at Alex with pleading eyes.

"Sadly you make a terrible ruler but luckily you make a decent enough queen".

"Yay nephew" she cried out as she tried to hug him.

"Calm down and stop trying to use this as an excuse to feel me up".

"Boo"

"The first thing we have to do is clean house, get rid of any disloyal elements as well as locate a good first minister, he will basically run everything while you will be acting as the object of affection for the masses." Alex said thinking.

"How do we go about cleaning house so to speak", the queen asked confused.

"For that I will request the aid of one of my lovely fiancés, Vale will you help with this process?".

"Oh course Alex you just have to ask", responded Vale with a smile.

"Excellent, this will be super easy with Vales help". grinned Alex

"Oh?". The Queen tilted her head to the side with curiosity.

"Vale is an empath, she is very good at feeling what others are feeling and as such she will sit in the meeting with you and will be able to tell if they are loyal or hiding bad intentions. Just throw up any old reason to see the minister's one by one and have Vale pretend to be your servant, she will only need a brief instant to get a read on them , but the longer the better, it needs to be done fast as well so you will want them all in the a same place at the time so they don't have time to be suspicious once we have the info I will act on it and kill or arrest as I see fit", explained Alex.

"What do you mean by kill exactly" she nervously asked.

"When I say kill I mean literally that, if I deem someone to be great a danger I will eliminate them, such is one of the distasteful decisions you have to make as a ruler", Alex expanded on.

Ok with that sorted second question, I'm already guessing something is special about my dragon tamer blood I'm sure I will figure that out as I go along but do you have any tips on how to revert back to my human form?".

"Nope not a one", they both said, Kelrina explained further, "the trigger is different for every dragon and they have to find it themselves which is why after the awakening they are normally kept safe for anywhere from 6 months to 2 years before the get it.

"Nuts I'm stuck like this for a while then, oh well I better get used to it if there is nothing that can be done about it in the short term"