As I breathe in the morning air I can't help but be excited for today since today is the Selection test I couldn't sleep at all from the excitement. 

I hear the horses in the stables neighing signaling that they are awake. I smile as I have to head over to the stables to feed the horses and clean the stables before the sun fully rises. As I walk over to the stables I admire the glow the sun gives the fresh crops. It gives it such a beautiful glow. It was an amazing turnout this year. We will be able to get a good price from the merchants for our crop this year. There will be enough to last us another year. I enter the stables and get a warm greeting from all the horses. They neigh loudly bobbing their heads at me telling me they are ready to eat. 

"Alright I get it you old geezers I'll feel you," I say throwing my hands up at how impatient these spoiled horses are. 

I grab the hay and slowly restock each of their food trays. I refill their water after and then bring in the damp morning hay to store it in the back of the barn. I stack two bundles of hay on top of each other and bring them in to make work faster. I continue for a while when Drew and Zuria show up when I am just finishing up bringing the hay in and making it organized in the barn. 

"That's what I'm saying" I hear Zuria laugh 

"That isn't even the best part," Drew said making a large gesture I didn't understand making Zuria laugh harder. 

Zuria looks at me and runs over leaving Drew to catch up.

"Look at you getting an early start. I bet you didn't sleep at all last night." She says giving me her usual smirk petting on Silvia's muzzle. 

"Says the one who is also early," I say dusting my hands off along with my clothes to get the hay off me. 

"Do you think one will pick you? What if one doesn't pick one of us." She says the slight panic showing on her face. 

"Relax if one of us doesn't get picked we will find some way to deal with it. Me and you together always remember" I say putting my hand on her shoulders to focus her so she calms down. The tension leaves her body and her usual confidence is back. 

"If anyone should be worried it's you, dazy boy. One won't pick someone as birdbrained as you" She says in a tease-like way. 

"Yeah, but I'm not the one afraid of heights," I say walking away smirking. 

I grab the wheelbarrow and shovel and move to Silvia's stable grab a rope and tie it around her neck to lead her out and I hand her over to Zuria so she can groom Silvia while I clean her stall. I just noticed Drew disappeared somewhere probably tending to the field. Zuria and I fall into our usual rhythm. Even as I clean I can't help but wonder what dragon would choose me. If one does then I could be on the Dragon Guard which means I could make good coins for Ma Inaya. 

"You're still not going to tell god Mother Inaya you are taking the Selection test," Zuria asks knowing the answer. 

"Zuria we have been over this. She wants me nowhere near any of that especially if it means moving away" I say sighing tired and guilty from constant pondering of this decision. 

"Al I know but if you are chosen then you will have to leave and she isn't prepared for that. Dying is not very common but it is possible and if you do she will never recover. She needs time to prepare for the possibility that you might get picked" Zuria trying to reason as she grooms a horse. 

I don't say anything because she is right but I have tried to talk to Ma Inaya and she has denied me each time. She won't even explain why but I know there is something she isn't telling me. I just wish she would at least explain why I shouldn't go off. Most people pray for their children to get picked so they don't have to worry about a bad winter since they will have coins to handle problems. I want to see the kingdom and I want to protect it. You can always hear the sound of a dragon roaring and if you are lucky you can see a guard member skying in the sky. I want to know what it feels like to fly. I could give Ma Inaya a better life out of this town. I love this town but everyone dreams of something bigger. She has done everything for me and I just want to return the favor. I love her more than anything. She and Zuria have been my family forever. If I'm selected and Zuria is as well our lives can change for the better. 

"Al, are you listening to me? I'm serious you have to tell her" Zuria says turning me around to look at her. 

The look in her eyes is saying there is no room for arguing. I know I can't get out not this time. 

"I'll tell her but you know how this will end. She fully supports you but for some reason, me doing it is out of the picture" I said sounding a bit bitter. 

"She just knows I'm a hard worker that gets what she wants. You are always spacing out. How can you ever make it to be the crown prince soon to be king's personal elite dragon guard protector." She says grinning at me trying to lighten the mood. 

I give her the best smile I can but deep down it still bothers me ma Inaya won't even let me but supports Zuria. 

"I'll finish here we have to go soon and you still need to tell her," She says pushing me out of the stables. 

"ZuZu I can walk," I say ruffling her hair and laughing at the annoyed look on her face. 

"Stop calling me that" She yells as I make my way down the field 

I feel the dread in my stomach as I get closer and closer to our little house. I take a deep breath before opening the door. I stop. She is sitting in a chair facing the door looking right at me with the paper of permission to take the Wyvern Selection test. 

"I know you are going to take the test. It is in your blood to ride a dragon and I know I can't stop you. There are some things I have to tell you before you leave but here." She says handing me the paper granting me permission. 

She gets up and hugs me.

"I know I have always been hard on you. You are more special than you know and it's time I tell you the truth of who you are" She says pulling back and trying to blink away the tears in her eyes. 

She sits down and gestures for me to pull up a chair next to her. I close the door. I feel nervous since even as a kid she told me she had something to tell me when I was at the right age and I have been desperate to know what it is for years. I pull up the chair next to her and sit. She takes a deep breath in and pulls out a letter from beside her. She looks at it for a good minute before handing it to me. 

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"This is a letter from your real mother.....Empress Astrid the first of Sliverscale" She says calmly looking at me. 

My eyes widened at the information. The late empress. My mother. Inaya told me from a young age I wasn't her real son but she never shared details about my real parents or how I ended up with her and I didn't care to know since she was all I ever needed. I stare at the letter in disbelief. If the Empress was my mother that means I am a prince. With shaky hands, I turn the letter over and see the royal seal. It is silver and has the kingdom's royal coat of arms on it. I break it and open the letter pulling out a letter. 

My Dearest and Beautiful Son Crown Prince Alastor, 

I am cognizant that I am not present to elucidate all that has come to pass, and I am ignorant of the state of the realm or your circumstances as you peruse this missive. Time eludes me ere I must dispatch you from the fortress alongside my staunch companion, Inaya. Be apprised that even in my demise, you endure as the sovereign prince of Sliverscale. Nivar is not apt to govern our dominion, for it shall be plunged into ruin under his tenure. Hence, I bid you retreat so as to persist. I have glimpsed the days to come, foretelling your demise should you tarry this eve. The foresight offered no glimpse of a prosperous life should either I or your sire accompany you. Our sacrifice was not in vain, for you were rescued, a boon beyond my aspirations. Despite the renegade seizing the throne, the rightful heir breathes, destined one day to reclaim the seat rightfully his and steer our realm to triumph. Challenges shall abound, yet I have faith that Inaya has imparted unto you the necessary wisdom and means to prosper. I shall forever laud you, my child. Guard the luminescence dwelling within you. A bequest has been left to aid you in dire straits. I must now part but persevere, my son. In time, you shall discern the worthiness of all that has transpired.

Yours sincerely, your mother, Empress Astrid the First of Sliverscale.

I stare at the letter unable to process everything I read. I'm the Crown Prince. That can't be right. I look up at her. 

"I always see the Crown Prince Alastor on the telecon giving speeches or just his face when he does something or is outside the royal palace since before I can remember. Even in the history books you always made me read it said that the king and queen died by assains from another kingdom and the crown prince survived " I say trying to make sense of all of this.

She sighs. 

"Nivar covered up his evil deeds by saying it was another kingdom. He put an imposter child in your place and has been raising that child as Crown Prince Alastor since he was a baby. The whole kingdom thinks that it is the Crown Prince maybe even the child himself. He has played everyone and has gotten away with it. He is pulling all the strings and no one can see the damage he is doing in the background. The imposter prince doesn't even look like the late Empress or Emporer. He looks like an average Sliverscallan but you look like the perfect mix of your mother and father. You have your mother's beautiful brown hair with the red highlights and your father's dark brown eyes and his facial expression with your mother's skin color and lips." she explains the sadness clear in her eyes as she thinks of them. 

I don't know what to say. I look at the letter again and reread it. She says that she left something for me. 

"In the letter, it says she left something for me," I say wondering what it could possibly be. 

"Oh yes, I almost forgot." Ma Inaya says getting up and heading to her books. 

She comes back with a small box. It looks expensive and elegant. It is a velvet that I have never seen in person before. She hands it to me and smiles. I slowly take it and hold it for a second not sure of what to do. I take a deep breath and open it. Inside is a simple ring that looks to be made of silver. Nothing too special about it. I take it out of the box and slip it on my finger. It fits perfectly and I feel a rush of something powerful flow from the ring through me. I gasp at the sudden transfer of power. 

"w-what" I try to say. 

"That ring is secretly a mage orb. It was designed for you so if anyone else put it on the magic inside it would harm or even kill them. It was your mother's and now it's yours. If you think about the magic flowing in you from the ring and imagine it turning the ring into an orb it will or you can say Dragon Mage orb appear in draconic while feeling the connection to the ring and you and then make it turn back into a ring say Dragon mage orb disappear or  think about it turning back into a ring." She says 

"draushum hewa krakawnoth annish," I say in Draconic. 

I feel the rush and the transformation happen. The ring comes off my finger flies up a bit and transforms into a glowing orange orb that sparkles. It lands in my open palm and I can't help but stare at it for a while. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It glows brighter than when the sun is rising and the beams of light hit the field in spring. It is like nothing I have ever seen before. I didn't even know things like this existed. 

"That orb can increase your magic when you get it and lots of other things that I am not familiar with. It is very rare. Your mother was known for having it with her. It was never a ring she only made it like that for you so you would be able to have it with you without being noticed." Ma Inaya says softly. 

"draushum hewa krakawnoth disappear," I say in Draconic.

I look at her and hug her. I have so many questions but I don't have time to ask them. 

"Can I tell Zuria?" I ask knowing that is the one I want to know the most. 

"Only if you feel you can truly trust her but I would wait until after the selection," Ma Inaya says knowingly. 

We pull and she turns grabbing something. When she comes back my way I see her holding a pouch. She hands it to me. 

"I know you forgot to pack so I did it for you. I gave you some things you might need and of course your telecon. I know you will be picked so I won't be seeing you for a while but I make sure to write. I want to hear all about how you are doing but you should know before letters are sent there is a chance it will be read so don't write anything too important if not in code" She says trying not to cry but failing as tears fall down her face rapidly. 

I grab her hand and pull her into another hug. 

"You might not be my birth mother but you will always be the one I call my mother. Thank you for everything you have done for me. I'll make sure to come and visit with my dragon." I say into her ear holding her close since I know this might be the last time I see her for a long time. 

"You sweet talker where did you learn that from" She says pulling me away and trying to lighten the mood. 

"You of course," I say smiling as I put the pouch around my shoulders. 

"You better get going before the wagon leaves you," She says smiling trying to keep a brave face. "You are destined for greatness. Good luck Alastor. I love you"

I turn and open the door to our little house. Before I close the door I take in everything. Our little sitting area and her books on the side of the table. The rug always scared me since it had the face of an angry wolf. Our little plates I've eaten on my whole life. The chairs I sat in and studied on for hours. The walls are made out of wood from the forest nearby. Our sleeping area in our fur blanks and bedding was extra hot in the warm season. Last of all the woman who raised me my whole life. I look at her. I look at how her reddish-brown hair falls down her shoulders and ends in the middle of her back. I look at the wrinkles that appear on her face from all the years we have lived here. I look at her smile. The most beautiful thing in the world. Her hazel eyes, her tough hands from all the manual labor, and her short height all together. She is and always will be home. 

"I love you too Ma Inaya," I say before closing the door. 

I walk and admire the fields and the sound of our horse. I hear the chickens and the sound of everyone awake in our little town. Zuria runs up behind me. She walks by my side not saying anything. We make it to the square and the wagon is there filled with other children from our town all filled. I recognize most of the faces and get a few waves. Drew is along with them. Everyone is nervous it is clear on their faces. Zuria and I move into the chart and sit next to each other. There is a crowd and people are yelling and cheering for us. The wagon starts and we leave. Zuria's mom and siblings make it in time and wish us luck as we move away. Everyone knows that whoever comes back will have let down their family. We all have one chance. I grab Zuria's hand and I know we have the same thought in our minds. Now or never.