The Dragon

  He reached the marshnd.

  Everywhere, he could smell his sister's st. He could also smell a cub. A boy. His nephew. But there was also a sed smell in the air. The smell of death. Illness. His sister. Dragons rarely got sick, but his sister had succumbed to the disease. He followed his nose deep into the sy, damp forest, over whose treetops he flew in the form of a fal until he discovered the dead body of his sister. She was no longer alive. Judging by the smell, she had died of the same disease as her father. A hereditary disease that rarely occurred. He himself had not ied it, but his sister had always smelled of it. He had always known she wasn't going to grow old. He nded o her dead, bright body and mourned until another smell rose into his he young dragon. He came closer.

  The dragon looked around until he spotted a bck rabbit. His nephew... Or his he child smelled strahe young one slowly came closer. He, or she?, could smell that he was a retive. The dragon looked at the teenager delightedly, despite his grief. The child would not be alone. His... Nephew? Niece? But there was another smell. The disease. This dragon wouldn't grow old either.

  Marlon

  His sister was unbearably cheerful. Too cheerful for his taste.

  During breakfast, which took p the afternoon since vampires were mostly noal, they discussed the exact date of the wedding. Saturday? Or Sunday? Annemarie wahe night from Saturday to Sunday, Torsten didn't care and the queen wanted Sunday night. Eventually, the date was set for Sunday night so that they had a little more time. Even before they had fiheir breakfast, the king instructed servants to send invitations.

  His sister and her so-called fiancé looked tired. Of course, they were. After all, they had to adapt to the other times.

  Marlon stirred his tea, ahis would be the fastest wedding in history. His sister, was sold off to a human so that her kingdom could get the help of witches and wizards. He didn't care about his sister's well-being, but it should have been him who got married! He! Not her. But the little witch princess had escaped him. For now.

  Her blood had smelled delicious.

  Just thinking about it made his mouth water. After breakfast, his parents and two fiancées retired to discuss the details of the wedding and what else was to e. He himself put on a warm jacket.

  He had a dragon to catch!

  But apart from the dead dragon, he found nothing. Judging by the remaining smell, a sed dragon had e and he and the cub were on their way to leave the marshnd. Marlon snorted angrily. Did it end like this? Was His only achievement finding a dead dragon? I could follow the dragons. But when they return to the desert... I would be dragon food.

  The animals were gohey flew in the dire of the elveory. That's how much he could smell. And from there? Back to the desert?

  He had lost his prey.

  Julia

  They were all sitting together in the living room when there was a kno the door.

  "Visitors? Are you expeg someone?" Hanno looked at his wife. Flora shook her head. She was not expeg aill, she got up to see who was at the door.

  "Should we hide?", asked Finn nervously. None of them had been locked up in their 'prison', although the eldest expected it.

  "No", Hanno smiled reassuringly at the frightened wolf. “You stay with us."

  Julia was surprised when Flora came in with Ilse and little Cudia. The young elf immediately ran to Leopold to tell him her test joke, which she had heard from her grandfather. Leopold ughed politely at the joke, but his eyes were on Ilse.

  "Hello." The elf looked nervously at Julia. "I'm here because of what you said." She smiled uainly. "About what's going to happen. Cudia? Please py in the garden. But don't break anything!"

  Cudia nodded and walked past them to py in the garden.

  Julia smiled when she heard how the front door was nearly torn open and smmed shut.

  "You believe me?", she asked the elf.

  "I have no reason not to believe you. Leo wouldn't ge his mind if it wasn't the truth." She sighed. "Many here hate the royal family. We have to pay the high taxes that soldiers collect. Money, food... In summer we get by well. Most of us have a vegetable garden, but when the soldiers cim parts of our harvest in autumn and winter when someone ot pay the tax, we have a hard time getting through the winters. And then there are many other limitations. Svery. We don't want that anymore. We 't do anymore!"

  "I uand that." Julia looked at Finn, who was now sitting on Marko's p. Marko had ed his arms protectively around him and listened with i.

  "I never wanted a servant. But I was afraid of what might happen to them if I refused. Now they are bound to me. I never wahat", Julia tinued. "I would give them their freedom back if I could."

  "How exactly do the binding spells work?", Flora wao know. "All witches and wizards use them, right?"

  Julia nodded. "They're the only spells that everyone use. The marks on the wrists not only tell you what binding spell you are bound with but also what kind of witch or wizard used the spell. The binding spells are adapted to all witches and wizards. That's all I know. So far, I've only learned intuitive magio spells."

  Ilse sighed. "And soldiers will really e?"

  "They will e", said Leopold. "And if we don't flee... That could mean our death. Right?" He looked at Julia.

  "Right. They will burhing down. They do not e to punish, but to kill. I don't kly when they'll be here, but they could be on their way already." From the window, she could see Cudia pying in the garden. The girl flew over the beds and dropped leaves on the pumpkins as if it were raining.

  "I try to vince my father to evacuate the vilge. Maybe he'll listen to me", Ilse announced and smiled at Julia. "With all the witches Leo could have ended up with, he was lucky that it was you. I hought you were such a good person. But we have only experienced cruelty from you witches so far, so I hope you five us. I'll get my daughter now before she causes mischief in the garden."

  After Ilse left, Marko fetched one of the bames and put it oable. "We o rex! Otherwise, we'll go crazy!", he annouhen he looked at Leopold. "I have not fiven you!"

  "That's okay. I was very stupid. I'm sorry." He looked at Julia. "More than sorry. we talk?"

  Julia nodded and, trary to Flora's protests, followed him into the garden. Leopold sat down on a huge pumpkin as if it were a normal chair and Julia carefully sat down on ahe pumpkin held her weight. The garden looked a bit roumpkins had quered a rge part for themselves. There was also a small herb bed, which threateo be dispced by weeds.

  "I was stupid." Leopold looked at her tritely. "I thought it was the right thing to do. It wasn't. Instead of helping my homend, I plu into misfortune. And I hurt you."

  "Leo?" A question burned in her soul. She had to know. "Was it all just pyed? Or not? I o know."

  He shook his head. "No. It wasn't. I love you. It was not a scheme. Everything was real. The dan the castle garden, the kiss behind the n. I knew you wao keep our retionship a secret, but when I saw you... I just had to kiss you. I vinced myself that it was all to make the pn work. So that you would trust me... I lied to myself. I just wanted us all to be free. I wanted..."

  "You wao save your people." Julia grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I uand that. But you chose the wrong path, Leo."

  "I know. Would you really free me if you could?"

  "I would forbid svery." Julia nodded.

  "YOU should be queen. Not your mother. You would be a good queen."

  "I don't think so. No. I don't know how to govern a try."

  Leopold ughed. "You'll learn that! Let's go inside. Before ms us in... After all, none of you are supposed to go outside." He ughed softly. "What do you mean? Who will win the game Marko chose?"

  "Marko would be offended if he lost. He rarely had a ce against you and he's not a good loser."

  sasi